British Book Awards readies for hybrid ceremony

The British Book Awards, a.k.a. the Nibbies, takes place tonight (23rd May) with more than 1,200 guests attending the winners’ ceremony, a live-stream available for remote viewing, and two satellite parties happening in Manchester and Edinburgh.

The event, organised by The Bookseller, will reveal winners from 12 Book of the Year shortlists which include titles by Richard Osman, Sally Rooney, David Harewood, Sir Paul McCartney, Billy Connolly, Bob Mortimer, Cressida Cowell, Dapo Adeola, Sophie Kinsella and many more. Lauren Laverne will return to host the event alongside Rhys Stephenson, with further presenters on the night including Richard & Judy, Ugo Monye, Dreda Say Mitchell, Francis Bourgeois and Milly Johnson.

The trade awards see companies such as Penguin General, Bloomsbury, Orion, Simon & Schuster, Faber, Canongate, Elliott & Thompson, Knights Of, and Andersen Press contest the publisher awards, while booksellers from Waterstones to Bookshop.org to The Edinburgh Bookshop battle it out for the retail awards. There are also individual awards with shortlisted people including Diana Beaumont, Greg Heinimann, Camilla Bolton, Helen Tamblyn-Saville, Alice King, Sabah Khan, Claire Ward, Crystal Mahey-Morgan, Ian Marshall, Alexandra Pringle, Sharmaine Lovegrove, David Kelly, and Tom Noble.

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of The British Book Awards, said: "The Nibbies has always been a special event in the publishing calendar, but it feels safe to say that this year is particularly special. At the start of 2022 we took a look at our values, at what we could create that would do justice to the work this industry does every day, and we made some decisions. We decided it was our job to bring you something that affirms all you have done in the face of another challenging year, connects you to each other at a time of fragmentation and energises you for the weeks and months ahead. The result is this evening’s proceedings: our largest ever Nibbies and our first hybrid one, too."

The doors at Grosvenor House London open at 6 p.m. (prompt), with the show and livestream kicking off at 7 p.m. To access the stream visit theBookseller.com. Post-event a highlights show will be shown on Fane TV on Sunday 29th May, while publishing insiders Main Characters will be producing a podcast recorded live from the show, also available next week.

The awards are supported by a range of sponsors and partners, including Gardners, Hachette UK, Macmillan Children’s Books, Penguin Random House UK and Simon & Schuster UK, and these may be viewed here.

The British Book Awards has been the leading awards for the book trade since 1990. Judged by leading industry experts, authors, journalists and celebrities, it is regarded as ‘the BAFTAs of the book trade’. The Bookseller has been the business magazine of the book industry since 1858; incorporating the even earlier Bent’s Literary Advertiser, established in 1802. It is one of the UK’s longest-standing magazines.