The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards are the only book awards with a shortlist curated by booksellers and winners chosen by readers. To qualify for the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2025, books must have been published in hardback or paperback between 1 January 2025 and 11 October 2025. Breakthrough Authors are those who have achieved significant breakthrough in 2025. They don’t have to be debut writers, and their books don’t have to have been published in 2025. Booksellers Association members are invited to nominate their books of the year for each category. A panel of booksellers then whittles the nominations down to a shortlist. National Book Tokens is the headline sponsor of the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.
The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards are sponsored by National Book Tokens, Hachette UK, Penguin Random House UK, HarperCollins Publishers, Pan Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, DK, Bloomsbury, Usborne, Scholastic, Faber & Faber, Bonnier Books UK, Chicken House, Profile Books, Walker Books, Ingram Content Group and David Fickling.
Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2025 key dates Thursday 9 October: Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Shortlist Announced Tuesday 4 November: Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Winners Announced
The 2024 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Winners, as voted by readers: Fiction You Are Here by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton) Non-Fiction Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld) Poetry Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love by Hollie McNish (Little Brown) Young Adult Fiction The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (HarperCollins) Children’s Fiction I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books) Breakthrough Author Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter (HarperCollins) Readers’ Choice Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld) Watch the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2024 ceremony on the Books Are My Bag YouTube channel Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2024 shortlist
Fiction - Clear by Carys Davies (Granta) - Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar (Pan Macmillan) - Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon (Penguin) - You Are Here by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton)
Non-Fiction - Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad (Transworld) - A Flat Place by Noreen Masud (Penguin) - brother do you love me by Manni Coe & Reuben Coe (author & illustrator) (Canongate) - Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart (Vintage)
Poetry - poyums by Len Pennie (Canongate) - Lobster: and other things I’m learning to love by Hollie McNish (Little Brown) - He, She, They, Us by Charlie Castelletti (Pan Macmillan) - Adam by Gboyega Odubanjo (Faber)
Young Adult Fiction - Northern Soul by Phil Earle (HarperCollins) - Some Like It Cold by Elle McNicoll (Pan Macmillan) - The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson (HarperCollins) - A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal (Pan Macmillan)
Children’s Fiction - I Am Rebel by Ross Montgomery (Walker Books) - The Clockwork Conspiracy by Sam Sedgman (Bloomsbury) - Bea’s Bad Day by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury) - Dim Sum Palace by X Fang (Pushkin Children’s Books)
Breakthrough Author - Kaliane Bradley author of The Ministry of Time (Hodder & Stoughton) - Julia Armfield, author of Our Wives Under the Sea, and Private Rites (HarperCollins) - Asako Yuzuki, author of Butter (HarperCollins) - Jamie Smart, creator of the Bunny vs Monkey series (David Fickling Books) Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2024 shortlist judges: - Rachel Airey, Buying Manager for Childrens Books at WHSmith High Street - Lucy Jakes, Children’s Buyer at Waterstones - Mariasanta Tedesco, Bookshop Manager at Blackwell’s Oxford - Christopher Walthorne, Senior Bookseller at Foyles Charing Cross - James Firth, Co-Owner of The Stripey Badger Bookshop - Elle Moyse, Bookseller at Sevenoaks Bookshop - Jude Brosnan, Marketing Manager at Stanfords Booksellers Association members may opt in or out of participating in Bookshop Day and the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards at any point. Please email [email protected] if you would like to check if you are registered to participate, or if you would like to change your participation. If you are an author, poet, illustrator, agent or publisher and would like to know more about the campaign, please email [email protected]