Selfies winners 2022 named at London Book Fair

News - Prizes Wednesday, 6th April 2022

BookBrunch hands out awards for best self-published novel, children's title and biography


BookBrunch announced the winners of the Selfies Book Awards at a packed and enthusiastic event at Author HQ at the London Book Fair yesterday (5 April). The awards are for the best adult fiction, the best children's book and the best memoir/autobiography self-published in the UK in 2021.  

ADULT FICTION
Winner - The Other Times of Caroline Tangent by Ivan D Wainewright
Caroline Tangent's husband Jon has invented a time machine so they can visit iconic gigs in history: Woodstock '69, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, Edith Piaf in 1930s Paris - an inexhaustible bucket-list. Until, on a trip, one of them does something that will change their lives forever. The novel was "likeable, fun and engaging", said the judges, while the "marketing [was] thorough and probing". 
Runner-up - Breathe by Elena Kravchenko
Set in the aftermatch of the 2004 tsunami that flooded great swathes of western Thailand. The judges: "beautifully written", "truly compelling", and with an "intelligent and thorough marketing campaign".
Judges: Anne Williams (Kate Hordern Literary Agency), Emma Hopkin (ex-Bloomsbury), Eleanor Pigg (Nielsen Book)

CHILDREN'S
Winner - Conker the Chameleon by Hannah Peckham, illustrated by Stephanie Jayne
Conker the chameleon cannot change his colour and is feeling very fed up, but discovers that what makes him different also makes him special. Judges: "A lovely exploration of being a little bit different", "The marketing and social media campaigns… are very impressive, as are the sales", "[the] illustrations are modern and very commercially appealing".

Runner-up - Frederick the Fox by Kim Ansell, illustrated by Lisa Read
Follow the adventures of Frederick the Fox on his journey to find happiness. Judges: "rich detailed illustrations and endearing characters", backed by "a creative marketing campaign" that included "very traditional book events helping sell a very respectable number of copies".
Judges: Vanessa Lewis (Book Nook, Hove), Brenda Gardner (Piccadilly Press founder), Jennie Marlow (London Book Fair)

MEMOIR/AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Winner - The Cactus Surgeon: Using Nature To Fix a Faulty Brain by Hannah Powell
Diagnosed with a neurological disorder, Hannah Powell sought her own route to recovery. The judges praised "the simplicity of [the] storytelling", a cover that was "perfect for this kind of writing", and "integrated photos enhancing the narrative and the book's sense of renewal".
Judges: Alan Staton (Booksellers Association), Alan Samson (ex-Weidenfeld), Ben Hughes (IngramSpark) 

BookBrunch managing director Jo Henry said: "We have been thoroughly impressed by the wide range of topics covered and the professionalism of the publishing expertise shown by the 25 authors on this year's shortlists. The children's category goes from strength to strength, and we were delighted not just with the quality of the writing but also the wonderful illustrations in the winner and runner-up. The powerful stories told in the memoir/autobiography category made immersive reading for our judges, while the winner is very much a book for our time.

"In the adult fiction category, stories ranged from the comic to the tragic, making the eventual choice of a twisty time-travelling tale a hard choice for the judges. Yet again these books demonstrate that self-publishing has come of age."

Launched by BookBrunch in 2018, the Selfies are sponsored by Ingram's award-winning self-publishing platform IngramSpark. Each winner receives £750 in cash and a profile in BookBrunch, while all shortlisted authors receive free entry to the 2022 London Book Fair Author HQ, where a series of events aimed at indie authors takes place.