Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated
Book of the Year - Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated Shortlist
Always a wonderfully varied category, this year’s Non-Fiction: Lifestyle & Illustrated shortlist ranges from new poetry to forgotten churches via three bestselling cookery books – two from household names – not forgetting the reunion of four beloved friends.
The Winner
Forgotten Churches
Luke Sherlock, illustrations by Ioana Pioaru
Frances Lincoln
Luke Sherlock – or, as he is known to his social media followers, @englishpilgrim – is bringing attention back to England’s incredible churches. His debut, Forgotten Churches, a gentle exploration of these buildings, their history and the communities around them, triumphed in this year’s category for its “brilliance” and “charm”. The judges applauded his “whistlestop tour” around some of England’s best ecclesiastical buildings and the partnership with illustrator Ioana Pioaru, whose incredibly detailed drawings illuminated Sherlock’s prose.
Frances Lincoln’s “brave”, “encouraging” and “inspiring” publishing made the title a standout. The publisher created a svelte, covetable book that was a “gift for independent bookshops”, the panel said. In true homage to the text, the team at Frances Lincoln organised events in churches and bookshops, including a launch event at the Silk Mill in Frome. The author’s independent bookshop, Sherlock & Pages, inspired the energetic grassroots campaign that made Forgotten Churches a success.
The Shortlist
Always Remember
Charlie Mackesy
Ebury Press
Six years after The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, Ebury published the sequel featuring the four beloved friends. Preserving the integrity of Charlie Mackesy’s original drawings in print was central to the book’s success. The events campaign combined scale and intimacy, with Mackesy drawing live on stage, bringing his characters to life in real time while paper and pencils hidden under chairs invited audiences to draw along. Always Remember secured the Christmas number-one position, spending a total of 16 weeks in the bestseller charts.
Eat Yourself Healthy
Jamie Oliver
Penguin Michael Joseph
Jamie Oliver’s 30th cookbook became his most pre-ordered title ever and delivered the TV chef’s biggest-ever day-one sales at Waterstones, Tesco and TG Jones, no mean feat after (just over) 25 years at the forefront of cookery publishing. With the tagline “Healthy isn’t less. It’s more!”, the book cut through the confusion around eating well. The publisher oversaw three distinct waves of the campaign, framing Eat Yourself Healthy as the ultimate gift of wellbeing at Christmas and then repositioning the book for New Year, New You.
Forgotten Churches
Luke Sherlock, Ioana Pioaru (illustrator)
Frances Lincoln
Frances Lincoln discovered author and bookseller Luke Sherlock via his social media account and paired his words on churches with the pen and ink drawings of artist and illustrator Ioana Pioaru for this sumptuously produced book. Bespoke POS packs were created for 60 independent bookshops, including branded leather bookmarks, paper bags, tote bags – and, for selected Waterstones stores, standees featuring Pioaru’s illustrated cut-outs of the church closest to each branch.
Padella
Tim Siadatan
Bloomsbury
Once acquired in a heated 6-figure, 12-publisher auction, the challenge for Bloomsbury was to distil the essence of the Padella restaurants into book form to appeal to diehard fans and newcomers alike. The use of real cloth and double-foil on the cover and the quality of the internal photography placed this title among the most coveted cookbooks of the year. Three separate serial deals, in Delicious, the Times Magazine and the Mail on Sunday’s You Magazine saw sales spike.
Protein in 15
Joe Wicks
Leap
Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, returned with this cookbook stuffed with quick, delicious protein-packed meals for the whole family. Leap put the ebullient author at the heart of the campaign, utilising his 8.3 million-strong following across social media with authentic video content and recipe-led visuals. He was also keen to connect with his readers in person over a week-long author tour. Re-energising the brand, sales of Protein in 15 were up 34% on the author’s previous title in the same time period.
To the Women
Donna Ashworth
Black & White
Bonnier UK’s top selling adult trade title of 2025 was also the poet’s fastest-selling book ever, outselling her previous title by 48% over same time period. Beautifully packaged with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day in mind, the cover's floral illustrations were also used across the marketing campaign, which focused on repositioning Donna Ashworth in the lifestyle and wellbeing space as well as reaching her core poetry audience. The author’s community saw a rise of nearly 24% on Instagram.
