As Nielsen BookData is the leading authority on sales data in the book industry, they are uniquely positioned to be able to identify and celebrate the books that have sold the most in the UK.
This afforded the opportunity to start a literary prize – one that would confer a unique status onto a book using the impartial metric of sales data. The Bestseller Awards were launched in 2001 to recognise and celebrate the books that have achieved outstanding sales in the UK. Now in their 23rd year, the awards are further enriched by an international partner, BolognaBookPlus, the hub for international rights trading for general publishing.
What makes a Bestseller?
The Bestseller Awards are the only awards that use data as the sole determinant of the winner, recognising all-time sales across all book formats using three categories: Silver status is awarded to books selling over 250,000 copies, Gold status is awarded to those selling over 500,000 copies, and Platinum status is awarded to those selling over 1,000,000 copies.
Winners Chosen by Readers
As the only awards that celebrate the most popular and biggest-selling authors chosen by readers' purchasing decisions, The Bestsellers Awards are set apart from most other literary prizes, which are typically selected based on a panel of opinions.
Recognition and celebration of outstanding sales remains the core principle of The Bestseller Awards, who are now a recognised standard for success within the book industry.
