BOOKS OF THE YEAR NON-FICTION: NARRATIVE
WINNER: EAST WEST STREET PHILIPPE SANDS WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON
Part memoir, part legal thriller, part historical detective story —the clever weaving together of narratives in Philippe Sands’ East West Street cut through for the judges. Five years in the writing, the narrative of Sands’ book was
shaped in a collaboration between his editors at Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK and Knopf in the US. The judges felt the combination of personal and legal
history—Sands, a practicing lawyer, examines the origins of international law at the Nuremberg Trials and the invention of the crime of genocide, and uncovers the circumstances in which his own grandparents and mother left Vienna— was innovative. The book’s strategy was driven jointly by editorial, publicity and sales at Weidenfeld & Nicolson. It identified history and literary memoir readers as the core market, but held a firm belief that the book could break out. Bound proofs carried a quote from novelist John le Carré,
and Weidenfeld & Nicolson targeted Waterstones, making exclusive assets and getting early support from the retailer. Widespread feature, interview and review coverage was
secured on publication, with Sands passionately promoting East West Street at live events across the world. The book won the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction in 2016 and was shortlisted for a number of other prizes, and sold 16,330 copies through Nielsen BookScan in 2016. Robbie Millen, literary editor at the Times, said: “East West
Street is a brilliant book, beautifully produced and packaged really well. It cut through. Weidenfeld & Nicolson went down a really traditional route and let the book speak for itself, which publishers don’t often do.”
THE SHORTLIST
MAD GIRL BRYONY GORDON HEADLINE
Honest, funny and making a difficult subject —mental health—accessible, Gordon’s book was a breath of fresh air.
WHEN BREATH BECOMES AIR PAUL KALANITHI THE BODLEY HEAD Sensitively handled publishing by Vintage was a key component of this book’s success, as was its compelling writing and story.
THE OUTRUN AMY LIPTROT CANONGATE A moving book about addiction, Canongate placed Liptrot and her engaging personality at the centre of its campaign.
THE GOOD IMMIGRANT NIKESH SHUKLA (ED) UNBOUND Crowdfunded and involving 21 different writers, this essay collection struck a chord and tapped into a national conversation.
BORN TO RUN BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SIMON & SCHUSTER Great writing and compelling storytelling from a rock legend delivered on all aspects to make this autobiography a bestseller.
45. BRITISH BOOK AWARDS - WINNERS 2017
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