Richard Osman, David Nicholls, Dolly Alderton and Stanley Tucci honoured at Nielsen's Bestseller Awards

Richard Osman, David Nicholls, Dolly Alderton and Stanley Tucci are among authors honoured at The Bestseller Awards with fiction emerging as the top performer for 2024 and Richard Osman winning a Platinum Award for third year in a row.

Nielsen BookData, in partnership with BolognaBookPlus, celebrated the annual Bestseller Awards on Monday evening (20th January) at the Ham Yard Hotel in London’s West End.

The Bestseller Awards, which were presented by Rebecca Jones, former BBC arts correspondent and chief news presenter, are the only awards based on UK volume sales data, recognising all-time sales across print and e-book formats. The awards honour the authors whose books have sold more than 250,000 copies (Silver); more than 500,000 copies (Gold); and more than one million copies (Platinum).

Nielsen said: “The awards celebrated 25 titles that have achieved Silver, Gold and Platinum status – collectively totalling sales of almost 14.7 million books. Following a turbulent year politically in 2024, UK book sales have remained steady with the nation choosing to lose itself in a good story. Fiction sales increased in volume by 6.15%, and data reveals a particular taste for crime thrillers – and fiction written by women. In all, more than 195 million print books were bought in the UK in 2024, with a value of £1.82bn.”

Five titles achieved Platinum status. Osman received a Platinum award this evening for The Last Devil to Die (Viking) – the fourth book in the record-breaking series The Thursday Murder Club. This is the third time he has been recognised in this category. Nicholls achieved Platinum status for One Day (Hodder & Stoughton); Bonnie Garmus for Lessons in Chemistry (Transworld); and Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler for two books: Superworm and Tabby McTat (Scholastic).

The Guinness World Records, which marks its 70th anniversary in 2025, was recognised in the inaugural Series Platinum Award for achieving sales of more than 12 million copies. This new award was introduced this year to recognise and acknowledge a series that has gone on to achieve great success, not just in terms of sales but in keeping people coming back for more.

Three authors received the Author Platinum Award in recognition of sales of more than five million copies. They are Dilly Court, author of historical novels and family sagas; the author and illustrator Liz Pichon best known for her Tom Gates series which have sold more than six million copies; and Dav Pilkey, author and illustrator, and creator of the Captain Underpants series.

Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love (Fig Tree) achieved Gold status alongside Lucy Foley (The Guest List, The Borough Press); Freida McFadden (The Housemaid); Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing, Piatkus); and Richard Osman for We Solve Murders (Viking), the first book in his new series. Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler were recognised in the Gold category for The Smeds and The Smoos, and Zog and the Flying Doctors (Scholastic).

Commenting on behalf of Nielsen BookData, Andre Breedt, managing director, said: “We are thrilled to host these awards and celebrate the success of our much-loved authors and illustrators and the teams that support them. My thanks to the BolognaBookPlus team for all their support helping us make this annual event a highlight of the publishing calendar.

“The Bestseller Awards are unique, recognising the achievements across all genres by the ultimate measurement: book sales.”

Jacks Thomas, guest director, BolognaBookPlus, said: “In all walks of life we hear so much about the power of data. If ever there was data to celebrate, it is the irrefutable evidence of the books our nation is choosing to read. It is a joy to spotlight the achievements of the UK’s favourite authors and to recognise all the talent and hard graft that is behind a bestseller.”

The Bestseller Awards data is provided by Nielsen BookData’s BookScan service, which has been tracking UK book sales continuously for 30 years. BolognaBookPlus, an advocate of authors, rights, and creativity, delivers the annual awards in partnership with Nielsen BookData.

The full List of books and authors who have achieved Platinum, Gold or Silver status: 

Platinum Winners:

• Superworm by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
• Tabby McTat by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (Penguin Random House)
• One Day by David Nicholls (Hachette)
• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman (Penguin Random House) 

Gold Winners:

• Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton (Penguin Random House)
• The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
• Zog and the Flying Doctors by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
• The Guest List by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins)
• The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Little, Brown)
• We Solve Murders by Richard Osman (Penguin Random House)
• Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Little, Brown)

Silver Winners:

• The Baddies by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler (Scholastic)
• The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas (Penguin Random House)
• The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas (Penguin Random House)
• The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley (HarperCollins)
• One Minute Later by Susan Lewis (HarperCollins)
• The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden (Little, Brown)
• The Housemaid is Watching by Freida McFadden (Source Books)
• Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks (HarperCollins)
• Both of You by Adele Parks (HarperCollins)
• The Guilty Couple by CL Taylor (HarperCollins)
• The Missing by CL Taylor (HarperCollins)
• Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (Penguin Random House)
• Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros (Little, Brown) 

Author Platinum Awards:

• Dilly Court (HarperCollins)
• Liz Pichon (Scholastic)
• Dav Pilkey (Scholastic)

Series Platinum Awards:

• Guinness World Records (Guinness Publishing)