Parliamentary Book Awards return for a second year
The Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association are delighted to announce that the Parliamentary Book Awards – the only book award curated by bookshops and voted on by parliamentarians – is returning this year, with submissions opening to all UK publishers from today.
The awards will be presented at a ceremony at the House of Commons on Tuesday 5th December, with host British Labour Party politician, Dame Margaret Hodge DBE MP.
Launched by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association in 2016, the awards aim to celebrate the best of political writing and the long-standing link between politics, books and publishing.
Last year’s award saw politicians from across the political spectrum emerge as winners, from Labour’s Alan Johnson and Margaret Hodge, to the Labour peer Melvyn Bragg. Meanwhile John Bew’s biography of Clement Atlee saw him claim the title of best political book by a non-parliamentarian.
Publishers are invited to nominate books and authors for this year’s awards under the following categories:
- Best Memoir by a Parliamentarian
- Best Non-Fiction by a Parliamentarian
- Best Fiction by a Parliamentarian
- Best Political Book by a non-Parliamentarian
Booksellers will then be invited to select a shortlist in each category, and parliamentarians will be invited to vote on the winners from November.
Stephen Lotinga, Chief Executive of the Publishers Association, said: “From Margaret Hodge’s account of chairing the government’s spending watchdog to Melvyn Bragg’s imagining of the 1381 Peasant’s revolt, last year’s Parliamentary Book Awards showcased the range of writing talents that exist in British politics. I hope this year’s submissions from publishers continue to reflect the diversity and range of political writing.”
Tim Godfray, Chief Executive of the Booksellers Association, said: “We’re delighted the Parliamentary Book Awards are returning in 2017 following the great success of the inaugural awards last year. Last year’s awards shone a light on the incredible quality of parliamentary and political writing in the UK, and we very much look forward to uncovering this year’s shortlist and winners.”
Publishers can submit titles for consideration for the Parliamentary Book Awards at the following link; submissions will close on 16th October: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BPAwards
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Notes to Editors
The submission criteria is as follows:
- Books to have been published in the UK in Hardback or Paperback between October 31st 2016 and October 2nd 2017
- Books by Parliamentarians to have been written by a current or former MP, Member of the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly or Northern Irish Legislative Assembly, MEP or Member of the House of Lords
Political Works by non-Parliamentarians should relate to UK or EU parliamentary politics or politicians. There are no fees attached to entries into the awards.
The Parliamentary Book Awards 2016 winners were:
- Best Memoir by a Parliamentarian: The Long Winding Road, by Alan Johnson
- Best Non-Fiction by a Parliamentarian: Called to Account, by Margaret Hodge
- Best Fiction by a Parliamentarian: Now is the Time, by Melvyn Bragg
- Best Political Book by a non-Parliamentarian: Citizen Clem by Clement Attlee.
About The Booksellers Association
The Booksellers Association is a membership organisation for all booksellers in the UK & Ireland, and we represent over 95% of specialist booksellers selling new books. The BA exists to support, advise and work with its members to create excellent products for booksellers. These range from National Book Tokens, our gift card which prompts increased footfall and keeps gift spending in the book trade, and Batch, our award-winning payments service, which saves time, money and hassle when settling invoices and organising returns, to a full range of money-saving affinity deals, a free Business Support Helpline and a whole range of tailored events, marketing and promotional campaign work, including IndieBound, World Book Day, the Christmas Books catalogue and Independent Booksellers Week.
About the Publishers Association
The Publishers Association is the leading trade organisation serving book, journal, audio and electronic publishers in the UK. Members represent over 80% of the UK publishing industry including global companies such as Elsevier, Wiley, Pearson, Penguin Random House, Hachette and the University presses, as well as many independent publishing houses. www.publishers.org.uk.