Hearst received book submissions from publishers including Pan Macmillan, HarperCollins and Hachette. After being reviewed by selected members of Hearst’s Reader Panel, an online engagement platform consisting of 10,000 Hearst consumers, the top scoring books were then judged by the Editors of the nine participating Hearst brands: Women’s Health, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Red, Esquire, Men’s Health, ELLE, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar.
The final shortlist consists of 36 books in categories ranging from Crime to Women Writers, Biography and Wellbeing.
As part of the initiative, Hearst has secured a retail partnership with WH Smith which will see a selection of shortlisted titles on sale in over 400 UK stores with clearly identifiable Big Book point-of-sale materials and in-store promotions.
Judith Secombe, Managing Director of Hearst Brand Services said: “The response to Hearst’s very first Big Book has been overwhelming, and the shortlist is testament to the calibre of entries we have received. Books have always been a passion point for both our audience and Editors, and Big Book will celebrate the brilliant work of authors across the country whilst offering publishers the Hearst stamp of approval.
One in three UK adults who purchased a book over the last 12 months were Hearst consumers, so our partnership with WH Smith is a natural fit. I am confident that the recognition awarded by Big Book will amplify awareness and drive sales for the titles shortlisted, and I can’t wait to announce the winners later this year.”
Alex Call, Head of Books Marketing at WH Smith, said: “WH Smith prides itself on being the home of reassurance and recommendation, and by partnering with Hearst UK on the Big Book initiative we can offer our consumers a range of books we know they will love.”
The winners of Big Book will be announced in the Autumn of this year. The full list of those shortlisted is:
Cosmopolitan – Must Reads
Clean, Juno Dawson (Hachette)
The Queen of Bloody Everything, Joanna Nadin (Pan Macmillan)
I Stop Somewhere, T E Carter (Simon & Schuster UK)
Elle – Women Writers
Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury)
Circe, Madeline Miller (Bloomsbury)
A Beginner’s Guide to Being Mental, Natasha Devon (Pan Macmillan)
Ponti, Sharlene Teo (Pan Macmillan)
Esquire – Biography
Nevertheless, Alec Baldwin (HarperCollins)
This is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay (Pan Macmillan)
No Way But This: In Search of Paul Robeson, Jeff Sparrow (Scribe UK)
Good Housekeeping – Crime
Bring Me Back, B.A. Paris (HarperCollins)
While You Sleep, Stephanie Merritt (HarperCollins)
Dark Pines, Will Dean (Oneworld)
Girl in Snow, Danya Kukafka (Pan Macmillan)
Harper’s Bazaar – Modern Classic
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Barrows (Bloomsbury)
The Penelopiad, Margert Atwood (Canongate Books)
My Life on the Road, Gloria Steinem (Oneworld)
Men’s Health – Health and Lifestyle
The Angry Chef, Anthony Warner (Oneworld)
The Fat Loss Plan, Joe Wicks (Pan Macmillan)
The Stranger on the Bridge, Jonny Benhamin and Britt Pfuger (Pan Macmillan)
Prima – Page Turners
Grace after Henry, Eithne Shortall (Corvus)
The Light We Lost, Jill Santopolo (HarperCollins)
The Fear, C L Taylor (HarperCollins)
The Wife Between Us, Greer Hendricks &Sarah Pekkanen (Pan Macmillan)
Red – Children 0-6
Where’s Mr Dog, Ingela P Arrhenius (Nosy Crow)
What The Ladybird Heard on Holiday, Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks (Pan Macmillan)
Izzy Gizmo, Pip Jones and illustrated by Sara Ogilvie (Simon & Schuster UK)
Red - Children 7-12
Nevermoor, Jessica Townsend (Hachette)
The Phantom Lollipop Man!, Pamela Butchart (Nosy Crow)
Never Say Die, Anthony Horowitz (Walker)
Red – Smart Women
Bored and Brilliant, Manoush Zomorodi (Pan Macmillan)
Rebel Talent: Why It Pays to Break the Rules at Work and in Life, Francesca Gino
Women’s Health – Wellbeing
The Wellness Rebel, Pixie Turner (Head of Zeus)
Hormonal, Martie Haselton (Oneworld)
Solo: The Joy of Cooking For One, Signe Johansen (Pan Macmillan)
East by West, Jasmine Hemsley (Pan Macmillan)
