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Simon & Schuster crowned Publisher of the Year at British Book Awards
Simon & Schuster took the Publisher of the Year crown at this year’s British Book Awards, after a record year of sales driven by celebrity memoirs by Dave Grohl and Bob Mortimer as well as TikTok stars Colleen Hoover, Adam Silvera and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
The ceremony in London’s Grosvenor House on 23rd May also saw awards for publishers including HarperCollins, Knights Of and Pushkin Press, while Bookshop.org, Bloomsbury’s Alexandra Pringle and Becky Thomas also picked up prizes.
Judges praised a “transformative” year for Simon & Schuster, registering its best ever performance through the Total Consumer Market, rising 39% by its full-year estimates. “Its books seemed to be everywhere… it had the lot: big-hitting frontlist, strength in depth and publishing teams at the top of their game,” the judges said.
They argued Simon & Schuster’s performance was all the more impressive considering the publisher’s uncertain future, with Bertelsmann’s proposed acquisition still crawling through the US courts. Ian Chapman, c.e.o. said it was a "thrilling and special moment" to be recognised. He said: "I feel very privileged to be in this room with so many of you who give so much to this industry. It is such a wonderful thing.". He also thanked staff for their "dedication, integrity and loyalty" and dedicated the award to them, while also paying tribute to S&S c.e.o. and president Carolyn Reidy, who passed away in 2020.
HarperCollins and Arabella Pike took home the first ever British Book Award for Freedom to Publish, acknowledging the publisher’s “fortitude and bravery” in defending authors against costly attacks from oligarchs and for its “robust defence of investigative non-fiction and publishing in the public interest”. Pike said: "Freedom to publish is the bedrock of everything we all do, it’s deeply under threat." She said she hoped HarperCollins’ defence of Catherine Belton’s Putin’s People (William Collins) and Tom Burgis’ Kleptopia (William Collins) would help to reform the law to stop writers and publishers being sued into silence.
Book Retailer of the Year went to Bookshop.org, which generated nearly £2m for the 500-plus stores and affiliates it serves across 2021. Judges praised the platform as “the perfect solution for the times” calling it a “lifeline for independents” which kept shops going during lockdowns. “It’s a game-changer without a doubt and it’s going to get even bigger and better” they said.
Viper Books snapped up the Imprint of the Year award after just one full year of publishing. Judges lauded the Serpent’s Tail imprint’s phenomenal hit rate, and its ability to power début or neglected authors into the mainstream. “The industry needed a new imprint like this,” they said. “Publishing only what editors like is a strategy that many just pay lip service to, but it’s genuine here, and it clearly works. The commercial and critical results in such a short space of time are remarkable.”
Independent Publisher of the Year was awarded to Pushkin Press, which saw sales of Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz’s The Passenger, translated by Philip Boehm, nearing six figures in 2021, giving the publisher its first Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback. David Diop’s At Night All Blood is Black, translated by Anna Moschovakis, won the 2021 International Booker Prize, from a shortlist that included another Pushkin title. “Pushkin Press is a perfect example of an indie publisher that knows its strengths and how to play to them,” the judges said. “It’s proudly literary and never afraid to take risks on books that few have heard of… it’s so good to see how commercial success is now taking it to the next level.”
Becky Thomas scooped Literary Agent of the Year, after starting The Lewinsohn Literary Agency in 2021 following stints at Faber and agencies including Johnson & Alcock. Judges praised her strong reputation for inclusivity and taking underrepresented authors from the margins to the mainstream, saying: “Starting up an agency in the middle of a pandemic and doing things on your own terms takes guts… it says a lot that so many of her authors went with her.”
Editor of the Year went to Bloomsbury’s Alexandra Pringle, who dominated 2021 with three big critical and commercial successes. Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi won the Women’s Prize, while Abdulrazak Gurnah received the Nobel Prize in Literature and Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles flew back into the bestseller list following a wave of interest on TikTok. Judges said: “She has been one of Britain’s great editors for many years now, and it’s wonderful to see all her hard work for authors bearing fruit. She marries critical and commercial success in a way that few can.”
In a speech Pringle announced she would be leaving Bloomsbury at the end of the year and gave her "greatest and biggest thanks" to her authors. "For me one of the greatest joys has been supporting writers through decades and decades," she said, before dedicating her award to young and up and coming editors who "are on the front line of publishing" and "the creative beating heart of a company".
Knights Of won Children’s Publisher of the Year, with judges calling it "small but mighty, and full of integrity and purpose". A transformative year saw it quadruple its total book sales and triple its rights turnover, while Elle McNicoll’s A Kind of Spark scooped both the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and the Blue Peter Best Story Book Award, with Jason Reynolds taking the CILIP Carnegie Medal for Look Both Ways. Accepting the award, co-founder Aimée Felone acknowledged "those that came before us, those that paved the way". She said: "When we first started we were told ’no’ so many times, ’no we don’t have a diversity problem’... this award is dedicated to everyone who told us ’yes’. This is for everyone who questioned the validity of their story, their voice, your art matters, we matter."
Independent Bookshop of the Year was awarded to The Bookery, which also scooped Children’s Bookseller of the Year. The shop has been owned by the Crediton community since 2013 and run as a not-for-profit social enterprise, and grew its kids’ book sales by more than 50% in 2021. “The Bookery could inspire any other bookshop that wants to be led by the community and go beyond the usual base of customers,” judges said. “It knows the power of books to change children’s lives, and absolutely nails everything it does.”
Individual Bookseller of the Year was awarded to Waterstones retail manager Kerry Gilmartin, who is responsible for stores around north-west England, while Micaela Alcaino picked up the Designer of the Year award for her work on Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne (Wildfire), Jay Kristoff’s fantasy novel Empire of the Vampire (HarperVoyager) and on a fresh brand identity with a commercial bent for Lucy Diamond.
Jessica Kingsley Publishers won Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year while Vertebrate Publishing landed Small Press of the Year. The British Book Award for Export saw Thames & Hudson pick up its first ever Nibbie.
Penguin General’s Alexia Thomaidis and Zoe Coxon snapped up Marketing Strategy of the Year for their work on Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut Open Water (Viking). “Introducing to the world a new author is never easy – even one as proactive as this, and especially in the middle of a pandemic...this marketing created something out of nothing,” the judges said.
Publicity Campaign of the Year went to Drew Jerrison at Profile Books for a “mindblowing” campaign on Torrey Peters’ Detransition Baby, praised by judges as “a masterclass in planning and responsiveness...so many things could have gone wrong or caused harm but Drew stayed calm and turned everything to the book’s advantage...it’s a campaign to show any publicist who wants to know what author care means”.
Canongate’s Jessica Neale scooped Rights Professional of the Year for steering a trebling of rights income in 2021 from a record total of nearly 300 deals. The judges said. “Canongate’s rights team could rest on Matt Haig’s laurels, but she makes sure they never do. It’s become an international powerhouse… The breadth of activity and sheer energy that goes into it is amazing.”
