Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones and bestselling author Freida McFadden are among the prominent literary figures vying for the coveted Author of the Year award at this year’s British Book Awards.
Welsh actress and comedian Jones, 59, co-created the beloved BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey. Following its 2024 finale, she co-wrote and co-narrated When Gavin Met Stacey And Everything In Between: A Story Of Love And Friendship, a memoir detailing the show's origins, success, and record-breaking Christmas special. This work has earned her a nomination in the audiobook non-fiction category, alongside her Author of the Year nod.
American writer McFadden, 45, best known for her chart-topping novel The Housemaid, which is being adapted into a 2025 film starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, will compete against Jones for the top author prize. She also received a nomination for her psychological thriller The Tenant in the crime and thriller category, where she faces competition from TV presenter Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune, part of his popular Thursday Murder Club series.
Other notable contenders for Author of the Year include Mick Herron, celebrated for his Slough House espionage thrillers, adapted into the Apple TV series Slow Horses starring Gary Oldman. Illustrator Charlie Mackesy, fantasy novelist AF Steadman, and The Forty Rules Of Love writer Elif Shafak complete the prestigious shortlist.
Elsewhere, the non-fiction narrative shortlist features Last Rites, the autobiography of late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, and Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir Of Surviving Abuse And Fighting For Justice, co-written with Amy Wallace.
The late Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, is one of the most prominent accusers of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
In children’s fiction, American author Suzanne Collins is recognised for Sunrise On The Reaping, a prequel to her dystopian Hunger Games series, which is also set for a film adaptation later this year.
The non-fiction, lifestyle and illustrated category sees nominations for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Eat Yourself Healthy and TV fitness coach Joe Wicks’ Protein In 15. Comedian Bob Mortimer’s The Long Shoe, narrated by Mortimer, Diane Morgan, and Arabella Weir, is shortlisted in audiobook fiction. Michael Rosen, author of We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, is nominated in children’s non-fiction illustrated for Oh Dear, Look What I Got!, co-created with Helen Oxenbury.
This year’s awards introduce new categories for romantic fiction, graphic novels, and science fiction and fantasy. Additionally, the inaugural BBC Radio 2’s book club award will be presented, with Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox expressing her delight at launching the new accolade.
Alice O’Keeffe, chairwoman of the Books of the Year, commented: "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 and 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 winners will be unveiled at a ceremony at Grosvenor House London on May 11.
