This year’s shortlist runs the gamut from cosy crime to not one but two espionage thrillers, leaving space for a twisty psychological thriller or two and a long-running detective series. With megabrand authors alongside a new name, our judges have a difficult decision ahead.
Lisa Jewell's None of This is True, about two women whose lives intertwine after a chance meeting in a pub, was singled out by our judges as a "brilliant" and "impressive" read. They were in awe of Century's "innovative", "committed" and "clever" campaign which made None of This is True the bestselling hardback of Jewell's career to date.
Not only did Century bring the podcast "Hi, I'm Your Birthday Twin!" from the novel to life, it also worked with a production company to bring the Netflix true crime documentary element of the book to the small screen. For our panel, None of This is True stands testament to Jewell's skill as writer of twisty, cleverly plotted and unputdownable crime novels, and the publisher's ongoing dedication to nurturing her career-spanning more than 20 years. The success of the novel is testament to "Century's commitment to their author", agreed our judges.
Originally published in the US, indie Swift Press spotted the commercial potential of this Syria-set spy thriller, written by a former CIA analyst, when other UK publishers had turned it down. The key to success was getting this debut on the radar of influential reviewers, and then capitalising on the excellent media coverage to ensure retailer buy-in, from Waterstones to W H Smith Travel and eventually Waitrose. Crowned as the Times Thriller of the Year, Damascus Station finished 2023 as the bestselling crime and thriller title from an independent publisher.
None of This Is True is Lisa Jewell’s bestselling hardback in her career of more than 20 years, powered by an irresistible hook and a standout Book Marketing Society-winning marketing campaign. Century brought the podcast from the novel to life, creating four true-crime inspired episodes released weekly in the run-up to publication, with the final episode revealing that the podcast was, in fact, a genius stunt. Impactful TV advertising across ITVX and Netflix added to the impressive online engagement.
Despite being the fourth in the Thursday Murder Club series, The Last Devil to Die is now the fastest-selling hardback adult novel ever – with Richard Osman beating his own previous record. Multiple TV slots included an exclusive VT, filmed at his mother’s retirement village – the inspiration for the series – broadcast on “The One Show”. Black Friday was a key focus, with a Devil-themed wordsearch puzzle in the Radio Times (1.1 million readership) in November and a ‘Which member of the Thursday Murder Club are you?’ quiz, which was widely shared online.
Sphere rose to the challenge of publishing the seventh in the Cormorant Strike series with an emphasis on expanding the author’s social media reach. The online book club on the Robert Galbraith Facebook page featured pre-recorded author videos, which readers were able to comment on as they were released, simulating a live event feel. A partnership with Good Housekeeping ensured the content was broadcast to its 1.4 million followers. The Running Grave spent 14 weeks in the Top 10.
Both a gripping standalone spy thriller and a prequel to Mick Herron’s bestselling Slough House series, The Secret Hours was powered by the biggest marketing and publicity strategy to date, securing the author a spread of high-profile interviews in print from the Sunday Times to You Magazine and the Radio 4 “Book at Bedtime” slot. At a secret pop-up event at Harrogate Crime Festival, fans joined the author for a one-off Q&A and reading. HB sales grew by 10% on Herron’s previous novel.
Michael Joseph launched Claire Douglas’ first official newsletter to coincide with publication of The Woman Who Lied. The publicity campaign focused on growing her presence on the crime festival circuit. On publication, this hit number five on its first part-week sale, rising to number two and spent a total of 11 weeks in the Top Ten. Selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club Pick, this psychological thriller finished the year in the Nielsen UK Top 50 of 2023’s bestselling titles.
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