Campaigns by Cornerstone, Atlantic, HarperFiction and Profile recognised in BMS Q2 Awards

Campaigns by Cornerstone, Atlantic, HarperFiction, Profile and Hachette Children’s have been recognised in The Book Marketing Society’s Q2 2023 Awards for campaign excellence and commercial creativity.

Winners for campaigns conducted in the period April to June 2023 were announced at a meeting on Wednesday 30th August, at Carmelite House, with Rebecca Ikin, Lydia Weigel and Cameron Watson at Merky Books Lit Fest scooping the Multi-Title Award while Atlantic’s Aimee Oliver-Powell and Sophie Walker triumphed in the Debut Prize for Bored Gay Werewolf (Atlantic).

Two campaigns were named joint winners of the Adult Fiction category: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Vintage) by Gabrielle Zevin was “a triumph of planning, reaction and execution” according to the judges, while the “super creative campaign which put the brand and the concept at the heart of activity” also won for Yellowface (The Borough Press) by Rebecca Kuang.

Spotlight winners included the team at Viking for what the judges described as a campaign which “demonstrated humility and awareness” for Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson, and Rachel Darling’s campaign for Termush by Sven Holm (Faber), described as “creativity at its purest”.

Chair of judges, Miriam Robinson, said of the submissions: “There was a bravery which characterised this quarter’s submissions, with marketers diving into projects which were by no means straightforward with the creativity, savvy and, frankly, swagger that these teams have come to embody. Judging was particularly close in many categories as everyone’s skills are simply next level.”

The full list of winners were:

Multi-Title 

• Highly commended: Women’s Prize Live, Lynsey Passmore, Jen Acton 
• Winner: Merky Books Lit Fest, Rebecca Ikin, Lydia Weigel, Cameron Watson 

Guerilla 

• Highly commended: This Book Will Make You Feel Something (Sphere), Aimee Kitson 
• Winner: Game On, Puppy! (Quercus), Lipfon Tang 

Children’s 

• Highly Commended: You Grow Girl (Hachette Children’s), Fi Evans 
• Winner: The King’s Pants (Andersen), Sarah Kimmelman 

Young Adult 

• Highly Commended: The Stolen Heir (Hot Key), Emma Quick 
• Winner: Grishaverse (Hachette Children’s), Bec Gillies, Naomi Berwin, Alex Haywood 

Debut 

• Highly Commended: Murdle: 100 Killer Puzzles (Profile), Angie Curzi 
• Winner: Bored Gay Werewolf (Atlantic), Aimee Oliver-Powell, Sophie Walker 

Adult Non-Fiction 

• Highly Commended: How Westminster Works (W&N), Lindsay Terrell 
• Winner: Ultra-Processed People (Cornerstone) Claire Bush, Ania Gordon 

Adult Fiction 

• Joint Winner: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Vintage), Katrina Northern, Helia Daryani 
• Joint Winner: Yellowface (Borough Press) Abbie Salter, Sian Richefond, Emily Merrill 

Audience Development: Small Worlds (Viking), Alexia Thomaidis, Lou Nyuar

Innovation: Hear Their Stories In Their Words (Penguin Random House Audio), Marta Matzeu, Helena Sheffield, Carmen Byers

Creativity: Termush (Faber), Rachel Darling

Graft: The Extra Mile (Cornerstone), Rebecca Ikin, Hope Butler