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Simon & Schuster wins Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards for second year in a row
Simon & Schuster has kept its crown as Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards, with its children’s division also reigning victorious, while HarperCollins received a double gong for its imprint HarperVoyager as well as a nod for its export team. W H Smith Travel was named Book Retailer of the Year.
The ceremony at London’s Grosvenor Hotel on Monday (15th May), also saw awards for Transworld, whose Lessons in Chemistry won both the Marketing Strategy and Publicity awards; Oneworld and Boldwood Books also triumphed, while RCW’s Claire Wilson was named Agent of the Year, with Afrori Books’ Carolynn Bain named Individual Bookseller.
Simon & Schuster took home the top prize again, only the second time a publisher has clocked up back-to-back wins for this sought-after prize. It returned what judges called a “stellar year” with sales up by 21% in comparable terms to hit a record high through the Nielsen’s Total Consumer Market. Export, rights and co-edition sales were all at best-ever levels. There was more double-digit growth across picture books and Young Adult, and it had the Waterstones Children’s Book of the Year in A F Steadman’s Skandar and the Unicorn Thief—all of which ensured S&S took Children’s Publisher of the Year too. S&S’ Children’s division had a record year of sales and profits, increasing its TCM turnover by a fifth—and by more than half since 2019.
Accepting the award, c.e.o. Ian Chapman said it was "the greatest of thrills" to be recognised again and thanked "the wonderful team" at S&S UK for their "dedication, professionalism, and publishing expertise".
"The power of the written word in these troubling financial, political and social times has never been important," Chapman said, "and the ability and significance to start respectful debate and make a difference to our world should never be underestimated in my view."
HarperCollins’ collection of wins included a bumper crop for HarperVoyager being named Imprint of the Year as well as its publisher, Natasha Bardon, being crowned Editor of the Year. Judges were impressed with how the team broadened the appeal of its publishing, especially to young female readers and helped to broaden speculative fiction creators, signing more diverse authors and publishing the first title by a UK trans author to top the Sunday Times bestseller lists, Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson. Earlier in the evening, Babel, written by R F Kuang, had been named Fiction Book of the Year.
Bardon was praised for leading a dramatic rise in sales in 2022, steering nine books into the Sunday Times’ top 10 lists and two to the top with Babel also named Blackwell’s Book of the Year. Bardon has moved into YA publishing with the launch of Magpie Books, running in parallel with HarperVoyager with fantasy, sci-fi, speculative romance and horror. She led the launch of the Locked Library subscription box and helped develop HarperVoyager’s TikTok creator house at Hay Festival last year, which brought together influencers to create content for the social media platform. Judges said she was “energetic, great at spotting opportunities and achieving great results”. Storymix’s Jasmine Richards and Tor’s Bella Pagan were highly commended for the Editor award.
HarperCollins also won the Export prize, following double-digit sales growth from its “energetic” international team, who were back travelling the world after Covid lockdowns and put exports at the heart of everything HC acquires and sells, judges said. The panel said: “It is fantastic growth in all formats and in all territories… to boost sales by this level at such a large publisher is hard to do. The list, revenue, territory coverage, marketing and digital activity were all outstanding.” Atlantic Books, Pan Macmillan and Canongate had also been shortlisted.
Book Retailer of the Year went to W H Smith Travel, its third win of the prize in eight years. As well as boasting positive year-on-year sales comparisons, judges saw resilience and fresh ideas as well: “It is an impressive bounce-back from a very difficult few years.” The company opened three standalone bookshops last year, at Luton and Manchester airports and Edinburgh Waverley station, plus new concept stores with bright book departments. It also relocated and revamped its concessions within Harrods and Selfridges in London.
Griffin Books in Penarth took home the Independent Bookshop of the Year category. "It is a complete all-rounder that does everything so well,” judges commented. “The buying is imaginative and successful . . . and Griffin works so hard in and for its community.” Boasting a book subscription service and a loyalty scheme that was revamped in 2022, plus six book clubs for all ages, high-profile author events and comprehensive outreach work across the community, the store also saw sales growth of double digits in 2022.
Oneworld won Independent Publisher of the Year, praised by judges for its “zeitgeist-capturing” literary publishing last year and best-ever sales and profits, part of a bold new commissioning and loyalty to long-term authors and a decision to publish fewer books better.
Boldwood Books took home Small Press of the Year, a first Nibbie for the publisher. Barely three years after publishing its first books, the business has surpassed 10 million books sold with 100 authors signed. Another inaugural Nibbie went to Edinburgh University Press for Academic, Educational & Professional Publisher of the Year, following record sales in 2022. The academic stalwart has been trading for over seven decades.
Meanwhile, Transworld took both the Marketing and Publicity gongs for its campaigns for début Lessons in Chemistry. Vicky Palmer and Lilly Cox won Marketing Strategy of the Year. Judges said: “They built a whole world around the book with a really creative use of assets and merch working harmoniously with each other... the sales are unbelievable for a début.” The imprint’s Alison Barrow was honoured with Publicity Campaign of the Year, her second British Book Award in six years. “The campaign was tireless and got the absolute best from the author… it is really inspiring,” judges said.
The coveted Agent of the Year mantle went to Claire Wilson of RCW, who helped create more success for her authors in a year than some agents might in a career, judges said. Her client list includes fellow British Book Award winners such as Alice Oseman (Illustrator of the Year) and Katherine Rundell (winner of Non Fiction: Narrative) with one client calling her “a dream agent”. Additionally she is vice-president of the Association of Authors’ Agents and altogether “an advocate for change” according to the panel.
The judges could not separate the two winners of the Children’s Bookseller award, which went to Waterstones and Brixton indie Round Table Books. The chain was recognised for its social media savvy, in particular its creation of BookTokFest. But its work with new voices was also praiseworthy, boosted by its Children’s Laureate, Book Prize and Book of the Month and Year initiatives. “They break books in a way no one else does,” judges said. Meanwhile Round Table Books, the Brixton-based community interest company founded by publisher Knights Of, was praised by the panel as “a truly amazing business with incredible passion and commitment”. The store’s relocation in 2022 was met with a boost in sales while its commitment to major outreach work continued.
Bookseller of the Year went to Carolynn Bain who founded the Afrori Books shop in Brighton in response to lack of representation in British children’s books and fuelled by anger at the murder of George Floyd. It has developed a variety of book clubs and workshops, films and exhibitions with local cinemas and galleries as well as the new Brighton Book Festival, even a pay-it-forward scheme opens access to books and events. “Carolynn has done life-affirming and absolutely essential work,” judges said. “She saw a situation and was not just a voice: she acted.”
Accepting the award, Bain said: "I keep getting up every morning and shouting from the rooftops that Black authors are doing incredible work and they deserve the platform, they deserve the acknowledgement, they deserve the space in this industry and Black people deserve to see themselves represented in books. Until that changes, I’ll keep getting up, I’ll keep doing 70 hours a week, I’ll keep being in the worst paid job I’ve ever had but the best job I’ve ever had. And I keep hoping that that change will come [...] Thank you to every Black author that has trudged through mud, treacle, just everything to go against the odds and get a book published and get it on my shelf."
Designer of the Year went to Vintage’s Suzanne Dean following more than two decades of creating striking covers for Penguin Random House. “She has a backlist of iconic cover after iconic cover, but with each new one she innovates and takes risks,” judges said. “She reaches into stories to bring them to life through design… it raises the bar for what book design can and should be.”
Rights Professional of the Year went to Richard King. Bookouture has evolved into a global force in 2022 and King’s behind-the-scenes work on transforming the negotiation of translation, film and TV rights resulted in a near trebling of sales. “Richard is an exceptional rights person who has driven and grown the Bookouture business with some serious deals,” judges said. “He has lifted the list to international significance.” Alexandra Cliff from Rachel Mills Literary was highly commended.
The awards took place on 15th May held at the Grosvenor House hotel in London with more than 1,000 guests in attendance. The show was also streamed online with three regional parties also taking place. Hosts were Lauren Laverne and Rhys Stephenson. In the Book of the Year section, Menopausing won the top prize, while author Salman Rushdie received the British Book Award for Freedom to Publish.
