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. This year, the ‘Breakthrough Author’ category became ‘Newcomer of the Year’ - sharpening its focus on new authors and illustrators, giving these emerging talents crucial early-career recognition and celebration. We also pleased to have added a highly requested ‘Picture Book’ category to the awards this year. 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. Our thanks to this year’s panel for their time and expertise: Angie Crawford, Non-Fiction Buyer, Waterstones Charlotte Le Feuvre, Senior Bookseller, Foyles Emma Shannon, Manager, Dubray Cork Deborah Texeira, Children’s Bookseller and School Coordinator, Kenilworth Books Helen Scott, Bookseller, The Bookshop (East Grinstead)
The Books Are My Bag Readers Awards are sponsored by Bloomsbury, Bonnier Books UK, Canongate, Chicken House, David Fickling, DK, Faber & Faber, Hachette UK, HarperCollins Publishers, Little Tiger, Ingram Content Group, Pan Macmillan, Penguin Random House UK, Profile Books, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Usborne and Walker Books. National Book Tokens is the headline sponsor of the Books Are My Bag Reader Awards. On Tuesday 4 November, the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Winners were announced.
The 2025 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards Winners, as voted by readers:
Fiction Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Viking)
Non-Fiction Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Canongate)
Poetry To the Women by Donna Ashworth (Black & White Publishing)
Young Adult Fiction Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicoll (First Ink)
Children’s Fiction Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
Picture Book Otto the Top Dog by Catherine Rayner (Macmillan Children's Books)
Newcomer of the Year Emma Swan (Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea!, illustrated by Katie Saunders, Usborne)
Readers’ Choice Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea! By Emma Swan, illustrated by Katie Saunders (Usborne) Watch the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2025 ceremony on the Books Are My Bag YouTube channel Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2025 shortlist: Fiction The Lamb by Lucy Rose (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) Ordinary Saints by Niamh NÍ Mhaoileoin (Manilla Press) Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout (Viking)
Non-Fiction John and Paul by Ian Leslie (Faber) Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (Ebury Publishing) Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Canongate) Want by Gillian Anderson (Bloomsbury)
Poetry Dwell by Simon Armitage, illustrated by Beth Munro (Faber) To the Women by Donna Ashworth (Black & White Publishing) poyums annaw by Len Pennie (Canongate) With Love, Grief and Fury by Salena Godden (Canongate)
Yonng Adult Fiction What Happens Online by Nathanael Lessore (Hot Key Books) Skipshock by Caroline O'Donoghue (Walker) Solo by Gráinne O'Brien (Little Island) Wish You Were Her by Elle McNicoll (First Ink)
Children’s Fiction A Box Full of Murders by Janice Hallett (Puffin) Impossible Creatures: The Poisoned King by Katherine Rundell (Bloomsbury Children's Books) The Doughnut Club by Kristina Rahim (Nosy Crow) Alice With A Why by Anna James, illustrated by Matthew Land (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Picture Book Sleep Tight, Disgusting Blob by Huw Aaron (Puffin) Otto the Top Dog by Catherine Rayner (Macmillan Children's Books) Gozzle by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Macmillan Children's Books) Badger Books by Paddy Donnelly (The O’Brien Press)
Newcomer of the Year Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin (Ordinary Saints, Manilla Press) Oisín McKenna (Evening and Weekends, Fourth Estate) Aisling Rawle (The Compound, The Borough Press) Emma Swan (Cruise Ship Kid: Thief At Sea!, illustrated by Katie Saunders, Usborne)
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]