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We are thrilled to report that Benjamin Wood's SEASCRAPER has been shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, run by the Abbotsford Trust. Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With a total value of over £30,000, and now in its sixteenth year, the Prize is unique for rewarding writing of exceptional quality which is set in the past. The Prize celebrates quality, innovation, durability and ambition of writing, and is open to books first published in the previous year in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Reflecting the subtitle ‘Sixty Years Since’ of Scott’s most famous work Waverley, the majority of the storyline must be set at least 60 years ago. The shortlist for the £25,000 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction has been announced from Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott and the Prize, in a video narrated by James Naughtie. For the first time in the Prize’s seventeen-year history, there are five books on the shortlist, all by British authors. The shortlisted titles are: THE PRETENDER by Jo Harkin (Bloomsbury)THE MATCHBOX GIRL by Alice Jolly (Bloomsbury)BENBECULA by Graeme Macrae Burnet (Polygon)ONCE THE DEED IS DONE by Rachel Seiffert (Virago)SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood (Viking) Spanning the centuries from the 1480s to the 1950s, the novels cover events and locations from the English Wars of the Roses to Austria and Germany during the Second World War, and a shocking true crime committed on a Hebridean island to an imagined encounter in a small community on the northwest coast. The judges said: “The five shortlisted novels for the 2026 Walter Scott Prize probe intimate lives lived in both small and big settings. Readers will hear voices usually unheard but which, once heard, won’t be forgotten. The shortlist choice is always difficult, but our authors each reveal the hidden, and in doing so offer new insights into our own times as well as the times in which their novels are set. Above all, our five authors are storytellers, so if you like a good story, the 2026 Walter Scott Prize shortlist is one you won’t want to miss.” SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood The judges said: ‘In the hands of skilled and confident novelists, small lives make big stories. Benjamin Wood is such a novelist, and in SEASCRAPER his gift to us is Thomas Flett, a shanker, scraping for shrimp in Longferry, a holiday town on England’s northwest coast. The town has a promenade but in March Longferry is ‘just another dismal place’ to pass through. Thomas dreams of music; he has traded his grandfather’s pocket-watch for a guitar. A visitor arrives. A song is written. But the marvel of the story, and the tension, lie in the measured way Wood draws us into the life of a boy thirled to a habit, and even though Thomas eschews a motor rig in favour of the old horse and cart, this is no sentimental journey. The horse is nameless; the work ‘drudging’; the sinkpits waiting to swallow you up. SEASCRAPER is a rich read, one to be savoured. When you come to the end you’ll want to start again.’ The winner of the 2026 Walter Scott Prize will be revealed on 12th June, following a live event at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on 11th June presented by Sir Walter Scott’s great-great-great-great grandson, Matthew Maxwell Scott, alongside Prize founder and patron the Duke of Buccleuch.

We are thrilled to share that THE HOUSE OF WOLF by Sir Tony Robinson has been shortlisted for The Bookseller's British Book Awards, Book of the Year in Debut Fiction. The British Book Awards said: "Set amid the struggle for succession in Anglo-Saxon England, the debut novel from the presenter of Channel 4’s Time Team and star of Blackadder was launched with a spectacular cover reveal, viewed 67,000 times. Video content of the author recorded at Sutton Hoo and a behind-the-scenes audiobook recording was used across social channels. In person, Tony Robinson undertook a seven date FANE tour From Baldrick to Alfred the Great to reach fans and readers across the UK." The British Book Awards is a proud supporter of the National Year of Reading’s Go All In campaign and the Nibbies will celebrate the unique industry-wide collaboration and continue to champion the books readers have loved, encompassing the broadest constituency of readers across genres, passions and formats in the shortlists this year. Alice O’Keeffe, head of books for The Bookseller and overall chair of the Books of the Year, said: "From fresh new voices to big brand authors, this year’s shortlists celebrate the best books published in 2025. For the very first time, our judges are looking forward to discussing three new categories: Romantic Fiction, Graphic Novels and Science Fiction & Fantasy. "In an exceptional year for Non-Fiction Narrative submissions, half the shortlist is made up of books that broke out of the books pages to lead the news agenda, a reminder that these books really matter." The Book of the Year winners will be decided by separate panels, with judges including Oti Mabuse, Prue Leith, Dr Ranj, Yulia Navalnaya, Ardal O’Hanlon, Janet Ellis and Abir Mukherjee. This year’s winners will be unveiled at a ceremony taking place at Grosvenor House, London on Monday 11th May 2026.

We are thrilled to report that Benjamin Wood's SEASCRAPER has been longlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, run by the Abbotsford Trust. Honouring the achievements of the founding father of the historical novel, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. With a total value of over £30,000, and now in its sixteenth year, the Prize is unique for rewarding writing of exceptional quality which is set in the past. The Prize celebrates quality, innovation, durability and ambition of writing, and is open to books first published in the previous year in the UK, Ireland or the Commonwealth. Reflecting the subtitle ‘Sixty Years Since’ of Scott’s most famous work Waverley, the majority of the storyline must be set at least 60 years ago. Chair of Judges, Katie Grant, said: “As always, compiling the Longlist for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction isn’t easy, and again, as always, we’re guided by our criteria: originality, innovation, ambition, durability and quality of writing. The 2026 list spans all human experience and emotional intensity, with our authors crafting their work on both the small domestic canvas and a broader, more epic scale. And readers be warned: in amongst the clever, the funny, the poignant, the piquant, the moving, the intriguing and the surprising, in this year’s list you’ll find writing so visceral it will remain with you long after you have closed the book.” Matthew Maxwell Scott, Walter Scott’s great-great-great-great grandson and Trustee of The Abbotsford Trust, said: “This is a terrific Longlist and I am sure that debate amongst our wonderful judges about which books will make the Shortlist, and which novel will be this year’s eventual winner, will be very passionate. The list showcases everything that is great about historical fiction, a genre Walter Scott did so much to help create more than two centuries ago, and which continues to delight discerning readers today. “We look forward to welcoming some of the authors to Abbotsford in June where, in the home that Scott built and loved, the celebration of great writing continues. Authors, readers and visitors alike can feel Scott’s presiding genius, a cultural icon of his own age and of ours.” The Shortlist will be announced in April. The twelve books longlisted are: VENETIAN VESPERS John Banville (Faber & Faber) THE TWO ROBERTS Damian Barr (Canongate) EDEN’S SHORE Oisín Fagan (John Murray Press) HELM Sarah Hall (Faber & Faber) THE PRETENDER Jo Harkin (Bloomsbury) BOUNDARY WATERS Tristan Hughes (Parthian Books) THE MATCHBOX GIRL Alice Jolly (Bloomsbury) EDENGLASSIE Melissa Lucashenko (Oneworld Publications) BENBECULA Graeme Macrae Burnet (Polygon) ONCE THE DEED IS DONE Rachel Seiffert (Virago) THE ARTIST Lucy Steeds (John Murray Press) SEASCRAPER Benjamin Wood (Viking)

We are thrilled that SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood has been shortlisted for the Winston Graham Historical Prize 2026! The prize celebrates the best new historical fiction with a powerful sense of place published in the past year; to enter novels must be set at least 60 years ago in the UK and Ireland. This quest to reveal atmospheric new windows onto the past is the legacy of Winston Graham, author of the Poldark novels, which painted an unforgettable picture of 19th century Cornwall through the lives of Ross, Demelza and co. Creation of the annual shortlist is carried out by readers’ groups across Cornwall who, via their local library, are provided with entries and tasked to report back. Reader favourites are put forward to an expert judging panel led by Chair Charlotte Hobson, an award-winning writer of historical fiction herself who is based in Cornwall. Charlotte is joined on the panel this year by academic and Graham’s daughter in law, Peggotty Graham, authors Wyl Menmuir and Patrick Gale, writer and editor Sravya Raju, and book blogger Cathy Johnson. Find out more about the judges here. Charlotte said: “Historical fiction is evolving apace, with more diversity and nuance than ever before, and this year it’s really struck me how these subtle and brilliant stories set in the past shed light on the modern world. Sometimes it seems that the long view of a historical novel is the best way to make sense of the crazy times we’re living through.” This year the judges will have to choose between a fascinating array of historical fiction, with evocative settings ranging from the 15th Century Tudor court, the art world of the 1930s, and rural Ireland in the 1960s. On the shortlist are The Two Roberts by Damian Barr, Helm by Sarah Hall, The Pretender by Jo Harkin, Seascraper by Benjamin Wood and Time of the Child by Niall Williams. Jonathan Morton, Co-Director, Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery, commented: We’re proud of Winston Graham’s connection with the museum and always enjoy the prize ceremony and the anticipation it brings. We’re also now using Graham’s legacy to inspire young writers with Winston’s Wordsmiths, a creative writing prize for children aged 8-16. This year’s winners will be announced at Waterstones in Truro on the same day as the adults’ prize, so do look out for the names of emerging writers to watch! The prize ceremonies will take place on 12th March, with Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes generously sponsoring accommodation for visiting authors and judges.

We are delighted to announce that Benjamin Wood has won the 2025 Nero Prize for Fiction with his novel SEASCRAPER (Viking, 2025). SEASCRAPER tells the story of Thomas, who lives with his mother in Longferry as a shanker before a visitor turns up. The judges described the book as an "utterly immersive read, steeped in atmosphere, that explores what constitutes a well-lived life". The awards celebrate exceptional writing from authors based in the UK and Ireland. Each winner has received £5,000 and is now in the running for the Nero Gold Prize, Book of the Year 2025. The overall prize of £30,000 will be selected by a final judging panel comprising author Nick Hornby, BBC correspondent Reeta Chakrabarti and screenwriter Daisy Goodwin. The winner will be announced at a ceremony hosted by Sarah Montague on 4th March. "The Nero Book Awards have gone from strength to strength in the past two years and our winners for 2025 are of incredible quality," said Gerry Ford, founder and group CEO of Caffè Nero. "The judges had a difficult job deciding on the best in each category, with so many fantastic books published this year. Their selection epitomises what we look for with the Nero Book Awards – outstanding writing, incredible storytelling and the books you most want to press into the hands of others." Previous winners of the Nero Gold Prize have included THE BEE STING by Paul Murray (Hamish Hamilton), which was the winner of the 2023 Fiction award, and MAURICE AND MARALYN by Sophie Elmhirst (Vintage), winner of the Non-Fiction category in 2024.

We are delighted to congratulate Olaf Falafel for winning the Best Laugh Out Loud Prize for ages six to eight at the 2025 Scholastic Lollies. The awards were given out at a ceremony held on 4th December 2025 at London’s Southbank Centre, hosted by author, actor and presenter Stephen Mangan, who was joined by guest stars from children’s books and television, including Lollies’ ambassador Michael Rosen, Thiago de Moraes, Anita Mangan, Serena Patel, Liz Pichon and Jim Smith. Over 150 children also attended. Rosen said: “Funny books bring joy. Simple as that. If you want to get children laughing and reading for pleasure – look no further than this year’s brilliant Lollies shortlist and winners.” Catherine Bell, managing director of Scholastic UK, said: “For almost 10 years, the Lollies Awards have championed the funniest children’s books of the year – chosen by children. Ahead of the National Year of Reading, we are so proud to announce our new set of fabulously funny winners that are perfect for reading for pleasure. Congratulations to all the incredibly talented authors and illustrators on the whole shortlist.”

We are thrilled that SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood has been shortlisted for the Nero Book Award for Fiction. Recognising great writers in the UK and Ireland, the Nero Book Awards ranges across fiction, debut fiction, non-fiction and children’s fiction categories. This year’s shortlists reflect the extraordinary depth and diversity of publishing throughout the industry. Alongside SEASCRAPER, the Fiction Shortlisted titles are THE TWO ROBERTS by Damian Barr, CURSED DAUGHTERS by Oyinkan Braithwaite and WHAT WE CAN KNOW by Ian McEwan. The winners will be revealed on Tuesday 13 January and the overall Golden Winner on Wednesday 4 March.

We are delighted to share that by Samantha Ellis (Chatto and Windus, 2025) has been longlisted for The Wingate Prize. The 2026 Wingate Literary Prize longlist is comprised of five novels and seven non-fiction titles. Covering a broad spectrum of opinions, style and content, these books look at what it means to be Jewish in multiple ways. Dating back to 1977, the annual prize is worth £4,000 and awarded to the best book, fiction or non-fiction, to convey the idea of Jewishness to the general reader. The longlisted books are: The Einstein of Sex by Daniel Brook (WW Norton)Chopping Onions on my Heart by Samantha Ellis (Chatto and Windus)Chutzpah! A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality and Daring to Stay by Yehudis Fletcher (Transworld)City of Laughter by Temim Fruchter (Dialogue Books)Berlin Atomized by Julia Kornberg (Astra House)Fear No Pharaoh by Richard Kreitner (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)Nothing Vast by Moshe Zvi Marvit (Acre Books)Ripeness by Sarah Moss (Picador)Letters by Oliver Sacks, edited by Kate Edgar (Picador)Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart (Atlantic)Family Romance by Jean Strouse (Farrar, Strous & Giroux)The Gates of Gaza by Amir Tibon (Little Brown) “We were delighted and surprised by this diverse and interesting list, which in both fiction and non-fiction showcases the purpose of the Wingate Prize. From politics to personal identity, from debut novelists to some of literature’s most recognised names, from the American Civil War to the beginnings of the sexual revolution, there is something for every kind of reader in this fascinating selection of books.” – Erica Wagner, Chair of the judges This year’s judging panel is comprised of the Chair, Erica Wagner, Xiaolu Guo, Kate Weinberg and Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet. The Wingate Prize and the Jewish Literary Foundation are pleased to be working in partnership again this year. The shortlist will be announced in mid December and the winner in early 2026, followed by an event at Jewish Book Week.

SEASCRAPER by Benjamin Wood (Viking, July 2025) has been longlisted for The Booker Prize 2025! The longlist has been selected by the 2025 judging panel, chaired by critically acclaimed writer and 1993 Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle. Doyle, who is the first Booker Prize winner to chair the panel, is joined by Booker Prize-longlisted novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀; award-winning actor, producer and publisher Sarah Jessica Parker; writer, broadcaster and literary critic Chris Power; and New York Times bestselling and Booker Prize-longlisted author Kiley Reid. This year’s selection, which was chosen from 153 submissions, celebrates the best works of long-form fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK and/or Ireland between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025. For the first time, the shortlist of six books will be announced at a public event, to be held at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London on Tuesday, 23 September 2025. The six shortlisted authors will each receive £2,500 and a specially bound edition of their book. The announcement of the winning book  will take place on Monday, 10 November 2025 at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate in London. The announcement will be livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ channels. The winner receives £50,000. What the judges said: "SEASCRAPER seems, at first, to be a beautifully described account of the working day of a young man, Thomas Flett, who works as a shanker in a north of England coastal town, scraping the Irish Sea shore for scrimps. And it is that: the details of the job and the physicality of the labour are wonderfully captured by Benjamin Wood. But this novel becomes much more than that. It’s a book about dreams, an exploration of class and family, a celebration of the power and the glory of music, a challenge to the limits of literary realism, and – stunningly – a love story."

TRIXIE PICKLE ART AVENGER: TOXIC TAKEDOWN by Olaf Falafel has been shortlisted for a Scholastic Lollies Book Award, for ages 6-8. The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (the Lollies) celebrates the best and funniest children's books in the UK and Ireland, voted for by children. The Awards have been running since 2016 and now are back for the ninth year. The judges for 2025 are Michael Rosen, Archie Maddocks, Alison Perry and Sheila Wood. Voting opens in July and will close in Autumn, with the winners announced in December 2025. The other shortlisted authors in this category are GRIMWOOD:ATTACK OF THE STINK MONSTER! by Nadia Shireen, KEISHE JONES TAKES THE WORLD by Natalia Denny and Chante Timothy and THE SHOP OF IMPOSSIBLE ICE CREAMS: BIG BERRY ROBBERY by Shane Hegarty and Jeff Crowther.

We're thrilled to announce that Sir Tony Robinson will be going on tour, starting in September 2025, with Fane Productions to celebrate the publication of his thrilling fiction debut, THE HOUSE OF WOLF (Sphere, September 2025). Sir Tony Robinson is one of Britain’s best-loved faces on screen, a master storyteller and an award-winning writer, known for creating the iconic Baldrick in BLACKADDER and presenting 20 seasons of Channel 4’s TIME TEAM. Now, Tony celebrates a life on stage and screen – sharing stories from his remarkable career, his passion for history, and his thrilling fiction debut THE HOUSE OF WOLF, an epic tale of Alfred the Great and the bloody birth of England. Hear behind-the-scenes stories from TIME TEAM, BLACKADDER, THE WORST JOBS IN HISTORY and beyond – and have the chance to ask Tony anything, from writing his first novel at 78 to why Baldrick still gets the biggest laughs. Drawing on decades of archaeological expertise and his gift for making the past come alive, Tony will reveal the gritty reality behind the legend of Alfred the Great in his latest work. What was life really like for ordinary people caught between Saxon kings and Viking raiders? How did political scheming in medieval courts compare to today's power struggles? This isn't just historical fiction – it’s Tony’s unique take on the real events that forged our nation. This will be a night of brilliant storytelling, big laughs, and history with a twist – all delivered by a man who always had… a cunning plan. Tickets can be booked here.

We are delighted to announce that UNHEARD: THE MEDICAL PRACTICE OF SILENCING by Rageshri Dhairyawan and SHOULDER TO SHOULDER by Jake Hall have both been longlisted for the Bread and Roses Award for Radical Publishing 2025! The Bread and Roses Award is a book prize with a difference: presented by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers, and without the backing of corporate sponsors, the award seeks to recognise and celebrate excellence in the field of radical political non-fiction. Nominations are invited from national and international publishers – see our frequently asked questions page for further information. An award of £500 will be made each year to the winning writer. A presentation ceremony is held at the ARB London Radical Bookfair. The board decided to release this longlist at the start of Independent Bookshop Week to highlight the importance of independent bookshops, particularly radical bookshops, for celebrating books which speak to the present political moment. The Bread and Roses Award, presented by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers with admin support from Lighthouse Bookshop, celebrates radical, accessible, politically left non-fiction that offers new perspectives and insights. Over 100 books were sent by publishers for consideration, from publishing houses big and small across the industry, including Verso, Bloomsbury, Saqi, Peepal Tree Press, and Canongate. The books chosen this year cover a wide array of topics which are critical to the present political discussion in the UK. Among them are social inequality, police violence, digital innovation, health politics, climate change, marginalised histories of identity, feminism for all, and the experience of forced displacement and refuge.

ITV has confirmed its summer schedule, and it includes SHARDLAKE, the TV adaptation based on historical crime thriller DISSOLUTION, by C. J. Sansom. SHARDLAKE was brought to life by Disney Plus last year, and will be available for viewers to watch on ITV1 from Monday 9th June. The four-part drama is set in 16th century England during the dissolution of the monasteries. Stephen Butchard (“Baghdad Central,” “The Last Kingdom”) penned the script and has said: "Writing Shardlake has been nothing short of a joy. CJ Sansom’s novels are incredibly rich in story, character and history; full of intrigue, excitement, cruelty and compassion – and at the centre of it all is Matthew Shardlake, a hero like no other." Production of “Shardlake” has already begun, with filming taking place in Hungary, Austria and Romania. The adaptation features a stellar cast including Sean Bean as Thomas Cromwell, Anthony Boyle as Jack Barak and Arthur Hughes as Matthew Shardlake, a 16th-century lawyer tasked with investigating a murder at a monastery.

We are delighted that ENGLAND IS MINE by Nicolas Padamsee has been shortlisted for the Society of Authors Betty Trask Prize 2025. The annual Society of Authors’ Awards recognises the best and most promising literary voices of the year. The Awards ceremony is generously supported by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). Betty Trask left a bequest to the Society of Authors in 1983 to fund prizes for first novels written by authors under the age of 35 in a traditional or romantic style. Each year a single prize winner receives £10,000 and the remaining fund is split between the shortlist. Judged by Andrew Cowan, Daisy Lafarge and Stephanie Sy-Quia. Judge Andrew Cowan said: "Whether politically urgent, exquisitely lyrical, or strange and surreal; whether expansive or economical, comic or introspective, set now or in the past, each of these skilful novels is brimming with wit and invention. Together they demonstrate the wonderfully open-ended possibilities for the contemporary novel."