Book of the Year - Discover
Book of the Year - Discover Winner and Shortlist
The Discover award continues to amplify books and stories from underrepresented writers, with a particular focus on the work of indie presses and imprints. This shortlist encompasses six landmark books in their respective categories from history, to romance and poetry.
Winner
poyums
Len Pennie
Canongate
Len Pennie’s poyums, her debut poetry collection written in both Scots and English, impressed our judges in this category. “Reading this is an experience that transcends sexuality, race and gender,” said one judge; “Pennie is incredible,” added another.
Canongate nurtured their relationship with Pennie and committed to “phenomenal” author care. The campaign was a “masterclass” in publishing, our panel agreed. With a modest budget, Canongate produced a spectacular strategy that comprised of a series of broadcast hits, including an episode on BBC’s The Culture Scene and a winning partnership with The Portobello Bookshop.
Pennie’s collection made a tangible impact in the room beyond – poyums is now taught in schools across Scotland, and Canongate partnered with Young Scotland to share Pennie’s poetry across the country. Ultimately, our panel loved Canongate’s ambition and success in cementing Pennie as a fierce, new voice in poetry.
The Shortlist
An African History of Africa
Zeinab Badawi
WH Allen
WH Allen knew they had something special with Zeinab Badawi’s debut, the Nero-shortlisted An African History of Africa. Leading with the book’s core message – “Everyone is originally from Africa. Therefore, this book is for everyone” – the publisher launched an extensive campaign to break Badawi into a wide readership. Highlights included extensive coverage across the nationals alongside podcast and radio appearances, a 25-stop book tour and intuitive bookseller outreach.
Fragile Animals
Genevieve Jagger
404 Ink
Readers sank their teeth into Genevieve Jagger’s vampire novel. 404 Ink capitalised on Fragile Animals’ strong social-media potential with a creative proof mailing where white feathers fell from the pages to surprise readers. The stylish book jacket separated Fragile Animals from the crowd as did Jagger’s appearance with Mona Awad at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. 404 Ink’s awareness-raising worked – Fragile Animals had to be reprinted less than four months after publication.
Out on a Limb
Hannah Bonam-Young
Bedford Square Publishers
Bedford Square Publishers set their sights on building Hannah Bonam-Young's UK audience with Out on a Limb, a romance that celebrates limb difference and independency. Bedford Square initiated a fierce campaign that cut through a crowded romance market and positioned Bonam-Young as an author-to-watch. Influencer mailing, giveaways and in-person events across Waterstones shops, including an influencer event at the Piccadilly branch, helped push Out on a Limb beyond a traditional romance readership.
poyums
Len Pennie
Canongate
poyums struck a chord publicly and in-house at Canongate. The noisy campaign put Scottish poet Len Pennie at its heart and sensitively handled a potentially dangerous situation for the poet, which required strict security protocols for all events. poyums' impact has been widespread: since publication, poetry from the collection has been adopted into the SQA Scottish set-text list and it became Canongate’s bestselling debut poetry collection ever.
These Letters End in Tears
Musih Tedji Xaviere
Jacaranda
These Letters End in Tears, Musih Tedji Xaviere’s debut novel, a queer love story set in Cameroon where same-sex relationships are illegal, broke boundaries. Jacaranda Books made Xaviere the first Cameroonian-based author to sign an international book deal and supported Xaviere’s emigration to the UK before publication, a move necessary to protect the author from danger in Cameroon as a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights.
Tiananmen Square
Lai Wen
Swift Press
Swift Press wasted no time acquiring Tiananmen Square, a novel from the pseudonymously named Lai Wen. The debut novel secured brilliant reviews across the nationals and sold in nine territories at London Book Fair 2023. Swift Press knew they had something special and invested in VIP send-outs to bloggers, a carefully tailored book jacket, book club giveaways and Netgalley promotion; successfully negotiating the challenges posed by an anonymous author.
