Bonnier Books UK shortlisted for five British Book Awards
Bonnier Books UK is shortlisted for five awards in the 2020 British Book Awards, with three titles recognised in the Book of the Year categories and flagship fiction imprint Zaffre shortlisted for Imprint of the Year. Bonnier Books UK is also shortlisted for the British Book Award for Export for the second year running.
Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris (Zaffre) is shortlisted for Fiction Book of the Year, alongside Booker Prize winners Margaret Atwood and Bernadine Evaristo. Cilka’s Journey is the second novel by Heather Morris, following her internationally bestselling debut, The Tattooist of Auschwitz. The Tattooist of Auschwitz was shortlisted for the same award in 2019 and was the biggest-selling book of the year in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The Tattooist of Auschwitz has sold over 3 million copies globally.
The Familiars by Stacey Halls (Zaffre) is shortlisted for Debut Book of the Year. Stacey’s debut was the biggest-selling debut book of 2019. The Familiars was marketed through a long-lead 18-month campaign, designed to establish Stacey as a significant author in the historical fiction space and garner long-term support from independent bookshops and readers throughout the U.K. Stacey’s second novel, The Foundling, published in February 2020 and is a Sunday Times bestseller.
Christy Lefteri’s timely, powerful and hopeful novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo is shortlisted for Audiobook of the Year. The shortlist lauded the audiobook narration by Art Malik, recognising him as ‘the perfect narrator, with the necessary emotive range for such a sensitive story.’
Zaffre is shortlisted for Imprint of the Year for the second year in a row. 2019 was a fantastic year for Zaffre, with a third of its new titles recognised in the Sunday Times bestseller lists, as well as being the publisher of the year’s biggest-selling novel, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and biggest-selling debut, The Familiars by Stacey Halls.
Bonnier Books UK is also shortlisted for the British Book Award for Export, with judges recognises the companies ‘rapid growth across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Australasia in 2019. Heather Morris’ Cilka’s Journey proved a global success, and Holly Black’s Queen of Nothing was a big contributor on the children’s side.
The award ceremony for the British Book Awards will be held on the 29th June 2020. The British Book Awards celebrate and showcase the best of the U.K. publishing industry.
