The judging panels for the Nero Book Awards 2024 – underwritten and delivered by Caffè Nero in partnership with Brunel University of London and The Booksellers Association – have been announced today by the premium coffee house.
They include bestselling and award-winning authors Louise Doughty, Patrice Lawrence and Kevin Power, journalist Zoe West and columnist and memoirist Rhik Samadder.
The Nero Book Awards launched in 2023 have already established themselves as “one of Britain and Ireland’s top literary prizes” (The Observer). The prestigious awards are focused on recognising outstanding writing and celebrating the joy of reading by selecting the top books of the year in the UK and Ireland.
The inaugural winner of the Nero Book Awards Gold Prize was The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, a book that has received widespread critical and reader acclaim since its release in 2023. Murray described winning the Nero Gold Prize as “a tremendous honour”. Winning the Gold Prize propelled The Bee Sting to a wider audience, with the paperback jumping from #3,724 to #129 in the Amazon book charts the morning after the announcement. Simon Prosser, Hamish Hamilton Publishing Director said: “Winning the Fiction Category and Gold Prize was a great extra boost for The Bee Sting as we prepared to launch our paperback edition, and we were delighted when the book went straight into the Top 5 of the Sunday Times paperback fiction bestseller chart.”
The Nero Book Awards 2024 judging panels are comprised of key industry experts who review hundreds of books before deciding which are the best books of the year. These industry experts include award-winning authors, respected journalists, reputable booksellers and well-known industry professionals. Joining those listed above on the 2024 panels include the co-owner of award-winning bookshop Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, Leanne Fridd; Woman & Home Books Editor Zoe West; and Associate Editor of The Bookseller, Caroline Sanderson.
The judging panels highlight the importance of author participation in the Awards process. Best-selling author Rhik Samadder, who wrote the memoir I Never Said I Loved You, takes his place on the Non-Fiction panel, while award-winning children’s writer Patrice Lawrence, who received an MBE for services to literature in 2021, represents the author’s voice on the Children’s Fiction panel. Kevin Power, author of two critically acclaimed novels including Bad Day in Blackrock (2010) joins the Fiction Award panel, and Louise Doughty – author of ten novels, most of which have been adapted for screen, including Apple Tree Yard – is one of three Debut Fiction category judges.
Doughty said: “The Nero Awards are a vital part of our literary eco-system and at the same time unique in offering multi-category prizes that reward novels, debuts, non-fiction and children's writing. They are the only literary prize concentrating on talent from the UK and Ireland, and it is a great honour to be asked to judge. I've had a fantastic summer ploughing through the most wonderful variety of debut novels on offer and really look forward to slugging it out with my fellow judges in our meetings to come.”
A set of multi-category awards celebrating the craft of great writing and the joy of reading, the Nero Book Awards’ mission is to point readers of all ages and interests in the direction of outstanding books and writers across four categories: Children’s Fiction, Debut Fiction, Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Celebrating books across multiple genres, the Nero Book Awards are uniquely awarded to books by writers based in the UK and Ireland. Featuring shortlists and winners across four categories and culminating with one book being crowned overall winner of the Nero Gold Prize Book of the Year, the Awards provide readers of all tastes with a recognisable mark of quality writing and readability.
Gerry Ford, Founder and CEO, Caffè Nero, added: “The inaugural year of the Nero Book Awards was a huge success, spotlighting some of the best books published in 2023. The impact of the Awards on the industry and on readers has been heartwarming to see and I am delighted to be continuing our work in 2024. Caffè Nero has a long-standing programme to encourage the arts and culture, and these Book Awards are a key part of our work. The judging panels this year consists of a number of industry experts and high-profile authors, and I cannot wait to see the final line-up of shortlisted titles that they select for the Nero Book Awards 2024, recognising the incredible talent in the UK and Ireland.”
The key dates for the 2024 Awards are also announced today. The 16-strong shortlist, comprising of four books in each category, will be announced on 2 December 2024. The category winners will then be announced on 14 January 2025. The 2024 Nero Gold Prize will be announced live at a ceremony in London on 5 March 2025, when the book of the year will be selected from the four category winners.
Nero Book Awards 2024 – full list of judges
Children’s Fiction Award
- Patrice Lawrence: Author
- Leanne Fridd: Owner, Bookbugs and Dragontales
- Sarah Webb: Children’s festival programmer and reviewer
Debut Fiction Award
- Louise Doughty: Author
- Matthew Hennessey: Fiction and Crime Buyer, Waterstones
- Gillian Stern: Freelance editor and ghostwriter
Fiction Award
- Kevin Power: Novelist, critic and academic
- Dr Will Smith: co-owner and bookseller of Sam Read Bookseller, Grasmere, and academic
- Zoe West: Books Editor, Woman & Home
Non-Fiction Award
- Sophie Macintosh: Non-Fiction buyer, WHSmith
- Rhik Samadder: Memoirist, journalist and creative writing tutor
- Caroline Sanderson: The Bookseller non-fiction reviewer and author
Further information about the Awards can be found at www.nerobookawards.com
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