Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Narrative

From a pop icon to a sports hero, from a dragon with life advice to a prince with something to get off his chest, this year’s Narrative shortlist is filled with those telling their own story, but there’s also room for a history book that tells the story of many.

Winner

Politics on the Edge: A Memoir from Within

Rory Stewart

Jonathan Cape

In a shortlist dominated by well-known names, Rory Stewart triumphed with his "honest, candid, dark and funny" memoir, Politics on the Edge. In a falling market for politics books, our panel agreed that this "breaks the mould of politics publishing". Not only did our judges commend the "captivating" quality of writing; they also thought that "in very troubling times, Politics on the Edge asks some very important questions". The "striking" photographic cover helped push Stewart's title beyond a political readership and Jonathan Cape constructed an "impressive", egalitarian campaign, securing a host of television interviews and leveraging Stewart's podcast audience to make this memoir the narrative book of the year. Our panel agreed that Politics on the Edge "ticked all the boxes" and they admired both the memoir and the author's desire to instigate political change.

The Shortlist

Normal Women

Philippa Gregory

William Collins

A radical retelling of English history, Philippa Gregory’s “tribute to the women of England” (not just a handful of famous ones) was acquired in a hotly contested seven-way auction. The publisher launched a bespoke eight-part podcast to accompany publication of Normal Women, to further expand the audience for the book, and the author undertook a big tour complete with a dynamic audio and visual presentation that was adjusted for every city to incorporate regional stories from the book.

Politics on the Edge

Rory Stewart

Jonathan Cape

Jonathan Cape set out to publish a political memoir “like no other”, a book with an urgent mission to expose the issues at the heart of our government in a falling market for political books. The striking photographic jacket, capturing Rory Stewart mid-stride, perfectly positioned the book outside the Westminster bubble. An impressive raft of TV interviews reached an audience of all political hues and the book hit number one in the non-fiction charts on publication. Indie retailers did particularly well, taking 34% market share.

Spare

Prince Harry

Bantam

Meticulous planning with retailer partners, extra tight security and “one of the most complicated and sensitive logistics plan any of us will ever experience” (according to one retailer) underpinned the success of Spare, the first memoir from a serving member of the British royal family. Prince Harry’s book, written with J R Moehringer, which set the news agenda both before and after publication, sold more than 700,000 copies through the TCM. It is the fastest-selling non-fiction hardback since records began and finished 2023 as the biggest-selling book of the year.

The Diary of a CEO

Steven Bartlett

Ebury Edge

Entrepreneur, “Dragons’ Den” star and host of the UK’s number one podcast of the same name, Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO became the fastest-selling personal development book since records began. Ebury moved beyond the author’s own impressive social media following (7.3 million across all channels) to collaborate with a number of creators (reaching a total audience size of 55 million) in a stunt involving a locked Perspex box, a gold box and a secret code that went viral.

The Extra Mile

Kevin Sinfield

Century

The memoir from Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield, co-written by Paul Hayward, documents not just the athlete’s sporting achievements but also his commitment to raising awareness of motor neurone disease (MND), which has afflicted his best friend and fellow rugby star Rob Burrow. Century worked with the MND Association to deliver an online event for MND sufferers, and during publication week MND charities raised an estimated £40,000. The Extra Mile is the bestselling sports autobiography of 2023.

The Woman in Me

Britney Spears

Gallery UK

The memoir from international pop icon Britney Spears was acquired in a confidential and highly competitive auction. With no access to the star herself, S&S created a headline-grabbing campaign in which an army of Britney superfans took to the streets of London, resulting in a flood of picture stories across the nationals. A midnight launch at drag venue Mrs Riot and a Waterstones first-of-its-kind, Britney-themed silent disco created huge buzz, making publication day a real celebration.