Nibbies sharpen

The awards continued to expand under Newman, organiser Merric Davidson and the PN team. “Not so freshly minted as to be an entirely unknown quantity, not so established as to be staid, the event continues to develop and change in small but important detail,” read the programme in 1992.

After an award for Diana biographer Andrew Morton in 1992, the Author of the Year took a literary turn, with wins for Roddy Doyle, Sebastian Faulks and Salman Rushdie. It took until the end of the decade to find a female winner in Beryl Bainbridge, though women had better representation in the Book of the Year award, which launched in 1994. Its winners are a roll call of the biggest sellers of the decade, such as Jung Chang’s Wild Swans, Dava Sobel’s Longitude and Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary.

More categories came, including Lifetime Achievement, won by DG Hessayon, Catherine Cookson and Delia Smith in the first three years. “This is an evening full of warmth which leaves the Booker Prize standing,” Hessayon said as he picked up his Nibbie. He wasn’t the only one who thought so. “The Nibbies frankly warrant better coverage than the increasingly devalued Booker,” said the Observer in 1993.

An absolutely staggeringly lovely party

Entry and judging processes evolved. Readers of Books magazine were invited to nominate titles, and in 1994 a cross-sector ‘Academy’ of about 100 judges was set up to vote by post – though this led to rumours of tactical choices. In the mid-1990s, against the backdrop of the fall of the Net Book Agreement, notable winners still very active today included Philip Pullman, Bill Bryson, Sebastian Faulks and James Daunt, for Daunt Books. Several early independent bookshop winners have endured, including Daunt, Pritchards in Crosby and London’s Books for Cooks.

Into a new millennium

The 2000s opened with Harry Potter in the ascendancy. JK Rowling was the Author of the Year, while Bloomsbury was Publisher of the Year twice in a row. The awards were moving with the times, with innovation, audiobooks, exports and cover design among the 20-plus categories. They started to recognise more individuals in the trade too, like booksellers and reps, and the guest list was topping 1,000.

The Nibbies’ morphed from 2004 when they were split. The consumer-oriented awards were given their own night at the Grosvenor, while the trade side became the British Book Trade Awards – first as a separate lunch and then as part of the Booksellers Association’s Conference. “I think it’s clear that the awards have grown to the extent that change is needed,” said Newman.

Nibbies hit the small screen 

Both occasions sold out four months in advance. Authors now had a stage to themselves. The timing coincided with the huge success of Channel 4’s Richard and Judy Book Club, which was creating bestsellers out of little-known titles. Amanda Ross and Cactus, the production company behind the Book Club, brought the Nibbies to TV for the first time, with prime early-evening coverage on Channel 4.

The Bookseller worried, perhaps rightly, in an editorial that “Television coverage will result in a further emphasis at the ceremony on personalities… at the expense of such unphotogenic types as independent booksellers and supply-chain enhancers.” And Nibbies-goers used to a raucous night out grumbled at being told to keep quiet while the TV cameras rolled.

But if publishers and booksellers now had second billing, the separation did wonders for the exposure of books, and sales of many winners spiked. “Fred [Newman]’s ethos was all about popularising and democratising books,” says Jo Henry, the PN group’s managing director at this time. “It really was the hot ticket – being invited to a table was seen as a huge reward for all your hard work.”

There was widespread knock-on media interest, with Midas PR orchestrating red-carpet, paparazzi-snapping scenes, the likes of which publishing had never seen. Founder Tony Mulliken remembers the celebs bringing the Nibbies’ its highest-ever profile. “It gave the industry a wonderful opportunity to show off and enjoy the visibility – as well as an all-expense-paid evening mixing with the stars,” Mulliken remembers.

High-profile winners at the first TV Nibbies included David Beckham, who received the title for ‘Fastest Selling Biography of All Time’ for My Side – a category that seemed suspiciously tailor-made for him. Lynne Truss’ mega-seller Eats, Shoots & Leaves was Book of the Year, and David Attenborough received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Bookseller arrives

At this point The Bookseller—a mere 147 years after the first issue—finally got round to prizes of its own. New managing director Christine Martin and editor-in-chief Neill Denny had both arrived from sectors where spin-off awards from trade media were the norm; in 2005 they launched The Bookseller Retail Awards, as Denny wrote, “to identify and highlight the best in the business: something of use both to us as a magazine and to the wider book trade”.

The first 10 winners were celebrated amid the dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. They included Borders, the Retail Chain of the Year, though its UK operation fell into administration a few years later; and Amazon, the General Retailer of the Year, which has proved more durable. The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill was the first Children’s Independent of the Year; 20 years on it is the reigning Book Retailer of the Year. Over the next few years these awards also celebrated some of bookselling’s most influential personalities, like James Heneage of Ottakar’s, Ted Smart of The Book People and Alan and Jonathan Little of Gardners.

End of an era and start of a new 

Things became more streamlined from 2008. Publishing News closed that year, and Newman sadly died a few months later. It made sense to bring the trade side of things into The Bookseller fold, and new managing director Nigel Roby struck a licensing deal to unify things as the British Book Industry Awards, before they morphed yet again in 2010 into the Bookseller Industry Awards. Meanwhile, a consumer-facing award continued as a separate entity. Known as the National Book Awards, this was steered by Agile Marketing, and the augustly titled Academy of the British Book Industry that judged them had swelled to 700 people. All authors who had won awards since 1990 became honorary fellows of the academy, and the public had a say in voting for some categories. There was headline sponsorship for two years by Galaxy and then for three by Specsavers – but when that support ended, they were shelved in 2015 and 2016.

In 2017, for the first time in 13 years, the awards were brought back together, when Roby picked up the remaining Nibbies IP from Newman’s estate. The first united British Book Awards were at Grosvenor House – to where the ceremony returns once again in May.

Yet more categories have emerged since then under the leadership of publisher relations director Emma Lowe and The Bookseller’s editor Philip Jones as the awards expanded out to reflect a newly energised trade. In the Book of the Year section, non-fiction Nibbies separated into narrative and lifestyle, and audiobooks into fiction and non-fiction. Children’s books received more prominence after being split three ways between fiction, non-fiction and illustrated. There was a new prize for Pageturner of the Year, for genre books. In 2018, in came Illustrator of the Year, and Discover, an award for under-represented writers, with a focus on small presses. Under Jones there was also an emphasis on parts of the trade previously unrecognised, including those businesses and people based outside of London. Trade-wise, the Small Press of the Year launched in 2019 and Designer of the Year in 2021. In 2025, the Library of the Year Nibbie returned after a gap of eight years. 

In 2022 a Freedom to Publish award debuted, with Jones recognising that this long-held commitment was under increasing challenge from world leaders such as Putin, but also because of pressure from social media. HarperCollins publisher Arabella Pike was the first winner, followed by Salman Rushdie, after the near fatal attack on his life. Rushdie appeared on video at the event, to audible gasps in the room. The new award generated different kinds of headlines and recognised that the trade could be commercial and serious at the same time.

Some things change… 

Many facets of the Nibbies have changed over the last 35 years. Successive owners and organisers have learned from those who went before, but today under the stewardship of The Bookseller it has grown in both authority, and reach. For Jones, the awards work best when both parts – the books and the trade – are in the same room, though as is often commented upon this does make for a long evening. Much of the late-night excess of the 1990s has gone. Debauchery, 5am finishes and enormous bar bills on expenses are now much rarer, and some of today’s publishing leaders will be relieved that photos from early Nibbies nights are now buried in the PN archives.

Among other evolutions, judging criteria are tighter and acceptance speeches are shorter – in most cases. Events are live-streamed. Covid, which necessitated two online-only editions of the awards in 2020 and 2021, put paid to some of the formality; black ties haven’t returned. Most positively, and after a slow start, the diversity of winners has increased. Two initiatives have helped: the Decibel Award supported by Arts Council England, which went to Hari Kunzru, Diana Evans and Jackie Kay between 2005 and 2007; and, since 2022, the Discover Award for authors from marginalised communities. 2020 was a watershed year, as Candice Carty-Williams became the first Black winner of the Book of the Year for Queenie, and Bernardine Evaristo the first Black Author of the Year. It was also notable for producing an all-female list of winners, save Axel Scheffler’s joint award with Julia Donaldson. But as Carty-Williams pointed out, there is still a long way to go. “I’m proud of myself… but I guess I’d like to be prouder of the publishing industry.”

… But others stay the same

Some aspects of the Nibbies alter; many don’t. One is its unique formula, which frequently pitches together wildly different authors. These have produced some eclectic Book of the Year face-offs, like Richard Dawkins against Peter Kay against Sarah Waters in 2007. Last year’s Narrative Non-Fiction shortlist featured a rugby player, royal, pop star, historian, entrepreneur and politician.

I bear the Prince of Wales no ill-will, but for me the Author of the Year has to be Salman Rushdie

Another is controversy, without which no awards would be complete. It was there from the very start, with disgruntlement about the Prince of Wales’ Nibbie. Robert McCrum, then of Faber, said on stage: “I bear the Prince of Wales no ill-will, but for me the Author of the Year has to be Salman Rushdie.” In a neat bit of royal book-ending, nominations for Prince Harry’s Spare also drew consternation at last year’s British Book Awards.

Other early winners to cause a stir included Andrew Morton’s Diana and Madonna’s Sex, both recognised in 1992. Book of the Year Nibbies for EL James and Dan Brown didn’t sit well with some at the literary end of publishing. On the trade side, Sainsbury’s 2011 title of General or Chain Bookselling Company of the Year divided opinion. Judges said: “We should celebrate the fact they are embracing books and offering people an alternative place to buy.” But one Guardian commentator sniffed: “It’s sad to think my daughter’s generation may have no more attachment to choosing their next read than to choosing a tin of beans.”

This signals the unique difficulty of judging like-for like. Many find it hard to identify the relative weight of commercial success and critical acclaim. Should a Booker Prize count for more than six-figure sales? Does critical opinion matter? How do you compare a small bookshop to a big chain? It’s not always easy, but most judging decisions these days are harmonious.

What winning means 

Another Nibbies constant is the delight with which trophies are accepted. The King set the tone of gratitude in 1990. “I was remarkably surprised, flattered and greatly honoured to be nominated by the panel,” he said in a magisterial recorded acceptance speech. “I couldn’t have been more amazed, because when I entered this [book] venture had considerable cold feet about the result.”

Three-and-a-half decades on, the awards mean just as much– even to authors who have cabinets full of trophies. “Winning Author of the Year felt like a unique thrill… it’s such a joy to be here with so many people I love and admire and make books possible,” said Katherine Rundell last year.

Even more gratifying is the reaction of winners who have sold tens of millions of books over many years, but been routinely overlooked by other awards, like John Grisham, Lee Child and Marian Keyes. Or those new to books. In 2005, Paul Gascoigne said: “I’ve won loads of football medals, but this means more than all of them.” Fellow footballer Beckham still has his 2004 Nibbie on display at home, says Mulliken. Michelle Obama, a double winner in 2019, called it “an incredible honour”.

Nibbies for an editor, agent, publicist, marketer and rights professional enhance the CV and often lead to promotions or career moves. They put smaller publishers and booksellers on the map, locally, nationally and internationally. Will Atkinson, who has been recognised for his work as a sales rep, the growth of Faber’s Independent Alliance and the resurgence of Atlantic Books, says: “Shortlist places were stepping stones in reviving Atlantic and bringing it back to the elite level.”

The power of words

Winners sometimes use the platform to make wider points. 2018 Illustrator of the Year Scheffler gave a memorable speech after Brexit. “There would have been no Gruffalo without the EU facilitating my study here… I accept this with a heavy heart.” Michael Moore railed against the US invasion of Iraq when he won Book of the Year for Stupid White Men in 2003, and last year’s Editor of the Year, Fourth Estate’s publishing director Kishani Widyaratna, dedicated her award to “all our Palestinian colleagues”.

The British Book Award for Freedom to Publish has meanwhile offered winners a platform to address the wider issues facing this business. “Freedom to publish has not in my lifetime been under such threat,” said Rushdie in 2023. Chkhartishvili, who writes as Boris Akunin, said last year: “I am immensely honoured to be given this award… [But] my dream is to see the time when there will be no need for it anywhere in the world.”

Nibbies by numbers

Nearly 800 Nibbies have been handed out since the first ceremony in 1990, and another 32 winners will join the list in May. Some names run across the decades, like Rowling, who has won six times, including a unique quadruple of Book and Author of the Year, Outstanding Achievement award (twice) and the Special ‘30 from 30’ Nibbie in 2020. Others with the double of Book and Author of the Year are Alan Bennett, David Nicholls and Ian McEwan. Philip Pullman (2001 and 2002) and Hilary Mantel (2013 and 2014) are both two-time Authors of the Year.

Novels won every Book of the Year between 2012 and 2021, though the past three winners have been non-fiction. Most previous Books of the Year remain bookshop staples today, which can make long-term Nibbies guests feel rather old. Two Book of the Year recipients, Sally Rooney and Marcus Rashford, were not even born when the prizes started.

Familiar names thread through the history of the trade side too. In the flagship Publisher of the Year- – often the closest-fought category – Transworld is top of the pile with four trophies, though it had a 20-year wait until 2016 for the last of them. Pan Macmillan, HarperCollins and Little, Brown have three apiece – in Pan Mac’s case, all in a golden period from 2015 and 2020 – and there have been two for Bloomsbury, Canongate, Faber, Orion and Simon & Schuster. Changing divisions and takeovers make it hard to compare, but by current ownership the Penguin Random House empire has 12 of the 35 Publisher of the Year Nibbies, and Hachette eight. In the retail sections, Waterstones, its stores and booksellers have picked up well over 20 Nibbies. Notable by its absence is Amazon, which hasn’t won an award since 2012.

However, looking for patterns or biases in the list of winners is a fruitless task. Recent Authors of the Year have veered from Booker winners to children’s favourites to thriller authors to puzzle creators. The Retailer of the Year has had five different winners in the past five years – the Children’s Bookshop, WH Smith Travel, Bookshop.org, Moon Lane and Waterstones – and all six Small Presses of the Year have been different. Shortlists for individual awards have a high turnover of names from year to year.

This all points to a rich variety of talent across the industry—which is what the British Book Awards set out to celebrate 35 years ago. From the niches of publishing to blockbuster authors, the Nibbies have shone a light on those who deserve to be celebrated but otherwise, wouldn’t be. They have democratised and diversified book awards and added some pizazz to an industry that can be too modest about its achievements. They have also helped show the wider world what creators, publishers and booksellers have always known: that books really matter.