Book of the Year Categories
The Book of the Year categories for The British Book Awards.
The British Book Awards is a celebration of books, and all who make them. It honours the stories that have been loved, shared and acclaimed throughout the year, alongside the teams whose unique mix of skills, savvy and hard work have carried those stories to readers.
The Book of the Year categories are judged on three equally important pillars:
- Storytelling Quality
- Publishing Excellence
- Sales Success
Full criteria and requirements for Book of the Year entries can be found in their individual categories below...
Overall Book of the Year
This is awarded to one of the winners of the other categories who in the opinion of the judges deserves to be awarded the gong for overall book of the year.
Author of the Year
The Author of the Year award treads the fine line between the hard numbers of the bestseller lists and the writing excellence of the literary prizes. It seeks to reward and acknowledge authors whose books have achieved notable success and who have also contributed to the general health of the book world. The winning author should also have demonstrated either through their writing or advocacy, support for the publishing and bookselling sectors during this period, as well as other authors.
Illustrator of the Year
The Illustrator of the Year rewards and acknowledges the illustrators whose books have achieved notable success, and who have also contributed to the general health of the book world in 2024. The winning illustrator should also have demonstrated either through their work or advocacy, support for the publishing and bookselling sectors during this period, as well as other authors.
Fiction
To win a Fiction Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Pageturner
The Pageturner of the Year Award is specifically aimed at fiction titles not otherwise submitted to the Début, Fiction, or Crime & Thriller Awards. The intention is to reward commercially successful fiction titles across all formats, including science-fiction, fantasy and horror titles, romance books, historical fiction, as well as other popular categories of fiction.
Crime & Thriller
To win the Crime & Thriller Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Début Fiction
To win the Début Fiction Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Non-Fiction: Narrative
To win the Non-fiction: Narrative Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
To win the Non-fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Non-Fiction: Discover
The Discover award is for first publication of titles in print (and e-book) from any genre (including fiction, non-fiction and children’s), but specifically for books and authors from marginalised communities, including but not restricted to Black, Asian and minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, disabled, and working-class writers. All publishers can submit to this award, but the intention is to showcase publications from independent publishers, small presses, and/or imprints focused on these sectors.
Children's Non-Fiction
To win the Children's Non-Fiction Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Children's Illustrated
To win the Children's Illustrated Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Children's Fiction
To win Children's Fiction Book of the Year Award you need a combination of three elements: the writer’s and/or the illustrator’s creative genius; brilliant publishing; and fantastic sales/charts success, including sustained sales over the year.
Audiobook: Non-Fiction
The AudioBook of the Year categories celebrate the process from text to listener, including the work of the narrator and audio production team. These awards regard sales success as imperative.
Audiobook: Fiction
The AudioBook of the Year categories celebrate the process from text to listener, including the work of the narrator and audio production team. These awards regard sales success as imperative.
