The BAFTAs of the book trade are coming round once again and the shortlist for the 35th British Book Awards has been announced. Revealed on the 7th March we see big names and multiple nominations as politics, nature, romantasy and vampires shine on the shortlists.
What are the British Book Awards?
The British Book Awards is an annual awards ceremony also known as 'the Nibbies' and has been the leading awards for the book trade since 1990. Highlighting the authors and illustrators that have stirred our hearts and imaginations as well as the industry who work behind the scenes to bring books to readers. The British Book Awards affirm, connect and energise all who have had a hand in creating books and all who read them.
The winners are announced at a ceremony held in London. This year, the winners will be announced on Monday the 12th May.
British Book Awards 2025 Shortlists
We'll get straight to the point, scroll to find the shortlists for the 35th British Book Awards
Author of the Year
Book of the Year: Fiction
All Fours by Miranda July
You Are Here by David Nicholls
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
Long Island by Colm Tóibín
James by Percival Everett
Think Again by Jacqueline Wilson
Book of the Year: Debut Fiction
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey
Green Dot by Madeleine Gray
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A Parker
Butter by Asako Yuzuki, translated by Polly Barton
Book of the Year – Pageturner
Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes
Daydream by Hannah Grace
Our Fair Lily by Rosie Goodwin
House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore
Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Book of the Year: Crime & Thriller
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker
Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French
The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas
Guilty by Definition by Susie Dent
Book of the Year – Audiobook: Fiction
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, narrated by Joanna Lumley & Jordan Stephens
The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer, narrated by Bob Mortimer, Paul Whitehouse, Sally Phillips & Julie Maisey
Bunny vs. Monkey by Jamie Smart, narrated by Ciaran Saward
1984 by George Orwell, adapted by Joe White, narrated by Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, Katie Leung
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes
You Are Here by David Nicholls, narrated by Lee Ingleby & Lydia Leonard
Book of the Year – Non-Fiction: Narrative
Want by Gillian Anderson & anonymous
All That Matters by Sir Chris Hoy
Patriot by Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait & Stephen Dalziel
Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, illustrated by Denise Nestor
I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest With You by Miranda Hart
Unleashed by Boris Johnson
Book of the Year: Non-Fiction Lifestyle & Illustrated
Spud Man’s Spudtacular Baked Potato Cookbook by Spud Man, illustrated by Louise Leffler
Drawn to the Garden by Caroline Quentin
What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
A Better Second Half by Liz Earle
Greekish by Georgina Hayden
So Good by Emily English
Book of the Year – Audiobook: Non-Fiction
Never Enough: My Words Unfiltered by Pete Wicks
Unleashed by Boris Johnson
Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari, narrated by Vidish Athavale
Sociopath by Patric Gagne
Want by Gillian Anderson & anonymous,
Henry V by Dan Jones
Book of the Year: Discover
These Letters End in Tears by Musih Tedji Xaviere
An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi
Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
poyums by Len Pennie
Fragile Animals by Genevieve Jagger
Tiananmen Square by Lai Wen
Illustrator of the Year
Dav Pilkey
Mariajo Ilustrajo
Jim Field
Jamie Smart
Oliver Jeffers
Rob Biddulph
Book of the Year: Children’s Fiction
The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney
Reckless by Lauren Roberts
I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal
The Majorly Awkward BFF Dramas of Lottie Brooks by Katie Kirby
Book of the Year: Children’s Illustrated
Jonty Gentoo: The Adventures of a Penguin by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder by Dav Pilkey
There’s a Poonami in my House by Chris and Rosie Ramsey, illustrated by Paula Bowles
Bunny vs Monkey: The Great Big Glitch by Jamie Smart
Pablo and Splash by Sheena Dempsey
Letters from the North Pole by Annie Atkins, illustrated by Fia Tobing
Book of the Year: Children’s Non-Fiction
The History of Information by Chris Haughton
Little People, Big Dreams: Taylor Swift by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara, illustrated by Borghild Fallberg
Hamza’s Wild World by Hamza Yassin, illustrated by Louise Forshaw
The World to Come by Robert Macfarlane and Johnny Flynn, illustrated by Emily Sutton
Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back by Isabella Tree, illustrated by Angela Harding
Science is Lit by Big Manny, illustrated by Subi Bosa
For more information of the children's book shortlists head to our news piece on LoveReading4Kids.
As media partner for The British Book Awards we're thrilled to see so many books we've enjoyed on the shortlists.
Miranda July's All Fours is a LoveReading Star Book, it's a "bruisingly vibrant and freeing novel that gives incredibly intimate access to an artist as she journeys into mid-life changes.". We've also already seen All Fours and The Ministry of Time on the Women's Prize for Fiction longlist. Also having a good awards season so far is Chloe Dalton, as Raising Hare was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction.
Big names have received multiple nominations in this year's Nibbies shortlists with David Nicholls and Jamie Smart having three chances to win. Sarah J Maas, Gillian Anderson, Boris Johnson, Percival Everett and Dav Pikey each having 2 nominations.
James by Percival Everett is "An imaginative retelling of the American classic “Huckleberry Finn”, putting Jim, the runaway slave who travels with Huck, at the centre of the story." A LoveReading Star Book that we think should join its inspiration on the list of American Literature classics.
We loved David Nicholls' You are Here, it's another absolute wonder that left us bereft after we finished. His sixth book and another glorious love story following Marnie and Michael, walkers that you will urge on every step of their Coast to Coast journey.
For romantasy fans the eagerly awaited third instalment of the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas received recognition in this year's British Book Awards. As well as Maas being nominated for Author of the Year, House of Flame and Shadow is on the shortlist for the Book of the Year - Pageturner category. After an agonising wait to read more about Bryce and Hunt, this book certainly packed a punch. Joining HOFAS, those on BookTok will see plenty of recognisable names, with Hannah Grace's Daydream, Laurie Gilmore's The Christmas Tree Farm and When the Moon Hatched by Sarah A. Parker among the shortlists.
Cosy Crime King Richard Osman's new book We Solve Murders is up for the Crime & Thriller category alongside stiff competition in Abir Mukherjee, Chris Whitaker, Nikki French, Claire Douglas and Susie Dent. Mukherjee's Hunted is a LoveReading Star Book, it's a firecracker of a read that's set during the USA's presidential elections. Whitaker's All the Colours of the Dark can be quite simply described as a masterpiece, moving and beautifully readable.
We could stay here all day taking you through every book we've read on the shortlists and why we love them, so we've included the books below for you to peruse at your leisure. Click to read more about each title, or add them straight to your basket.
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