Davina McCall's Menopausing bags Book of the Year at the British Book Awards

Although she missed out on the Début category, Garmus did walk off with Author of the Year. Lessons in Chemistry spent 35 weeks near the top of the charts with rights sold in 40 territories. Lonely on moving to London in 2017, Garmus signed up to a creative writing course, met Felicity Blunt at Curtis Brown (nominated for Agent of the Year) who then led a 16-way auction during lockdown 2020, with Transworld coming top. “Never has the entire company been so hungry and determined to win a book,” the publisher noted.  

Meanwhile the Crime and Thriller prize went to Janice Hallett’s The Twyford Code (Viper Books), dubbed by one judge as “epistolary brainy crime”, and smashing sales of her début The Appeal (also Viper). The striking cover included 33 clues within the fish’s scales and eyes and Viper’s “canny” marketing positioned Hallett as a the “queen of cosy crime”, judges said. She beat off competition from Richard Osman for The Bullet That Missed (Viking) and Richard Coles’ Murder Before Evensong (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) among others.

In the second year for the Discover category, which aims to amplify under-represented voices, winner Sheena Patel’s début novel I’m A Fan (Rough Trade) was singled out as an “incisive look at the world we live in now” and a “sinister and compelling read”. The success of the book, acquired through lockdown “shows an independent publisher, through innovation and collaboration, producing something truly brilliant”, said one judge. The shortlist also included Paterson Joseph’s The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho (Dialogue Books), and Home is Not a Place (William Collins) by Johny Pitts and Roger Robinson.

In Non-Fiction Narrative, victor Rundell was dubbed by judges a “Renaissance Woman” for her Baillie Gifford Prize winning biography, Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne (Faber & Faber), beating off contention from Edward Enninful and Reuben and Manni Coe. Rundell’s “completely riveting” cradle-to-grave account of the philosopher and writer wowed the panel through its style, content and readability with the elegant cover design praised and Faber’s work with indie booksellers. Rundell, also a bestselling children’s author, has “reinvigorated the category of literary biography”, according to judges.

Meanwhile in Children’s, S F Said’s nine-years-in-the-making Tyger (David Fickling Books), illustrated by Dave McKean, came top for Fiction after being dubbed “a stand-out" by judges. The Blakeian adventure is the independent publisher’s second-bestselling fiction hardback ever and now in its fifth reprint. The panel were impressed with how the publisher used early readers to build connections with key retailers, ensuring the book stood out in a crowded children’s market. Receiving the award, Said praised the "life-changing" power of books. "I believe children’s books are the most important books of all" he said, describing his own book as "a love letter to libraries and booksellers" during a "golden age" for children’s literature. Other shortlisted authors included TikTok phenomenon Adam Silvera for The First To Die at The End, A F Steadman’s Skandar and the Unicorn Thief (both Simon & Schuster Children’s) and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Diper Överlöde (Puffin).

For the Illustrated category, judges fell for the “joyous” message of Harry Woodgate’s picture book, Grandad’s Camper (Andersen Press). Inspired by the lack of older LGBTQ+ characters in children’s books, it was also awarded Best Illustrated Book at the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2022. Woodgate spoke about book bans in the US and said: "Queer books do belong [...] we are here to stay and share our stories and be heard". Runners up included Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Lydia Monks and Alice Oseman among others. Oseman, of the Heartstopper series, snapped up the Illustrator prize, following her billing as 151st on The Bookseller’s list of the most influential people in UK publishing—its de facto “Person of the Year”—in 2022.

Dr Alex George won the Children’s Non-Fiction trophy for mental health handbook, A Better Day (Wren & Rook), a book that “will really save lives”, judges said. The UK Youth Mental Health Ambassador and a former A&E doctor brought his personal experience to the book which was the bestselling début children’s non-fiction book in 2022, according to figures from Nielsen BookScan. Other shortlisted authors included last year’s Book of the Year winner Marcus Rashford, Carl Anka and Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara.

For the Pageturner prize, Colleen Hoover’s first suspense title, Verity (Little, Brown) triumphed with one judge calling it “one of the most gripping books I’ve ever read”. The established romance author successfully built on her TikTok fanbase to launch a new genre, accompanied with a striking marketing campaign making it is the third-bestselling paperback of 2022, according to BookScan. Runners up for the category featured Elif Shafak and Dilly Court.  

In regards to the two audio categories, Booker Prize-winner Stuart took Fiction for Young Mungo (Pan Macmillan Audio). Chris Reilly, a BAFTA Scotland award-winning actor and native Glaswegian, recorded the audiobook at La Chunky Studio in Glasgow which judges said helped bring “the written dialect to life”. An immersive approach to promotion saw a 12-minute clip played on a loop across Waterstones Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow and Piccadilly in London. Stuart beat off the likes of Osman and 2022 Booker Prize-winner Shehan Karunatilaka.

For the Non-Fiction category, Richard E Grant’s memoir, A Pocketful of Happiness (Simon & Schuster Audio), came up trumps. Judges found the story of his life, acting career and marriage to his late wife Joan Washington to be “hope-filled and joyful”, impressed with how he brought “such emotion” to the audiobook. Grant beat a starry shortlist which also included fellow Nibbies winner McCall and “Friends” star Matthew Perry.

The winners were decided by various panels, with judges such as Channel 4 News lead anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy, author Anita Rani, Waterstones Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and comedian, actor and entertainer Ellie Taylor.

Chair of the British Book Awards judges and The Bookseller editor, Philip Jones, said: “Readers were the real winners this year, with titles ranging from Menopausing to Tyger to I’m a Fan demonstrating the remarkable virtuosity of the book business, especially for its role in amplifying and creating conversations around mental health, misogyny, sexuality and gender, the menopause and more. These awards give the lie to the idea that publishing is a one-track business: our judges this year opted to reward exceptional and compelling narratives expertly brought to market, with the book trade lauded for its commitment to promoting all types of reading for all types of reader.”