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American author Lauren Weisberger has been awarded a Gold Bestseller Award, having sold over​ 750,000​ copies of The Devil Wears Prada in the UK.

After graduating from Cornell University and spending a year travelling the world, Lauren Weisberger worked as the Assistant to the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour. Weisberger left Vogue to write for Departures magazine and study writing courses at night. Her debut novel, the Devil Wears Prada, began life as a series of essays, recording anecdotes of her time at Vogue. After adapting her non-fiction writing into a fictional novel, the book was​ first published in 2003. It proved to be a runaway success, and has now sold over three quarters of a million copies in the UK alone​.​

In 2006, Weisberger’s novel was made into a major motion picture by Fox 2000 starring Meryl Stree​p, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. Last year, it was announced that Elton John and Paul Rudnick will be writing the Broadway-bound musical adaptation of The Devil Wears Prada. The success and popularity of Weisberger’s book continues, well over a decade ​after ​its initial publication.

Lynne Drew, Director of HarperCollins Fiction, with Lauren Weisberger

Lauren Weisberger was presented her Gold Specsavers Bestseller Award, powered by Nielsen, at HarperCollins ​London Bridge office on the 9^th July 2018. Weisberger is in the UK to launch her latest book, The Wives, which will be released on the 12^th July  (When Life Gives you Lululemons in the US).

Award-winning author, Lauren Weisberger

​The award was presented by Specsavers, Harper Collins Fiction Publishing Director Lynne Drew and Nielsen representative Annie Woodfield.

The Specsavers Bestseller Awards, powered by Nielsen Book, celebrates the UK’s bestselling books each year. Since launching in 2001, the Specsavers Bestseller Awards have recognised some of the UK’s most prolific writers including Tom Kerridge, Paula Hawkins, Philip Pullman and Cecilia Ahearn.

For more information, please visit: https://nielsenbestsellerawards.com/

For more information about the Nielsen Bestseller awards, please contact alastair@agile-ideas.com

Specsavers founder returns home to present book award, Dame Mary Perkins, attended CrimeFest on Saturday 19 May to present author, Lee Child, with his Platinum Bestseller Award.

The Nielsen Bestseller Awards celebrates the UK’s bestselling books each year. Originally published in 1997, Lee Child has sold one million copies nationwide of his bestselling thriller novel; Killing Floor: Jack Reacher.

Steven Long- Nielsen Co. MD, Lee Child, alongside Dame Mary Perkins, Alastair Giles MD of Agile Ideas & Adrian Muller, Crime Fest organiser

‘Reading is something that Specsavers is very passionate about, as of course good eyesight plays an essential role in it, and many of our customers enjoy nothing better than losing themselves in a good book, myself included,’ says Dame Mary.

‘It was a pleasure to be present Lee with his Platinum Bestseller Award at CrimeFest. Selling one million copies is a wonderful achievement and I’d like to extend my congratulations to him.’

Adrian Muller, CrimeFest co-host, says: ‘Lee Child has been one of CrimeFest’s most avid supporters since day one. So it was a great pleasure that we were able to provide Dame Mary Perkins and Specsavers – well known promoters of crime fiction – a platform to present this prestigious award.

Lee Child says: ‘I was delighted to get this award, especially from Dame Mary Perkins, who is one of my favourite people. Specsavers’ support is effective and important – especially for me, I couldn’t read without their glasses.’

Since launching in 2001, the Specsavers Bestseller Awards have recognised some of the UK’s most prolific writers including Tom Kerridge, Paula Hawkins, Philip Pullman and Cecilia Ahearn.

For more information, please visit: https://nielsenbestsellerawards.com/

On May 9^th, 2018, author Lisa Hall was presented with a Silver Bestseller Award by Nielsen Book, for selling in excess of a quarter of a million copies of ‘Between You and Me’. Sales of the e-book format of this psychological thriller have been particularly impressive, exceeding 360K. Hall was presented with her award at HarperCollins HQ.

Lisa dreamt of being a writer since she was a little girl – or a librarian – and after years of talking about it, finally got her debut book Tell Me No Lies published in 2016. She lives in a small village in Kent, and her her upcoming book, The Party, is out on the 26^th July 2018.

The sales of Lisa’s book were recorded by Nielsen Book Scan.

Friday 2 March 2018, LONDON – Double Michelin starred chef, Tom Kerridge, has been awarded the first Specsavers Bestseller award of 2018 as his book Lose Weight for Good, reaches 250,000 copies sold. 

The annual awards, powered by Nielsen Book, celebrate the most successful books in Britain based on actual sales. In the first weeks of the year, Kerridge’s latest title has already racked up over a quarter of a million copies. Featuring over one hundred new recipes, the book ties into a six-part primetime BBC Two Series which aired in January 2018.

Tom Kerridge, author of book Lose Weight for Good, said: “A massive thank you to everyone who has bought my new book, watched the show or cooked the recipes, I’m so happy that Lose Weight for Good has been so successful. I truly believe you can lose weight and still enjoy food – I’m thrilled to have inspired so many people on their weight-loss journey.”

From left to right: Emma Hopkin, Amanda Shipp, Tom Kerridge, Tram-Anh Doan, Jon Croft, Thi Dinh

Emma Hopkin, Managing Director of Bloomsbury Consumer publishing, said: “We are so pleased for Tom that this book has been such a great success, combining his enormous passion for delicious food with a healthy diet. It really is wonderful to see such great recipes reaching such a wide audience. We couldn’t be more proud of him. And a huge thank you to all the retailers who have supported Lose Weight for Good and kept it riding high in the charts for such a long time.”

Andre Breedt, Managing Director of Nielsen Book, said: “It’s an incredible feat for any author to have sold over a quarter of a million copies in just eight weeks, congratulations go to Tom and the team at Bloomsbury and Absolute Press. Cookery books are big business in the UK and given the time of year where people are perhaps looking at New Year’s resolutions and fitness, this book’s release seems to have taken advantage of that trend.

Tom Kerridge with Kevan Green from Specsavers

Dame Mary Perkins, founder of Specsavers, said: ‘Huge congratulations to Tom Kerridge for becoming the first author this year to be presented with a Silver Specsavers Bestseller Award. Good eyesight is crucial for reading and we know so many of our customers love sitting down – or in this case getting in the kitchen – with a good book. It’s no surprise Lose Weight for Good has been such a huge success. We look forward to seeing what Tom does next.’

Tom Kerridge has lost an astonishing twelve stone in the last four years on a low-carb diet tailored to his life as a professional chef so knows what works. The reduced calorie recipes focus on popular foods, creating dishes that are easy to make, delicious to eat and will help people to lose weight.

January 10^th, 2018 – London

ANDY WEIR, author of The Martian and Artemis, has been presented with a Gold Nielsen Bestseller Award for reaching sales of over half a million copies of The Martian in the UK. These Awards celebrate the most successful books in Britain based on actual sales measured by Nielsen Book.

Andy was first hired as a programmer for a national laboratory at age fifteen and has been working as a software engineer ever since. He is also a lifelong space nerd and a devoted hobbyist of subjects like relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight. His first novel, The Martian, originally published in 2011 was adapted into a film in 2015.  His latest novel, Artemis, was published in the UK in November 2017.

The Award was presented at his publisher’s offices in Central London while the author was on a publicity tour for his new book, Artemis. On receiving his trophy, Andy Weir said: “Thank you so much for this Award, I’m just thrilled to receive it.  I’m so happy that the book has sold so well in the UK, and thank you very much Specsavers.”

BESTSELLING AUTHORS PHILIP PULLMAN, DAVID WALLIAMS, PAULA HAWKINS AND TOM FLETCHER AMONG THOSE HONOURED AT THE NIELSEN BESTSELLER AWARDS

London, Thursday 25 January 2018 – Authors of some of the most successful books of 2017 have been honoured at The Nielsen Bestseller Awards. The prestigious event was held at London’s May Fair hotel and hosted by presenter, Mariella Frostrup.

Authors including Tim Marshall, Louise Doughty, Ben Elton, Jessie Burton and Victoria Hislop, accepted awards for books which reached significant sales milestones of 250,000 (Silver), 500,000 (Gold) or 1,000,000 copies (Platinum) during 2017, as recorded by Nielsen Book.

The awards were given in three categories – Non-Fiction, Fiction and Children’s books.

Paula Hawkins was honoured following another stellar year where her debut The Girl on the Train became the bestselling novel of the last six years, and picked up a triple Platinum Award. Cecelia Ahern’s PS, I Love You was also awarded with Platinum in 2017.

Fiction was one of 2017’s most popular categories honoured. In total, 36 titles received awards for reaching either Silver, Gold or Platinum status. Some of the most decorated authors in this category included Maggie O’Farrell and Jill Mansell, both awarded with four Silver Awards, and C.L. Taylor, who picked up two Silver Awards.

The Platinum Bestsellers this year were dominated by Children’s books. Authors honoured with Platinum Awards included Jeff Kinney for his books Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and David Walliams for Grandpa’s Great Escape, whilst there were two Platinum Bestseller Awards for Roald Dahl’s Matilda and The Twits. Liz Pichon (three Silver Awards) and Tom Fletcher (two Silver Awards) were also notable Children’s book authors in 2017.

Tom Fletcher, author of Silver Award-winning The Christmasaurus, said: “I’ve had such an incredible time over the last year. From meeting so many young readers at signings, to releasing a Musical Edition and putting on the first live shows, The Christmasaurus has taken me on such an amazing journey so far and with the movie in development it is so exciting to think that this is only the beginning. Picking up this Silver Award for a quarter of a million sales is like the icing on the (Christmas) cake. Thank you!” 

Andre Breedt, Co-Managing Director, Nielsen Book, said: “Once again, we’re delighted to host and honour some of the bestselling authors the UK has produced. 2017 was another strong year for the industry, with sales keeping pace with the highs we saw in 2016. It was a year adult fiction continued its resurgence alongside the growing success of the domestic children’s book market and it is great to see so many of those authors here tonight.” 

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, said: “The Specsavers Bestseller Awards, powered by Nielsen, is a wonderful event celebrating the best of the best. It is hugely inspirational to see so many accomplished authors together under one roof, and to be able to champion their achievements. Each and every one of this year’s winners is truly deserving of their accolade. Reading is something that Specsavers is very passionate about, as of course good eyesight plays an essential role in it. We’re delighted to be a part of this important programme for the second year running.”

Other authors to reach Platinum status included Sir Alex Fergusson for My Autobiography and the Hairy Bikers’ Simon King and Dave Myers for The Hairy Dieters as well as Lee Child for the first in his Jack Reacher series, Killing Floor.

The bestselling title of 2017 was Jamie Oliver’s 5 Ingredients, which picked up a Gold Award, with over half a million copies sold since last August.

Sarah Morgan’s Snow Crystal Trilogy has sold over 250,000 copies, earning her a Silver Nielsen Bestseller Award. USA Today bestselling author Sarah Morgan writes contemporary romance, and she has won a prestigious RITA© Award from the Romance Writers of America three times.

Sarah was presented with the Silver Nielsen Bestseller Award at the HarperCollins offices in London on 12th December 2017.

Penguin Random House Children’s held a breakfast at the Ritz in London on Monday (4th December 2017) to celebrate 10 years of publishing Jeff Kinney’s Wimpy Kid novels, and to thank the retailers and journalists who have supported the series.

Jeff Kinney received a Platinum Nielsen Bestseller Award for selling over a million copies of his first book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid in the UK. The whole series of Wimpy Kid novels have sold over 10 million books in the UK.

Kinney thanked booksellers for their support “Two years ago, I became a bookseller. I think putting a book into a kids’ hands is the closest we get to a sacred act. Putting the right book into their hands can create a lifelong love.”

Kinney was introduced by Francesca Dow, m.d. of Penguin Random House Children’s, who reminisced about first reading Kinney’s work and divulged that his books had encouraged her own children to become readers. She ended by saying: “Here’s to many more years of Wimpy Kid and making reading a joy for children.”

Victoria Hislop has been awarded FOUR Nielsen Bestseller awards.  Her chart-topping debut novel, The Island, has now sold over a million copies and receives a Platinum award, with Gold awards being awarded for sales of over half a million copies for The Thread, The Return and The Sunrise.

These awards celebrate the most successful books in Britain based on actual sales measured by Nielsen Book.

Hislop was handed the awards at a ceremony at the Hachette offices in central London on the 14th September, on an occasion to mark her huge success as one of Britain’s leading novelists.

Mari Evans, Managing Director of Headline and her publisher said: ‘Victoria is fast achieving national treasure status as a novelist. Her unique brand of storytelling, which is wholly immersive and so very evocative of place, has always resonated strongly with readers – and not only in the UK. Her domination of bestseller lists around the world means she is beloved by millions. Victoria encourages the most creative approaches to publishing in the teams that work with her and as one of those team members, I couldn’t be more delighted to see this tangible recognition of her bestseller success.’

Andre Breedt, Managing Director of Nielsen Book, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to recognize great sales of any title, but to be able to recognize four bestselling titles from the same author is an amazing achievement. And with her latest novel, Cartes Postales from Greece, at the top of the charts at the moment, an award for Victoria’s fifth bestselling novel can’t be far away!’

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, said: ‘Since her debut novel was first released, Victoria Hislop’s books have become synonymous with sandy beaches and salty air – the perfect holiday reads. It’s such a pleasure to see her huge achievements rewarded with the Specsavers Bestseller award – it is very well deserved.’

Inspired by a visit to Spinalonga, the abandoned Greek leprosy colony, Victoria Hislop wrote The Island in 2005. It became an international bestseller and a 26-part Greek TV series. She was named Newcomer of the Year at the British Book awards and is now an ambassador for Lepra. Her affection for the Mediterranean took her to Spain, which inspired her second bestseller The Return, and she returned to Greece to tell the turbulent tale of Thessaloniki in The Thread, shortlisted for a British Book award and confirming her reputation as an inspirational storyteller. It was followed by her much-admired Greece-set short story collection, The Last Dance and Other Stories. The Sunrise, a Sunday Times Number One bestseller about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, was published to widespread acclaim in 2014. Victoria Hislop’s latest book, Cartes Postales from Greece, is fiction illustrated with photographs. It was a hardback Sunday Times bestseller and one of the biggest-selling hardback novels of 2016. The paperback edition, published in August 2017, is a Sunday Times Number One bestseller.

Photo caption: Left to right are Peter Straus, Managing Director at Rogers, Coleridge and White (Victoria’s agent), Caitlin Raynor, Deputy Communications Director (Victoria’s publicist), Victoria Hislop, Flora Rees, (Victoria’s original acquiring editor), Jo Liddiard, Head of Marketing (Victoria’s marketer) andMari Evans, Managing Director, Headline.

Judith Kerr, the best-selling children’s author, has been awarded with a Specsavers Platinum Bestseller Award as her classic children’s book, The Tiger Who Came to Tea surpasses one million units sold.

Judith Kerr was presented with the award at a ceremony at the office of her publisher, HarperCollins Children’s Books, central London. The Specsavers Bestseller Awards, powered by Nielsen Book, celebrate the most successful books in Britain based on actual sales measured by Nielsen.

Inspired by her daughter Tacy, The Tiger Who Came to Tea was Judith Kerr’s first picture book and published in 1968. The book has been a perennial bestseller, enchanting generations of young readers and remaining in the top 5,000 books every year since Nielsen Book records began in 1998. The 50th anniversary of this family favourite will be celebrated in 2018. Judith has gone on to write over 25 books for children and her next book, Katinka’s Tale, will be published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in October 2017.

Andre Breedt, Managing Director of Nielsen Book, said: “We’re delighted to be able to recognise the astonishing sales – one million copies – of this well-loved children’s classic, which generations of children – and their parents – have enjoyed for the last half century.  We look forward to recording many more sales over the years to come.”

Ann-Janine Murtagh, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins Children’s Books added: “We are thrilled that Judith Kerr has now achieved a platinum award for sales of The Tiger Who Came to Tea. It’s an iconic picture book that has become part of the magic of childhood for generations of children. It’s never been more popular and we look forward to selling the next million copies! Huge Congratulations to the inimitable Judith Kerr.”

Dame Mary Perkins, co-founder of Specsavers, said: “It is fantastic to see such a classic book reach this milestone achievement. At Specsavers, we are passionate about supporting the literary industry and it is brilliant to celebrate such accomplished and well known authors like Judith.”

HarperCollins Children’s Books have been holding a summer of The Tiger Who Came to Tea celebration this year with bookshops up and down the country hosting Great Tiger Tea Parties. The parties include tiger themed activities for children to enjoy and a chance for bookshops to win a visit from The Tiger character costumer.