The 35th British Book Awards for 2025 were announced recently in London!
These awards, also known as “the Nibbies,” are one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United Kingdom. The awards are sponsored by The Bookseller magazine and are judged by a panel that consists of publishers, booksellers, agents, and journalists.
With that said, the winners are as follows:
Overall Book of the Year
Winner: Patriot by Alexei Navalny
The Overall Book of the Year shortlist consists of all of the winners of the other awards. Not to spoil the rest of this article, but Narrative Non-Fiction winner Patriot took it home!
After surviving a near-fatal poisoning in 2020, Alexei Navalny began writing Patriot, a candid account of his life, activism, and unyielding fight against authoritarianism. Drawing from personal letters and prison experiences, it serves as his final message to the world and a powerful call to defend freedom at all costs.
Author of the Year
Winner: Percival Everett
With his novel James, Percival has established himself as one of the great literary novelists alive today. His genre-defying works blend satire, philosophy, and social commentary. With a prolific career spanning over thirty novels, including Erasure and The Trees, Everett challenges literary conventions and tackles issues of race, identity, and the absurdities of American culture.
Fiction Book of the Year
Winner: James by Percival Everett
When Jim overhears he’s about to be sold and separated from his family, he hides on Jackson Island to make a plan. There, he meets Huck Finn, who’s faked his own death to escape his violent father.
Pageturner Book of the Year
Winner: Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
The “Pageturner” award is an award for commercially successful books, such as YA and romantasy books.
Exiled from the Elven Lands, battle-hardened warrior Yeeran and her prophetic sister Lettle must navigate the deadly wilderness – only to stumble into the long-lost, dangerous world of the fae court. As loyalties are tested and secrets unfold, the sisters are caught between their past and a future shaped by magic, desire, and betrayal.
Crime & Thriller Book of the Year
Winner: Hunted by Abir Mukherjee
In three corners of the world, a missing daughter, a radicalized son, and a hidden terrorist plot collide. Two desperate parents must outrun the authorities and uncover the truth before a coordinated attack changes America forever.
Debut Fiction Book of the Year
Winner: Butter by Asako Yuzuki
Journalist Rika Machida begins visiting convicted serial killer Manako Kajii after receiving a recipe for beef stew, hoping to uncover the truth behind the murders. But as their unusual relationship deepens over shared meals, Rika finds herself questioning the line between investigation and connection.
Non-Fiction (Narrative) Book of the Year
Winner: Patriot by Alexei Navalny
Patriot won big at the Nibbies this year, also receiving the Overall Book of the Year award!
Non-Fiction (Lifestyle & Illustrated) Book of the Year
Winner: What I Ate in One Year by Stanley Tucci
In this memoir, Stanley Tucci chronicles twelve months of meals – from elaborate feasts to simple family dinners – reflecting on how food shapes memory, marks time, and deepens connection. Through this diary of daily eating, he explores love, loss, and the quiet evolution of a life.
Discover Book of the Year
Winner: Poyums by Len Pennie
The Discover award is an award for the underrepresented authors, focusing on independently published books, regardless of genre.
Poyums (usually seen stylized in all-lowercase) is Len Pennie’s debut poetry collection, which is written in both Scots and English. The collection is already taught in schools across Scotland.
Children’s Non-Fiction Book of the Year
Winner: Wilding by Isabella Tree and Angela Harding
This book tells the story of the Knepp Estate’s transformation into a haven for wildlife and offers a practical guide to rewilding your own space. With timelines, species profiles, and insights into nature’s recovery, it encourages readers to reconnect with and restore the wild around them.
Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year
Winner: Jonty Gentoo: The Adventures of a Penguin by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Jonty Gentoo, a curious young penguin, escapes the zoo in search of his Antarctic roots but accidentally swims the wrong way. His journey turns into a globe-trotting adventure full of new friends, surprises, and the long road home.
Children’s Fiction Book of the Year
Winner: Hot Mess by Jeff Kinney
In the 19th Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, Greg Heffley faces chaos when his family’s vacation in a small beach house heats up. Amid the sweltering days, he tries to uncover the secret behind Gramma’s famous meatballs while navigating family drama.
Audiobook (Non-Fiction) Book of the Year
Winner: Sociopath by Patric Gagne
Patric Gagne has always felt different, unable to experience emotions like fear or empathy. After discovering she is a sociopath, she struggles with the stigma and her past but finds hope and a chance for love as she works to change perceptions about her condition. Narrated by the author herself.
Audiobook (Fiction) Book of the Year
Co-Winner: My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes
Anna leaves her fast-paced life in New York to help friends open a luxury retreat in a small Irish town where the locals resist the change. As she faces hostility and reunites with an old flame, she must navigate past mistakes and a community that doesn’t want her there. Also narrated by Keyes.
Co-Winner: Bunny vs. Monkey by Jamie Smart (Narrated by Ciaran Saward)
Monkey crash-lands his spaceship in a forest and claims it as his new kingdom, determined to banish all other animals, especially Bunny. As Bunny gathers friends to challenge Monkey, their hilarious battles lead to wild adventures in this middle-grade graphic novel.
In addition to all of these awards, Rob Biddulph took home the Illustrator of the Year award!
Congratulations to all of the winners! For the entire list as well as a video of the ceremony, please visit TheBookseller.com.