Alice Oseman has earned their first BAFTA TV Awards nomination for their adapted screenplay for Heartstopper on Netflix in the drama category for Best Writing.
Heartstopper has been a critical and audience hit since launching on the platform on April 22, reaching Netflix’s Top Ten list in 54 countries. Sales of Alice Oseman's works have also increased exponentially since the premiere of the adaptation on Netflix, propelling the first volume in the original graphic novel series to number one on the official UK Children's bestseller charts and volumes two, three and four into the top ten as well, and HeartstopperVol 1 and Loveless into the top ten on the New York Times bestseller list. Alice Oseman has also won the award for Outstanding Writing at the Children's & Family Emmys' in 2022.
Paddy Crewe has been shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award for his debut novel My Name is Yip (Doubleday), a giddily imaginative picaresque steeped in the cinematic idiosyncrasies of the American frontier. Judges said the novel is "a stunning evocation of a largely lawless society during the American Goldrush. Crewe has created a memorable protagonist and his skilful use of language evokes both character and landscape to terrific effect."
Inaugurated in 1954, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award is now in its 69th year, making it the longest-running UK prize for debut fiction and – except for the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden – the oldest literary prize in Britain. The winning novel will be selected by this year’s guest adjudicator Louisa Young, and announced at a dinner at the National Liberal Club in London on 24 May.
Olga Tokarczuk and her English language translator Jennnifer Croft have been shortlisted for the EBRD Literature Prize 2023. Set in the mid-18th century, The Books of Jacob is about a charismatic self-proclaimed messiah, Jacob Frank, a young Jew who travels through the Hapsburg and Ottoman empires, attracting and repelling crowds and authorities in equal measure. It was also shortlisted for the Booker International Prize and the Kirkus Prize for Fiction in 2022.
This unique international prize, established in 2017 by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), awards both authors from countries where the EBRD operates and their English translators. It celebrates the diversity of cultures and the rich literary expression from regions ranging from central and eastern Europe to Central Asia, the Western Balkans and the southern and eastern Mediterranean. It also celebrates the role of translators as “bridges” between cultures.
The shortlist for The British Book Awards 2023 (a.k.a. the Nibbies) has been announced, featuring multiple RCW authors as well as Claire Wilson for Literary Agent of the Year. Richard E. Grant is shortlisted in the Audiobook: Non-Fiction category for his memoir A Pocketful of Happiness (Simon & Schuster); Sir Terry Pratchett is shortlisted in the Audiobook: Fiction category for the Discworld series audiobooks, narrated by Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy, Indira Varma & Andy Serkis et al (Transworld); Natalie Haynes in the Fiction Book of the Year category for Stone Blind (Mantle); Katherine Rundell in the Fiction and Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated Book of the Year categories for Super-Infinite (Faber) and The Golden Mole, illustrated by Talya Baldwin (Faber); Alice Oseman in the Children's Illustrated Book of the Year category for The Heartstopper Yearbook (Hachette); and Tọlá Okogwu and A.F. Steadman are both shortlisted in the Children's Fiction Book of the Year category for Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun (Simon & Schuster Children's) and Skandar and the Unicorn Thief (Simon & Schuster C...
Claire Wilson is shortlisted for the British Book Award for Literary Agent of the Year 2023. In 2022 her authors have won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Blue Peter Prize, the Foyles Book of the Year, the Baillie Gifford Prize and the Bookseller Person of the Year. Claire Wilson has also found time to advocate on inclusivity, sustainability and copyright as vice-president of the Association of Authors’ Agents.
Judges said: "This shortlist is notable for the impressive diversification of agenting in recent years. The efforts of both established and new agents to recruit and champion more people from underrepresented backgrounds and communities have been vital steps towards proper representation in publishing. Beyond that, the eight agents on this all-female shortlist—six of them nominated for the first time—all gave outstanding service to their fortunate clients in 2022, balancing sensitive care with tenacious deal-making."
Hannah Gold has picked up the Children’s Travel Book of the Year award for The Lost Whale (HarperCollins Children’s Books), "an incredible story about the connection between a boy and a whale and the bond that sets them both free." From the author of the bestselling The Last Bear, the books is another engrossing tale that blends ecological awareness with deftly plotted adventure, as lonely Rio mounts a desperate search for the whale that has enliven his forced stay in California.
In total 18 travel writers made the shortlists for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards this year, and the judging panel included Colin Thubron, Sunny Singh, Julia Wheeler, Lois Pryce, Caroline Eden and journalists Ash Bhardwaj and Jeremy Bassetti.
Scottish actor Richard Rankin (Outlander; The Last Kingdom) is set to play Edinburgh detective John Rebus in a new six-part series based on the acclaimed crime novels by Ian Rankin that will go out on Scandinavian streamer Viaplay, which recently launched in the U.S. Screenwriter Gregory Burke (Entebbe ’71) will adapt Rankin’s work for the screen. Eleventh Hour Films is producing the series for Viaplay. Niall MacCormick (Wallander) will direct the series, which starts shooting in Scotland next month and will stream on Viaplay in 2024. The show marks Viaplay’s first U.K. drama commission.
“I’m thrilled to be taking on the role of Rebus,” said Richard Rankin, who is no relation to the books’ author. “I’m a big fan of the series and Sir Ian Rankin. I feel very lucky to be given the honour of bringing such an iconic Scottish character back to TV screens and will give all I have to do it justice.”
Ian Rankin backed Richard Rankin to “bring the character to life,” adding: “He’s the perfect fit for the role, and not just because we coincidentally share the same surname.”
Katherine Rundell has won the Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize 2022, for her debut adult non-fiction book Super-Infinite (Faber & Faber). Katherine Rundell’s biography delves into the life of English poet John Donn and it won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Judges said, "Katherine Rundell’s Super-Infinite quivers and shimmers with animation. It’s lively and playful, heartfelt and intelligent. In essence, everything one hopes a great biography will be."
Katherine Rundell won this year's Slightly Foxed Best First Biography Prize jointly with Osman Yousefzada, author of The Go Between (Canongate). The pair join previous winners including Heather Clark, Jonathan Phillips and Bart van Es and will share a £2,500 prize thanks to sponsorship from the Biographer’s Club.
Tọlá Okogwu is among those longlisted for this year’s Jhalak Prize in the Children's & Young Adult fiction category. A debut children's novel packed full of memorable characters, Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun (Simon & Schuster) is the effervescent story of a British-Nigerian girl who discovers her curls have psychokinetic abilities and the thrilling adventures she undertakes with her new-found superhero friends.
The Jhalak Prize and Jhalak Children’s & Young Adult Prize celebrate British or British-resident writers of colour, annually awarding £1,000 to each of the two winners, along with a unique work of art created by artists chosen for the annual Jhalak Art Residency. All shortlisted authors will also receive a one-year complimentary membership to the London Library, to which the winners receive a two-year membership.
The finalists in 25 categories for the 35th Annual Lambda Literary Awards have been announced, and Seán Hewitt and Julia Armfield are among the authors shortlisted. Seán Hewitt's All Down Darkness Wide (Penguin Press), a memoir of queer relationships and mental health, is shortlisted in the category for Best Gay Memoir/Biography Lyrical. Julia Armfield's Our Wives Under the Sea (Flatiron Books), a debut novel about the relationship between two women transformed by a deep dive onto a mysterious underwater vessel, is shortlisted in the Lesbian Fiction category.
The finalists were selected by a panel of over 65 literary professionals from more than 1,350 book submissions. These selections represent the best of LGBTQ literature this year.
Screenwriter and executive producer David Kane, who is the lead writer on the TV show “Shetland”, is developing Denise Mina’s five-book Morrow series (Orion) into a multi-season TV series, set in Glasgow. David Kane and Denise Mina previously worked together on BBC drama “The Field of Blood”, based on her book of the same name, which starred Jayd Johnson, Peter Capaldi and David Morrissey. The show, which is not yet attached to a broadcaster, will be jointly executive produced by Denise Mina, David Kane and Freedom Scripted creative director Mike Ellen.
Denise Mina said: "You’d be hard pressed to fit a Rizla between my writing and Davie Kane’s, and I’m well aware that I’m bigging myself up in saying that. He’s a funny, brutal, wild writer and I’m honoured whenever our names are put together."
Cecile Pin’s Wandering Souls (Fourth Estate) and Natalie Haynes' Stone Blind (Mantle) are among the 16 titles to be longlisted for the £30,000 Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023. Cecile Pin is among the nine debut authors longlisted; her novel follows a group of Vietnamese refugees as they navigate their way through the cold individuality of Thatcher's Britain, guided only by the voice of their deceased younger brother. Natalie Haynes is among the three writers who have previously been shortlisted; Stone Blind is another bravura reimagining of Greek myth as the story of Medusa is transformed into a powerful meditation on mortality, betrayal and the cruel limits of beauty.
The judges will narrow down this longlist of 16 books to a shortlist of six, which will be announced on Wednesday 26th April 2023. The 2023 Women’s Prize for Fiction will be awarded on Wednesday 14th June 2023 at the Women’s Prize Trust’s summer party in central London. The winner will receive an anonymously endowed cheque for £30,000 and a limited-edition bronze figurine known as a "Bessie", created and donated by the artist Grizel Niven.
Paddy Crewe has been longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award for his debut novel My Name is Yip, a giddily imaginative picaresque steeped in the cinematic idiosyncrasies of the American frontier.
The shortlist will be announced on Monday, 20th March, whilst the winner will be announced on Wednesday, 24th May at the National Liberal Club.
Inaugurated in 1954, the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award is now in its 69th year, making it the longest-running UK prize for debut fiction and – except for the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden – the oldest literary prize in Britain.
Nick Hornby’s novel, Funny Girl, has been adapted by Morwenna Banks into a six-part series, Funny Woman, for Sky Max, directed by Oliver Parker. Gemma Arterton stars as Barbara Parker a Blackpool beauty queen who heads to London and gets discovered by TV agent Brian Debenham, played by Rupert Everett.
Gemma Arterton said “Funny Woman is a heart-warming story of an ambitious woman with a dream of making people laugh – it's going to be something special”.
Stream Funny Woman on Sky Max with NOW from Thursday 9 February.
The longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction features novels by Paddy Crewe and Lucy Caldwell. Paddy Crewe is longlisted for his debut novel My Name Is Yip (Transworld), a giddily imaginative picaresque steeped in the cinematic idiosyncrasies of the American frontier, and Lucy Caldwell is longlisted for These Days (Faber), a book set across the four devastating days of the bombing of Belfast in 1941.
The shortlist – which usually features six books — will be announced in April, and a winner announced in mid June at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose, Scotland.
The 2022 Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award shortlist has been revealed, featuring Katherine Rundell and Maddie Mortimer among others. Katherine Rundell is nominated for her Baillie Gifford Prize-winning Super-Infinite (Faber & Faber), described as a "complex portrait of England’s greatest love poet, John Donne", while Maddie Mortimer features for her Desmond Elliott Prize-winning Maps of our Spectacular Bodies (Picador), which judges described as "boldly inventive in style".
The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award celebrates fiction, non-fiction and poetry by British or Irish authors aged 35 or under. Judges shortlisted four writers, bucking the trend of the previous two years in which five were nominated. Over the coming weeks, Granta will publish extracts from all four titles on granta.com. The winner will be announced in a ceremony at a new venue on 14th March 2023.
The National Book Critics Circle has announced the finalists, in six categories, for its annual awards honoring the best books of the previous publishing year. Alia Trabucco Zerán is shortlisted in the Criticism category for her book When Women Kill: Four Crimes Retold, trans. by Sophie Hughes (Coffee House Press); Olga Tokarczuk's The Books of Jacob (Riverhead) is shortlisted in the Gregg Barrios Book In Translation Prize category for Jennifer Croft’s translation of the work from Polish to English, which took seven years to complete; and Clare Mac Cumhaill and Rachael Wiseman are shortlisted in the Biography category for their book Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life (Doubleday).
The awards for publishing year 2022 will be presented on March 23 at the New School in New York City, in a ceremony that will be free and open to the public.
The shortlists for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize have been revealed and the poetry category consists of works by Zaffar Kunial and Fiona Benson. Zaffar Kunial is shortlisted for England’s Green (Faber), which is his second collection, and is a look at England through language and place. Fiona Benson’s Ephemeron (Jonathan Cape) is also on the poetry shortlist, and it is divided into four sections, and was described by Fiona Sampson in the Guardian as showing the poet’s "unusual range".
This is the first year in which the new format for the Rathbones Folio prize is running; a winner will be named in each of the three categories (fiction, nonfiction and poetry), with those winners then going on to compete for the overall prize. The winners of the category prizes and the overall prize will be announced on 27 March. Previous Folio prize winners include Colm Tóibín, Carmen Maria Machado, Raymond Antrobus, Hisham Matar and George Saunders.
Maddie Mortimer is shortlisted for The Dylan Thomas Prize 2023, awarded to the best published literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under. She is shortlisted for her debut novel of trauma and buried secrets, Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies (Picador), in which a sudden diagnosis upends Lia’s world and the boundaries between her past and her present begin to collapse. As the voice prowling in Lia takes hold of her story, the reader is taken on a symphonic journey through one woman’s body. Judges said, "Maddie Mortimer’s Desmond Elliott prize-winning Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies offers a darkly funny depiction of a mother-daughter relationship."
Worth £20,000, the Swansea University Dylan Thomas Prize is one of the UK’s most prestigious literary prizes as well as the world’s largest literary prize for young writers. The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 23 March followed by the winner’s ceremony held in Swansea on Thursday 11 May, prior to International Dylan Thomas Day on Sunday 14 May.
Novels by Colm Tóibín, Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir and Sara Stridsberg are among the 70 books nominated by libraries around the world for the 2023 Dublin Literary Award. Now in its 28th year, the award is the world’s most valuable annual prize for a single work of fiction published in English, worth €100,000 to the winner. The award is sponsored by Dublin City Council.
The Magician by Colm Tóibín, published by Penguin Random House, is nominated by Bibliotheek Gent, Belgium. Among the 29 novels in translation nominated is Magma by Thóra Hjörleifsdóttir, translated from Icelandic by Meg Matich, published by Black Cat; The Antarctica of Love by Sara Stridsberg, translated from Swedish by Deborah Bragan-Turner, published by Mac Lehose Press; and Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park, translated from Korean by Anton Hur, published by Tilted Axis Press.
The shortlist will be unveiled on 28 March and the winner will be announced by Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy on 25 May 2023.
