Queenie

The final panel of judges crowned the winner of Début Book of the Year, Queenie, as The British Book Awards’ Overall Book of the Year. They felt it was clear that Candice Carty-Williams’ first novel has established her as a brand name that readers will return to again and again.

Judges described the novel as “an extremely readable, funny, thoughtful piece of contemporary literature”. What also helped swing it Queenie’s way, however, was the passion from the publisher and the author for the campaign. Judges felt that Carty-Williams worked “tirelessly” to promote the title, while Trapeze used a grassroots campaign and five different covers to turn the publication into “a cultural event in every way”.

The judges for the Overall award were Stig Abell, editor and publisher of the Times Literary Supplement; former MP Luciana Berger; Pandora Sykes, journalist, author and co-host of “The High Low” podcast; and Jasper Sutcliffe, head of buying at Foyles. The discussion was chaired by The Bookseller’s books editor, Alice O’Keeffe. The quintet felt Queenie “permeated to a deeper level” and established Carty-Williams as a “brand”, a “literary writer” and someone who “is changing publishing for the better”.