PAST WINNERS


2020 Pan Macmillan


2019 Penguin General


2018 HarperCollins


2017 Pan Macmillan


2016 Transworld


2015 Pan Macmillan


PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR


OVERVIEW Achieving the highest value of print sales in more than a decade was a remarkable achievement for UK publishers in 2020. These 11 responded with resilience and innovation to the massive disruption of the pandemic, pivoting to remote working and embracing new opportunities in digital formats and promotion, all while taking good care of staff, authors and bookshops alike.


BLOOMSBURY Bloomsbury is that most rare of things, an academic as well as a trade publisher, its output now at around 2,500 books a year. It has made excellent use of the bonanza of J K Rowling, who provided three of its top sellers, but the highest-profile author of the year was argu- ably Reni Eddo-Lodge (right).


HARPERCOLLINS HarperCollins excelled across the board in 2020. Its top three sellers came from David Walliams and Tony Ross; Hilary Mantel (right) led its nine fiction number ones; and Imprint of the Year contender HQ had its best ever year. Collins flourished on the back of home schooling, too.


HODDER While brands like John Grisham (right) and Stephen King deliv- ered, Hodder launched new names too, and had a surprise hit with Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish’s Clanlands, all while reinvigorating its backlist. Audio and market- ing were strong, and it also launched Hodder Studio.


ORION Seven Orion books earned seven figures in print, from brands such as Ian Rankin (below), to first timers like Alex Michaelides and emerging talent like Noel Fitzpatrick. Gollancz and Trapeze were its standout imprints, while Dear NHS raised nearly £400,000 for NHS charities.


PENGUIN GENERAL The winner of this category in 2019 had the biggest new book of 2020 in the shape of Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, and two more in the top 10, from Barack Obama and Bernardine Evaristo. It scooped a host of awards, too. “A phenomenal team,” said one author.


SIMON & SCHUSTER A difficult year for Simon & Schuster, with the loss of boss Carolyn Reidy and the announcement of the sale to PRH. Yet the UK arm turned in a fine performance, with a 39% rise in profit fuelled by Philippa Gregory, Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet, Katie and Kevin Tsang, and Cho Nam-Joo.


LITTLE, BROWN Shortlisted five times in seven years, Little, Brown has been a model of consistency, but it moved into a higher gear in 2020. Sales jumped by more than 25% and it provided three of Hachette’s five top sellers, courtesy of titles from Delia Owens, Stephenie Meyer (below) and J K Rowling.


PAN MACMILLAN A win here would be the fourth in seven years for Pan Macmillan. Pinch of Nom (above) was its flagship brand, and it scooped the Booker with Douglas Stuart’s Shuggie Bain. As ever it had huge strength in depth, with 62 different authors making The Bookseller’s weekly charts.


USBORNE The 2020 Children’s Publisher of the Year saw very strong growth in its international markets, with 43 titles selling in six figures. Domestically its evergreen pre-school, activity and novelty ranges flourished, and Jenny Pearson led in fiction. Direct sales swelled while shops were closed.


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EBURY Ebury’s top book was also the UK’s, though it was published in 2019: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (below). Its titles took 124 slots on the Sunday Times’ non-fiction bestseller lists, and it teed up new lists Witness Books, Ebury Spotlight and Ebury Edge.


HEADLINE Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet was Headline’s main event, and Victoria Hislop (above) and Matthew McConaughey were among other successes. It broke out a good handful of new authors, including Bolu Babalola, too. “Always behind the author, always ahead of the field,” said one writer.


SUCCESS CONTINUED TO PROPEL ORION IN THE PANDEMIC-HIT YEAR


NOEL FITZPATRICKS


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