Congratulations to Lyse Doucet whose 'utterly compelling' debut THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL (Hutchinson Heinemann) has been shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 2025!  The awards recognise the best books across fiction, non-fiction, debut fiction and children’s fiction. The shortlists will be narrowed down to four category winners on Tuesday 13th January, before one goes on to claim the Nero Gold Prize on Tuesday 4th March. "When I set up these Awards it was to celebrate great writing and great books to read and to showcase books which you would recommend to friends, family and people you know," said Gerry Ford, founder and chief executive officer of Caffè Nero. "This list more than does that. This is the strongest list of books the Nero Book Awards has seen yet and is indicative of the Awards going from strength to strength." You can find all the category shortlists for the awards here.

Huge congratulations to Janklow author Lyse Doucet whose debut non-fiction book THE FINEST HOTEL IN KABUL: A People's History of Afghanistan is longlisted for this year's Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction! The book, which tells the story of the country through the luxury Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul, is published by Hutchinson Heinemann on 18th September. Robbie Millen, literary editor of the Times and the Sunday Times and chair of the judges, said: "Variety. That’s the common theme of this longlist. All the judges were impressed, delighted and relieved by the mind-quickening variety of the books that we read in terms of style, character and subject matter. It’s been a terrific reading experience. We’ve been given an insight into the original, offbeat mind of great novelists, seen how poets responded to the faith-quaking challenge of science and through the experiences of one hotel seen a country in a new light. We’ve followed a writer into the abyss of personal tragedy and soared to the heights of creativity with pop’s greatest bromance. Now we also know how far a wolf will lope to find a mate – and, shudder, how eunuchs are made. All human life can be found in the pages of these 12 remarkable books." The prize recognises and rewards the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of any nationality. It covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. The winning author will receive £50,000, with the other shortlisted authors receiving £5,000. The shortlist is to be announced on Thursday 2nd October, with the prize winner announced on Tuesday 4th November. Congratulations, Lyse! 🎉

We’re delighted to announce the winner of the inaugural Janklow & Nesbit UK Fiction Prize 2025 is Georgia May Dart with her entry Scabbawath. The project, which was chosen from a stellar shortlist of 4, is a literary debut which follows a young woman living at an isolated North Yorkshire farm, as she and those around her struggle for control of the land – and love for each other. The six judges – including Sceptre’s Executive Publisher, Fede Andornino thought “reading Scabbawath I was immediately transported to the wilderness of the North and then firmly immersed in the lives of Georgia May Dart’s brilliantly realised characters. A promising start for a talented writer.” Another judge, Kate Weinberg, author of There is Nothing Wrong with Her, praised the entry as: “Original, powerful writing, setting and strong, memorable characterisation. Lots of heart in this one.” Georgia says: “I am thrilled, grateful and surprised to have been chosen as the overall winner! When I began this novel I wanted to write a love story that felt raw, honest and informed by my own experiences. I'm moved and really happy that this chimed with the judges. What has meant most to me at each stage of the competition was the encouragement from the lovely Janklow team, and the knowledge that my novel was being read by others.” The Janklow & Nesbit Fiction Prize was established in 2025 in a bid to find the best new voices in contemporary fiction; the theme for this year’s prize was ‘exquisitely-told’ love stories. Georgia May Dart, our winner, will receive a prize fund of £2,000, a one-to-one session with the Executive Publisher at Sceptre Books, and be supported by Janklow & Nesbit in writing to the end of their novel with an offer of representation. Many congratulations, Georgia! We also are so grateful to everyone who shared their work and took part in this prize!

Gillian Anderson has announced a follow-up to her bestselling anthology of female sexual fantasies, WANT, with the hope that it will be “more international, and even more daring”. The original book “gave thousands of women the freedom to talk about sex without shame or judgment; to see themselves in the words of strangers, and reflect on their own desires – some for the very first time,” Anderson said. “But Want unlocked so much more for so many and felt like just the beginning of a deeper conversation." WANT was an instant No 1 Sunday Times bestseller in the UK, and reached No 8 in the New York Times bestseller list. The English edition is currently available in 74 countries, and translation rights have been sold for 27 different languages. Anderson pledged a sum of £500 for each letter published in the original WANT book, to be split equally between the charities Women for Women International and War Child. The book’s publisher Bloomsbury also gave £50,000 to Women for Women International. Bloomsbury and Anderson said they will commit to the same contributions for this second collection. Alexis Kirschbaum, editorial director at Bloomsbury, said working with Anderson “has been an immense and inspiring undertaking. We are doing it again to give even more women the opportunity to take part, and I can’t wait to see what the next book reveals.” Announcing the opening of the DearGillian.com portal on Instagram, Gillian wrote:  Want  gave thousands of women the freedom to talk about sex without shame; to see themselves in the words of strangers and reflect on their own desires. It unlocked so much for so many, and it was just the beginning of a deeper conversation.We want to throw the door wide open with another book, reaching more women, making it more international, and even more daring. Maybe you wrote in last time but didn’t finish. Maybe you thought your fantasy would be too much, or not enough. Maybe you hadn’t even heard of our project until now.However you’ve come to it, and whatever your experience, I want to hear from you and I want to hear it all. Share your fantasy at DearGillian.com. Submissions are open now, and will close on 23rd May.

We are elated to share that A THOUSAND THREADS by Neneh Cherry has made the non-fiction shortlist of the Women's Prize 2025! The revolutionary memoir — a Sunday Times Music Book of the Year — was chosen out of a longlist of 16 incredible books; you can find the full shortlist here. Chair of Judges, Kavita Puri said of the announcement: It’s an absolute pleasure to announce six books on our 2025 shortlist from across genres, that are united by an unforgettable voice, rigour, and unique insight. Included in our list are narratives that honour the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power, and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality. These books will stay with you long after they have been read, for their outstanding prose, craftsmanship, and what they reveal about the human condition and our world. It was such a joy to embrace such an eclectic mix of narratives by such insightful women writers – we are thrilled and immensely proud of our final shortlist. Congratulations to Neneh and all six Women's Prize shortlisted authors! 🎉