Breakers, Royalty and the Rise of Romantasy: Prince Harry, Britney Spears, Rebecca Yarros & Steven Bartlett Among Shortlistees for the British Book Awards 2024
The British Book Awards 2024 Book of the Year Shortlists have been revealed today
Three decades after his father King Charles III won a British Book Award, Prince Harry follows in his footsteps with
two nominations
Non-Fiction and memoir are in the spotlight with celebrity blockbuster books from Prince Harry, Britney Spears,
Steven Bartlett, Sir Patrick Stewart, Philippa Gregory, David Mitchell and Johnny Marr
Multiple nominations for newcomers and stalwarts alike, including Yomi Adegoke, Steven Bartlett, and Lisa Jewell
Previous winners Richard Osman, Alice Oseman, Katherine Rundell, Colleen Hoover and R.F. Kuang nominated
Children’s publishing titles demonstrate strong commitment to representing diverse voices, including titles from
Sathnam Sanghera, George Webster and Holocaust survivor Peter Lantos.
The rising trend of author-podcasters is continued with the success of Steven Bartlett and Rory Stewart
Smaller publishers are recognised with shortlistings for Graffeg, Little Island, David Fickling Books, Magic Cat and
Swift Press
Shortlists in full on page four. Winners to be announced at an in-person ceremony on Monday 13th May, 2024.
Announced today, The British Book Awards: Book of the Year 2024 shortlists showcase a thriving industry, with record-breakers Prince Harry and Alice Oseman, TikTok and podcast stars Colleen Hoover, Steven Bartlett and Rebecca Yarros, and diverse children’s publishing all recognised in this year’s blockbuster shortlists.
Last year saw the strength of Tik Tok’s influence on book buyers with wins for Colleen Hoover (Pageturner for Verity (Sphere)) and R.F Kuang (Fiction for Babel (HarperVoyager)), both of whom are shortlisted again in the same respective categories, Hoover for the dark romance sequel It Starts With Us (Simon & Schuster) in Pageturner, and Kuang for the bestselling satire Yellowface (The Borough Press) for Fiction. The Pageturner category is home to further BookTok smash hits, including Gabrielle Zevin’s coming-of-age Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Vintage), and Rebecca Yarros’ romantasy bestseller Fourth Wing (Piatkus). Yarros stands out as one of the only authors to have two separate titles shortlisted, with the sequel Iron Flame (Piatkus) also nominated in the Fiction category; Yarros is a cornerstone of the romantasy genre.
Also shortlisted in the Fiction category is Jilly Cooper for Tackle! (Bantam), her 49th novel, and Kate Mosse for The Ghost Ship (Mantle), both of whom received New Year’s Honours in King Charles III’s Honours list this year. Booker-shortlisted Claire Keegan's new novel So Late in the Day (Faber), chosen as an Irish Times Book of the Year, is also nominated in the Fiction category.
Three decades after his father King Charles III won a British Book Award, Prince Harry follows in his footsteps with two nominations. Spare (Bantam), the bestselling book of 2023, is shortlisted in two categories for Audiobook Non-Fiction, narrated by himself, and Non-Fiction: Narrative. Celebrity memoirs continue to captivate readers, with music royalty Britney Spears also shortlisted in the Non-Fiction Narrative category for her tell-all life story The Woman in Me (Gallery Books), which proved immensely popular with fans and readers. Star Trek’s Sir Patrick Stewart’s long-awaited memoir Making It So (Gallery UK) is also nominated in the Audiobook Non-Fiction category, narrated by himself.
The rising trend of author-podcasters is continued with the success of Steven Bartlett's The Diary of A CEO (Ebury Edge), a double nominee for Audiobook Fiction, narrated by himself, and Non-Fiction: Narrative. The entrepreneur, podcaster and Dragon’s Den star is one of several authors shortlisted who also have prominent podcasts, including former cabinet minister Rory Stewart, shortlisted for Politics on the Edge (Jonathan Cape); and Philippa Gregory, whose shortlisted book Normal Women (William Collins) launched alongside a podcast of the same name.
The Début category is bursting with talent, as Yomi Adegoke’s runaway hit exploring influencers and cancel culture The List (4th Estate) goes up against Monica Heisey’s laugh-out-loud funny Really Good, Actually (4th Estate). Adegoke’s incisive novel has had a remarkable year, and is up for both the Début and Audiobook Fiction categories.
The award-winning Alice Oseman continues to top charts with Heartstopper: Volume 5 (Hodder Children’s Books), which broke records for the fastest-selling graphic novel ever in the UK, written and illustrated by Oseman. Having picked up the Illustrator of the Year Award at the 2023 Nibbies, Oseman is shortlisted this year in the Children’s Illustrated category, alongside Jamie Smart’s bestselling Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up (David Fickling Books), illustrated by the author.
Children’s publishing titles demonstrate strong commitment to representing diverse voices, including Stolen History: The Truth About the British Empire And How It Shaped Us (Puffin) by Sathnam Sanghera, illustrated by Jen Khatun; Black & Irish: Legends, Trailblazers & Everyday Heroes (Little Island Books) by Leon Diop and Briana Fitzsimons, illustrated by Jessica Louis; Brilliant Black British History (Bloomsbury Children’s Books) by Atinuke, illustrated by Kingsley Nebechi and This is Me (Scholastic) by George Webster, in collaboration with Claire Taylor, illustrated by Tim Budgen; and Holocaust survivor Peter Lantos' The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die (Scholastic). Smaller publishers are also recognised with shortlisting for Graffeg, Little Island Books, David Fickling Books, Magic Cat and Swift Press.
This year's Discover category, which showcases books from traditionally underrepresented writers, is full of emerging talent and a range of genres, including actor Elliot Page's bestselling memoir Pageboy (Doubleday); Isla McGuckin's moving picture book April’s Garden (Graffeg), illustrated by Catalina Echeverri; Sunny Singh's deep dive into the history of Indian cinema, A Bollywood State of Mind (Footnote Press); and Imad’s Syrian Kitchen (HQ), a vibrant recipe book by Imad Alarnab, illustrated by Evi-O.Studio.
After being crowned Author of the Year at the 2021 Nibbies, Richard Osman was shortlisted twice last year for Crime & Thriller and Audiobook Fiction, and has again been shortlisted in the Crime & Thriller category for The Last Devil To Die (Viking), the fourth novel in his million-copy bestselling The Thursday Murder Club series. Lisa Jewell's None of This is True (Century) is shortlisted alongside Osman in the Crime & Thriller category, and is also nominated in the Audiobook Fiction category, for the same title narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey. Robert Galbraith's The Running Grave (Sphere) is also shortlisted in both categories (Crime & Thriller and Audiobook Fiction), narrated by Robert Glenister.
Katherine Rundell is in the hunt again after scooping the Book of the Year: Non-Fiction Narrative last year for Super- Infinite (Faber). Her Waterstones Book of 2023 Impossible Creatures (Bloomsbury Children's Books), illustrated by Daniel Egnéus, Tomislav Tomić and Virginia Allyn, and narrated by Samuel West, is up for two awards: Children’s Fiction and Audiobook Fiction.
Comedy greats go toe-to-toe in the Audiobook Non-Fiction category, with Alan Partridge's latest memoir Big Beacon (Seven Dials), narrated by himself, up against David Mitchell's Unruly: A History of England’s Kings and Queens (Penguin Michael Joseph), narrated by himself.
The Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated category sees some of the biggest selling books of the year nominated, including the murder mystery puzzle book and UK Christmas number one Murdle by G. T. Karber (Souvenir Press). Chris van Tulleken's eye-opening Ultra-Processed People (Cornerstone Press) is also shortlisted, alongside iconic musician Johnny Marr's Marr’s Guitars (Thames and Hudson).
Yorgos Lanthimos’ hit film Poor Things, starring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe, sees its influence in Alasdair Gray’s original 1992 book of the same name. The audiobook, published by W. F. Howes and narrated by Russ Bain and Kathryn Drysdale, is shortlisted for Audiobook Fiction.
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of The British B ook Awards judges, comments: “Last year saw the book business roll up its sleeves, stare down the cost-of-living crisis and post-Covid troubles, and unleash a series of memorable and remarkable new titles. Book-ended by two record-breakers - Prince Harry’s Spare and the fifth book in Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series - this year’s titles did what the industry does best: start conversations, connect communities and push boundaries. Our collective ability to support the creative endeavours of writers and illustrators, and to judge and deliver what readers want, continues to be a wonder to behold. It is an honour to celebrate these success stories.”
Alice O’Keeffe, books editor of The Bookseller and overall chair of the Bo oks of the Year, says: “It’s an exciting year for Non-Fiction and our shortlists run the gamut from an instant cookery brand to an addictive murder mystery puzzle, from powerful words about politics to life advice from a Dragon. Not to mention the fastest-selling Non-Fiction hardback since records began. Our judges will be spirited away by the fiction shortlists this year, which encompass romance and heartbreak, gods and dragons, the ecstasies of love and the vagaries of social media, and more than one book about the healing power of reading.”
Showcasing the enormous range and depth of modern publishing, these prestigious awards celebrate the whole journey of a book, from the author’s mind to the reader’s hand. There are 13 Book of the Year Awards: Children’s Illustrated, Children’s Non-Fiction, Children’s Fiction, Fiction, Début Fiction, Crime & Thriller, Pageturner, Non-Fiction: Lifestyle and Illustrated, Non-Fiction: Narrative, Audiobook Fiction, Audiobook Non-Fiction, Discover, as well as the Overall Book of the Year.
The 2023 winners included Lessons in Chemistry author, Bonnie Garmus, Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman, and Richard E. Grant for his touching memoir A Pocketful of Happiness. Overall Book of the Year went to Menopausing by Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter, for inspiring a nationwide conversation with NHS figures showing that an extra 500,000 women were prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a result of the ‘Davina effect’.
The twelve Book of the Year winners will be decided by separate panels, with judges including ‘Mr Bates vs The Post Office’ star Toby Jones, broadcaster and author Nihal Arthanayake, TV presenters Lorraine Kelly, Adrian Chiles and Yinka Bokinni, and writers Candice Brathwaite and Janice Hallett. Produced by The Bookseller, The British Book Awards, also known as the Nibbies, are the UK’s definitive celebration of books and reading. This year’s winners will be unveiled at a ceremony taking place at Grosvenor House London o n Monday 13th May, 2024.
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