This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
BOOKS OF THE YEAR FICTION


WINNER: THE ESSEX SERPENT SARAH PERRY SERPENT’S TAIL


Sarah Perry’s second novel, The Essex Serpent, could easily have gone the way of her first, After Me Comes the Flood— reviewed well, with modest success commercially. But instead The Essex Serpent emerged from the dark to


become one of the smash hits of 2016. Its jacket—the concept of which was developed from proof


form through to finished product and special editions—was the first thing that caught the judges’ attention. But it was Perry’s story—an exploration of myth, superstition and belief, set in 1890s Essex—that excited the panel, and the work of the publisher that impressed the judges. A modest sales target of 5,000 copies in hardback was set by Serpent’s Tail: in that format alone The Essex Serpent sold 104,078 copies through Nielsen BookScan in 2016. Serpent’s Tail ran a focused publicity and marketing campaign, aimed at generating reviews and word-of-mouth excitement through retailers, bloggers and on social media. Judges said the care Serpent’s Tail had taken on the book shone through, resulting in The Essex Serpent being named Waterstones Book of the Year 2016 (a special edition, with a blue cover, was produced for the retailer), winning the Spoon’s Carpet Novel Award and the Books Are My Bag Beautiful Book Award, and getting shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award. Alice O’Keeffe, books editor at The Bookseller, said: “From the


editor’s acquisition to selling over 100,000 copies in hardback, The Essex Serpent has been an absolute masterclass in how to publish exceptional fiction exceptionally well. Hannah Westland, Sarah Perry’s editor, championed her author from the beginning. The jacket is not a knock-off genre historical jacket but a stunningly beautiful work of art unlike anything else on the shelves. The publicity campaign was outstanding, achieving press coverage across the board and also generating huge word-of-mouth among booksellers and readers.”


THE SHORTLIST


DAYS WITHOUT END SEBASTIAN BARRY FABER & FABER Barry’s moving historical novel saw him win the Costa Book of the Year award for the second time in his career.


THE SELLOUT PAUL BEATTY ONEWORLD The publisher took a risk on an American satire, which paid off when Beatty won the Man Booker Prize.


THE MUSE JESSIE BURTON PICADOR Burton’s second novel drew on the success of her first, but Picador still worked hard to pitch it to readers.


CARTES POSTALES FROM GREECE VICTORIA HISLOP HEADLINE REVIEW Hislop’s latest novel—an illustrated work of fiction—was a passion project that Headline had total faith in.


THIS MUST BE THE PLACE MAGGIE O’FARRELL TINDER PRESS O’Farrell’s novel saw the author push her writing forward, and was housed in a beautifully designed package.


42. BRITISH BOOK AWARDS - WINNERS 2017


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48