Waterstone’s Selects Authors to Watch
Waterstone’s, a leading British book chain, has announced its list of the top 25 new talents in the field of fiction. I am very pleased to see genre fiction represented by Nick Stone, Louise Welch, Richard Morgan and Chris Simms, all of whom are big favorites of mine.
Publishers, editors and agents were asked to nominate the current and emerging authors most likely to make an impact over the next 25 years. More than 100 names were submitted. Waterstone’s selected the final list of 13 women and 12 men, drawn up to mark the bookseller’s 25 years in business.
So who are the top 25? Drum roll, please (and in alphabetical order):
Naomi Alderman
Her first novel, Disobedience, was set in north London’s Orthodox Jewish community. She lives in Hendon.
Susanna Clarke
After 10 years of writing, her 800-page debut, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She lives in Cambridge.
Siobhan Dowd
Dowd based her novel, Swift Pure Cry, on the unsolved “Kerry Babies” murders and the death of schoolgirl Ann Lovett, both in her native Ireland. She currently lives in Oxford.
Jasper Fforde
The former film industry worker received 76 rejection letters before finding a publisher for his debut, The Eyre Affair. He lives in Wales.
Julia Golding
Golding has won the Nestle Children’s Book Prize and the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize for her stories about feisty heroine Cat Royal. She lives in Oxford.
Emily Gravett
Gravett writes and illustrates picture books for children, including Wolves, Orange Pear Apple Bear and Meerkat Mail. She lives in Brighton.
Jane Harris
A former writer-in-residence at HM Prison Durham, Harris has written several award-winning short films and short stories, in addition to her first novel, The Observations. She lives in London.
Steven Hall
Hall’s debut novel was The Raw Shark Texts. Film rights have been optioned and the book has been sold to 20 international publishers. He lives in Hull.
Peter Hobbs
His first book, The Short Day Dying, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and was notable for containing almost no punctuation. He lives in London.
Marina Lewycka
The 61-year-old Ukrainian was born in a refugee camp in Germany. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian has been translated into more than 30 languages, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and has been on bestseller lists for almost a year in paperback. She lives in Sheffield.
Gautam Malkani
The Cambridge graduate and Financial Times journalist divided opinion with his debut, Londonstani, which chronicled the lives of British Asians in Hounslow, west London, and was written in rudeboy patois. He lives in London.
Robert Macfarlane
His first book, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination, was born out of Macfarlane’s passion for mountaineering. He lives in Cambridge.
Charlotte Mendelson
Her second novel, Daughters of Jerusalem, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. Her latest, When We Were Bad, was published this month. She lives in London.
Jon McGregor
His debut novel, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, made him the youngest contender for the 2002 Man Booker Prize longlist. He lives in Nottingham.
Richard Morgan
A former tutor at Strathclyde University. Two of Morgan’s novels, Altered Carbon and Market Forces, have been optioned by Hollywood studios. He also wrote the Black Widow comic book series for Marvel. He lives in Glasgow.
Maggie O’Farrell
Her debut, After You’d Gone, won a Betty Trask Award and was followed by the bestsellers My Lover’s Lover, The Distance Between Us and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. She lives in Edinburgh.
Helen Oyeyemi
Nigerian-born Oyeyemi wrote The Icarus Girl while still at school. It was shortlisted for a British Book Award, has been published in 18 countries and has been adapted for the stage. The Cambridge graduate recently won a creative writing fellowship from Columbia University.
Jo Pratt
The food stylist and home economist began her career working behind the scenes for Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay. She is now a regular on TV cookery shows. Her first book, The Nation’s Favourite Food, was published in 2003. She lives in London.
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook is a member of the Oxford University history faculty. His first book, a biography of U.S. politician Eugene McCarthy, was followed by Never Had It So Good, a history of postwar Britain. He lives in north Oxfordshire.
C.J. Sansom
Sansom gave up his career as a solicitor to become a fulltime author. He made his name writing historical crime novels featuring Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake. He lives in Sussex.
Chris Simms
His first novel, Outside the White Lines, features a serial killer who stalks Britain’s motorways. Simms came up with the idea while stranded on the hard shoulder of the M40 on his way to his mother’s house for Christmas. He lives in Manchester.
Nick Stone
His father is historian Norman Stone and his mother descends from one of the oldest families in Haiti, the setting for his novel Mr. Clarinet. He lives in London.
Louise Welsh
The best-selling Scottish author of The Cutting Room and Tamburlaine Must Die won the Crime Writers’ Association Creasey Dagger Award in 2002. She is currently living in Germany.
Ben Wilson
The history graduate has published two non-fiction books, The Laughter of Triumph and Decency and Disorder. He also worked as a researcher and writer on David Starkey’s TV series Monarchy. He lives in Buckinghamshire.
Robyn Young
Young ran a nightclub and worked in a building society before publishing historical novel Brethren, the first in a trilogy. The second installment, Crusade, will be out later this year. She lives in Brighton.
Publishers, editors and agents were asked to nominate the current and emerging authors most likely to make an impact over the next 25 years. More than 100 names were submitted. Waterstone’s selected the final list of 13 women and 12 men, drawn up to mark the bookseller’s 25 years in business.
So who are the top 25? Drum roll, please (and in alphabetical order):
Naomi Alderman
Her first novel, Disobedience, was set in north London’s Orthodox Jewish community. She lives in Hendon.
Susanna Clarke
After 10 years of writing, her 800-page debut, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She lives in Cambridge.
Siobhan Dowd
Dowd based her novel, Swift Pure Cry, on the unsolved “Kerry Babies” murders and the death of schoolgirl Ann Lovett, both in her native Ireland. She currently lives in Oxford.
Jasper Fforde
The former film industry worker received 76 rejection letters before finding a publisher for his debut, The Eyre Affair. He lives in Wales.
Julia Golding
Golding has won the Nestle Children’s Book Prize and the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize for her stories about feisty heroine Cat Royal. She lives in Oxford.
Emily Gravett
Gravett writes and illustrates picture books for children, including Wolves, Orange Pear Apple Bear and Meerkat Mail. She lives in Brighton.
Jane Harris
A former writer-in-residence at HM Prison Durham, Harris has written several award-winning short films and short stories, in addition to her first novel, The Observations. She lives in London.
Steven Hall
Hall’s debut novel was The Raw Shark Texts. Film rights have been optioned and the book has been sold to 20 international publishers. He lives in Hull.
Peter Hobbs
His first book, The Short Day Dying, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and was notable for containing almost no punctuation. He lives in London.
Marina Lewycka
The 61-year-old Ukrainian was born in a refugee camp in Germany. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian has been translated into more than 30 languages, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and has been on bestseller lists for almost a year in paperback. She lives in Sheffield.
Gautam Malkani
The Cambridge graduate and Financial Times journalist divided opinion with his debut, Londonstani, which chronicled the lives of British Asians in Hounslow, west London, and was written in rudeboy patois. He lives in London.
Robert Macfarlane
His first book, Mountains of the Mind: A History of a Fascination, was born out of Macfarlane’s passion for mountaineering. He lives in Cambridge.
Charlotte Mendelson
Her second novel, Daughters of Jerusalem, won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the Somerset Maugham Award. Her latest, When We Were Bad, was published this month. She lives in London.
Jon McGregor
His debut novel, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, made him the youngest contender for the 2002 Man Booker Prize longlist. He lives in Nottingham.
Richard Morgan
A former tutor at Strathclyde University. Two of Morgan’s novels, Altered Carbon and Market Forces, have been optioned by Hollywood studios. He also wrote the Black Widow comic book series for Marvel. He lives in Glasgow.
Maggie O’Farrell
Her debut, After You’d Gone, won a Betty Trask Award and was followed by the bestsellers My Lover’s Lover, The Distance Between Us and The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. She lives in Edinburgh.
Helen Oyeyemi
Nigerian-born Oyeyemi wrote The Icarus Girl while still at school. It was shortlisted for a British Book Award, has been published in 18 countries and has been adapted for the stage. The Cambridge graduate recently won a creative writing fellowship from Columbia University.
Jo Pratt
The food stylist and home economist began her career working behind the scenes for Gary Rhodes and Gordon Ramsay. She is now a regular on TV cookery shows. Her first book, The Nation’s Favourite Food, was published in 2003. She lives in London.
Dominic Sandbrook
Sandbrook is a member of the Oxford University history faculty. His first book, a biography of U.S. politician Eugene McCarthy, was followed by Never Had It So Good, a history of postwar Britain. He lives in north Oxfordshire.
C.J. Sansom
Sansom gave up his career as a solicitor to become a fulltime author. He made his name writing historical crime novels featuring Tudor lawyer Matthew Shardlake. He lives in Sussex.
Chris Simms
His first novel, Outside the White Lines, features a serial killer who stalks Britain’s motorways. Simms came up with the idea while stranded on the hard shoulder of the M40 on his way to his mother’s house for Christmas. He lives in Manchester.
Nick Stone
His father is historian Norman Stone and his mother descends from one of the oldest families in Haiti, the setting for his novel Mr. Clarinet. He lives in London.
Louise Welsh
The best-selling Scottish author of The Cutting Room and Tamburlaine Must Die won the Crime Writers’ Association Creasey Dagger Award in 2002. She is currently living in Germany.
Ben Wilson
The history graduate has published two non-fiction books, The Laughter of Triumph and Decency and Disorder. He also worked as a researcher and writer on David Starkey’s TV series Monarchy. He lives in Buckinghamshire.
Robyn Young
Young ran a nightclub and worked in a building society before publishing historical novel Brethren, the first in a trilogy. The second installment, Crusade, will be out later this year. She lives in Brighton.
posted by Ali Karim at 12:30 AM
<< Home