WINNERS 2009
THE WINNERS OF the book industry's most important trade awards, the British Book Industry Awards (BBIA), were announced yesterday at the Wellcome Trust Auditorium on their Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge. Representatives of all sectors of the book industry - from independent booksellers to CEOs of major publishing companies - attended an upbeat awards ceremony presented by BBC Radio 4's The Now Show: Steve Punt, Hugh Dennis and John Holmes, during the Booksellers Industry Conference, to pay tribute to the achievements of booksellers and publishers across the UK.
The BBIA - the sister ceremony to the Galaxy British Book Awards - are organised by Publishing News in conjunction with the Booksellers Association. The event is the only one of its kind to honour all sectors of the book business and has provided the industry with a prestigious platform from which it has been able to recognise and reward its own.
Jo Henry, Managing Director of Publishing News, said: "Last year proved challenging for the book industry and many are still holding their breath to see how 2009 turns out. These awards recognise the ingenuity, creativity and energy of the book publishing and retail sectors, even in this tough economic climate."
Publisher of the Year sponsored by Publishing Technology
Canongate: for great professionalism, attention to detail and the sheer exuberance of their publishing in 2008 which led to a doubling in turnover
Chain Bookselling Company of the Year sponsored by BDS/ehaus
WHSmith: demonstrated real commitment to reclaiming their position at the centre of the book trade, with innovative partnerships to promote both adult and children's books and a highly effective Christmas campaign
Design and Production Award of the Year sponsored by Stora Enso
The Big Fat Duck Cookbook (Bloomsbury): a superb production, beautifully presented with 100% attention to detail - a magnificent book everyone would want to own
Direct Bookselling Company of the Year sponsored by Harlequin Mills & Boon
The Book Depository: showed outstanding growth and profits, and are providing their own distinctive answer in a very crowded internet market
Diversity Award in Literature sponsored by Arts Council England
Saqi: impressively miltilingual, multicultural and international, with employment policies genuinely supporting diversity
Imprint & Editor of the Year sponsored by Baker Tilly
Ravi Mirchandani, Atlantic: provided tremendous direction and depth, particularly in the fiction publishing, with a number of significant prize winners
Independent Bookshop of the Year sponsored by The Independent Alliance
Hungerford Bookshop: in a hugely competitive shortlist, the winner got every aspect of the business right, displaying bookselling excellence, great event management and successful - and profitable - involvement in their local community
Independent Publisher of the Year sponsored by Lightning Source
Atlantic Books: for success in achieving some very focused objectives, and a Booker Winner, resulted in record turnover and profits in 2008
Literary Agent of the Year sponsored by the Orion Publishing Group
Jonathan Lloyd, Curtis Brown: achieved great deals not just for established authors but new ones too, and demonstrably good relationships with publishers
Marketing Campaign of the Year sponsored by The Daily Mail
Devil May Care, Jane Rose, Penguin: a fantastic match between the big vision and the practical detail, with nothing taken for granted
Publicity Campaign of the Year sponsored by the PPC
The Outcast, Louise Rhind-Tutt, Random House: the amount and type of publicity generated on a tiny budget for this debut author was hugely impressive
Rights Professional of the Year sponsored by Frankfurt Book Fair
Lucy Vanderbilt, HarperCollins: for pushing into new markets, particularly China, and new formats resulted in a very successful year
Sue Butterworth Award for Young Bookseller of the Year sponsored by HarperCollins
Max Porter of Daunt Books and
Lisa Bird of Foyles South Bank: two outstanding candidates who demonstrated real commitment to their future in the booktrade and to the health of the booktrade itself.
