The 2025 British Book Awards Book of the Year shortlists have been announced and feature four African authors!
The British Book Awards–also called “the Nibbies”–are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by literary trade industry magazine The Bookseller. The Book of the Year Awards celebrate authors, illustrators, and the wider team behind a book’s journey in several different categories. The judges consider literary merit, sales success, and publishing excellence in their decision.
From the judges:
“HarperVoyager stopped at nothing to propel Saara El-Arifi to new heights with the author’s African-inspired romantasy, Faebound. With three special editions and a host of events, including a Fae Ball, El-Arifi secured 271% growth on her first series hardback launch and a whole market number one. Voyager organised an extensive pre-awareness campaign that took El-Arifi across the country including Waterstones bookshops in Cardiff and Manchester, the British Library and Cheltenham Literature Festival.”
Sudanese-British author Zeinab Badawi’s amplify books and stories from underrepresented writers, with a particular focus on the work of indie presses and imprints.
From the judges:
“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.”
Also on this shortlist is Cameroonian author Musih Tedji Xaviere‘s These Letters End in Tears (Jacaranda, 2024). From the judges:
“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.”
Shortlisted for the Children’s – Non-Fiction Book of the Year award is Sudanese-British author Hamza Yassin’s , illustrated by Louise Forshaw (Macmillan Children’s Books, 2024). This category celebrates conversation–starting books that seek to celebrate the natural world and promote curiosity in the world around us, alongside a love for Taylor Swift. Many of the campaigns put inclusivity at the heart of their approach, prioritising student outreach and creative initiatives.
From the judges:
“Wildlife photographer Hamza Yassin’s celebration of the natural world was treated with the utmost care at Macmillan Children’s Books. Yassin is dyslexic and this informed every inch of Hamza’s Wild World. The publisher developed a system of writing that worked for Yassin and created a dyslexia-friendly book for all young readers. During publication week, Yassin spoke to 18,000 children and took part in an extensive media campaign that included an appearance on The One Show.”
The winners from each category will be announced at the awards ceremony May 12. You can view the livestream here!
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