The shortlists for the 2020 British Book Awards (also known as the Nibbles) were announced last week – and we’re thrilled that Nosy Crow has been shortlisted in four categories!
We are shortlisted for the Children’s Publisher of the Year Award, against DK, HarperCollins Children’s Books, Macmillan Children’s Books, Penguin Random House Children’s, Scholastic, Usborne Publishing, and Wonderbly. Judges said: “Nosy Crow won this award in 2019 and 2017, and has now broken into the TCM’s top 30 publishers after just nine years in business. Collaborations with big brands–including the National Trust, John Lewis and the British Museum–have helped lift it there.”
We are also shortlisted for the Independent Publisher of the Year Award, against Atlantic Books, Imagine That, Joffe Books, Scribe UK, Search Press, SPCK Publishing, and Sweet Cherry Publishing. Judges said: “Nosy Crow is nominated here for a seventh year in a row. It has more than tripled revenue in just four years, and now gets two-thirds of its sales from rights, exports and coeditions.”
Our Senior Rights Manager, Michela Pea, has been shortlisted for Rights Professional of the Year, on a shortlist dominated by women and new talent. The other shortlisted contenders include Rebecca Folland, Rights Director at who works across Hodder, Headline, Quercus, and John Murray Press; Krystyna Kujawinska, Foreign Rights Director at Orion; the Penguin Random House Children’s Rights Team; Stephanie Purcell, Group Rights and Co-editions Director at Simon & Schuster; Eve Roberts, Head of Children’s Rights at Macmillan Children’s Books; Anna Shora, Senior Rights Manager at Pan Macmillan; and Liane-Louise Smith, Rights Director at Madeleine Milburn Literary, TV & Film Agency. The judges said: “Michela Pea of Nosy Crow has been instrumental in the children’s indie’s phenomenal rights growth since she joined the firm in 2016. She and her small team struck nearly 700 coedition deals and grew business in China by more than 50%.”
Finally, we have been shortlisted for the The British Book Award for Export in the ‘companies whose exports of print and digital content total less than £10m’ category, against Bonnier Books UK, Jolly Learning, and DK. Judges said: “Nosy Crow has drawn more sales from international markets than it records in the UK right from its inception nine years ago, and it took direct control of exports for the first time in 2019. Its small but energetic team grew export sales by 20%.”
You can view the full shortlist for the 2020 British Book Awards, here. The awards ceremony will be taking place on 29th June – wish us luck!
