GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com

Book Award History

The British Book Awards or Nibbies ran from 1990–2009 and founded by the editor of Publishing News. The award was then acquired by Agile Marketing which renamed it the National Book Awards with headline sponsors Galaxy National Book Awards (2010–11) (sponsored by Galaxy) and Specsavers National Book Awards (2012-2014) (sponsored by Specsavers).] There were no National Book Awards after 2014. In 2017 the award was acquired by The Bookseller and renamed to the original British Book Awards or Nibbies.
From Wikipedia

North London Book Group win video review competition

We are pleased to announce the winner of the Galaxy National Book Awards video review competition that celebrated all the great crime and thriller novels on this year's Galaxy National Book Awards shortlist. The winning reading group is the North London Book Group for their video review of SJ Watson's Before I Go to Sleep who will receive a set of iPads. 

How To Be A Woman is voted Galaxy Book of the Year

The winner of the Galaxy Book of the Year Award 2011 is The Times columnist Caitlin Moran for her irreverent take on modern feminism, How To Be A Woman. She was the overall winner of the public vote which comprised winners of all eleven categories from the Galaxy National Book Awards. 

The Times columnist Caitlin Moran is the public’s favourite as How To Be A Woman wins the Galaxy Book of the Year vote

The winner of the Galaxy Book of the Year Award 2011 is The Times columnist Caitlin Moran for her irreverent take on modern feminism, How To Be A Woman. She was the overall winner of the public vote which comprised winners of all eleven categories from the Galaxy National Book Awards.

The awards ceremony, produced and staged by Cactus TV, Executive Produced by Amanda Ross, took place on Friday 4th November and was followed by a 6-part TV series broadcast on Sundays ON MORE4 from 13th November – 18th December. Cactus TV are the foremost producers of Book programming in Britain; producing over 30 Book related shows a year plus their big Book Awards Ceremonies. 

How To Be A Woman dominated the charts since its release in the summer and has been described by Lauren Laverne as “an indispensable guide to Ladyhood.” The book scooped the More4 Popular Non Fiction Book Of The Year and so was then entered into the running for Galaxy Book of the Year up against some of the most popular books of 2011. 

The other contenders for the Galaxy Book of the Year were: The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst (Waterstone’s UK Author of the Year), A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French (Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year), Before I Go to Sleep by S J Watson (Crime & Thriller of the Year), Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin (Daily Telegraph Biography of the Year), A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan (International Author of the Year), The Good Cook by Simon Hopkinson (Food & Drink Book of the Year), Room by Emma Donoghue (WHSmith Paperback of the Year), A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (National Book Tokens Children’s Book of the Year), My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young, read by Dan Stevens (Audible.Co.UK Audiobook of the Year), When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman (Galaxy New Writer of the Year).

Upon winning the Galaxy Book of the Year award, Caitlin Moran said: “Obviously Rear Of The Year is the one I’ve always been gunning for, but since I found out it’s judged on “form” rather than “sheer volume”, then Book of the Year is not only a total honour and thrill, but also enables me to chow down on a hogroast over Christmas without worrying about fitting into my jeggings.”

Last year’s winner of the overall accolade, One Day, by David Nicholls recorded over 300% sales growth during December 2010, going on to become the biggest selling paperback of 2011 along with a Hollywood film release. 

Win 8 iPads for your reading group

To celebrate all the great crime and thriller novels in this year’s Galaxy National Book Awards, Reading Groups for Everyone has teamed up with the Galaxy National Book Awards to offer reading groups a fantastic opportunity to win 8 iPads. To enter your group will need to make a video review of a crime and thriller novel from the shortlist for this year’s Galaxy National Book Awards Crime & Thriller of the Year. See the Reading Groups for Everyone website for details:

London, Friday 4th November

Some of the very finest British authors and heads of UK publishing houses gathered at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge tonight to celebrate the winners of this year’s Galaxy National Book Awards. Hosted by Dara O Briain and Helen Baxendale, the awards ceremony will feature in a 6-week series of TV programmes which commence on More4 on Sunday 13th November.

Among the Award winners ...

Dawn French debut novel scores massive fiction hit at the Galaxy National Book Awards 2011 while Queen of celebrity scandal Jackie Collins is recognised for Outstanding Achievement, Alan Hollinghurst is crowned UK Author of the Year and Times columnist Caitlin Moran scoops the non-fiction award.

No Stranger to Success

Alan Hollinghurst wins the Waterstone’s UK Author of the Year Award for The Stranger’s Child, staving off fierce competition from Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and this year’s Booker winner, Julian Barnes. The prize reflects the acclaim for Hollinghurst’s novel and the support from many in the industry who were dismayed to see it omitted from the Man Booker shortlist in October.  

Outstanding achievement

In a writing career spanning over four decades, this year’s Outstanding Achievement Award went to the inimitable Jackie Collins. With readers in 40 countries and over 400 million copies sold to date, each of Jackie’s 28 novels have made the New York Times bestseller list, and her most recent, Goddess of Vengeance, went straight to number one in the Sunday Times bestseller list in April this year.

There’s never been a better time to be a woman

Winner of the More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book Of The Year with How to be a Woman, The Times’ columnist Caitlin Moran said: “Brian Cox may have the Wonders of the Universe to play with - but I had the contents of my bra and pants and, ultimately, they were obviously the more mysterious and awesome. I’m thrilled that I’ve beaten off Cox to win this prize. Also, winning appears to make me look thinner.

Emma and Dawn – new double act?

Two hugely successful novels rewarded at the 2011 ceremony: Room, the startling Booker shortlisted novel by Emma Donoghue, wins the WHSmith Paperback of the Year while Dawn French fends off other bestselling novels to win Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year with A Tiny Bit Marvellous.  Dawn French said: "I am equally gob-smacked & delighted about this award. Not too shabby considering I'm still not 100 per cent sure where the apostrophe should go."

The biography we’ve been waiting for

With her much-acclaimed Charles Dickens: A Life - published to coincide with the bicentenary of his birth – renowned biographer Claire Tomalin paints an unforgettable portrait, brilliantly capturing the complex character of this great genius, and it wins the hotly contested Daily Telegraph Biography of the Year Award.

Celebrating the best in audio publishing

For the first time, the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards featured the audible.co.uk Audiobook of the Year Award. This year’s accolade went to Louisa Young with her tale of love and loss in the First World War, My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You. Narrated by Dan Stevens.

“Storytelling as it should be” - Meg Rossof

Patrick Ness defeated last year’s winner of the National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year, Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, with his winning novel.

This year’s Must-Read novel is an international winner

While the awards primarily recognise British writers, representatives from the international literary world also gathered to witness Jennifer Egan awarded International Author of the Year for her “moving and life-enhancing” novel, A Visit from the Goon Squad, which was also garlanded with the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction earlier this year.

One of the night’s big surprises?

Debut novelist and this year’s CWA New Blood Dagger winner, S J Watson, held off crime fiction heavyweights Martina Cole, Ian Rankin. Val McDermid, Robert Harris, C J Sansom to win the Crime & Thriller of the Year with his chilling debut Before I Go To Sleep. Already a bestseller in hardback and now optioned by Ridley Scott for cinematic adaptation, the industry predicts huge success for this intriguingly original novel in paperback in the New Year.

Patrick Ness Wins National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year

Patrick Ness defeated last year’s winner of the National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year, Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, with his winning novel A Monster Calls, based on an original idea by Siobhan Dowd whose premature death prevented her from writing it herself.  Both writers are also Carnegie Medal winners.

More Background On GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com

GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com served as the official online home of the Galaxy National Book Awards during one of the most interesting transitional periods in the history of British literary awards. Although the website itself existed for only a relatively short period, it documented an important chapter in the evolution of what many people today know once again as the British Book Awards, affectionately called the "Nibbies." The archived website preserves the winners, shortlisted books, news, photographs, voting information, sponsors, and event coverage from the 2010 and 2011 awards, providing an invaluable historical snapshot of the British publishing industry.

Unlike many literary prize websites that focus solely on judges' decisions, GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com combined professional recognition with public participation. Readers could browse the shortlisted titles, learn about nominated authors, follow award news, and even cast votes for the prestigious Galaxy Book of the Year after the category winners had been announced. This interactive approach helped bridge the gap between publishing professionals and the reading public.

Origins of the Awards

The story of GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com begins well before the domain itself was created.

The awards trace their heritage to the British Book Awards, which were founded in 1990 by Publishing News. Their purpose was straightforward but ambitious: to celebrate excellence throughout Britain's publishing industry while recognizing books that connected with readers as well as critics.

For nearly two decades the awards became one of the most respected annual events in British publishing. The distinctive golden pen nib trophy earned the ceremony the affectionate nickname "The Nibbies," a title that remains widely recognized today.

Following changes in ownership, the awards underwent a significant rebranding.

Agile Marketing acquired the event and introduced a new identity:

• 1990–2009: British Book Awards
• 2010–2011: Galaxy National Book Awards
• 2012–2014: Specsavers National Book Awards
• 2015–2016: no awards
• 2017 onward: British Book Awards (The Nibbies) once again under The Bookseller.

GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com therefore represents a very specific era in this longer history—a period when sponsorship by Galaxy chocolate transformed both the branding and public visibility of the awards.

Ownership and Organization

Although the title prominently featured the Galaxy confectionery brand, Galaxy itself did not own the literary awards.

The awards were operated by Agile Marketing, an events and promotions company specializing in consumer marketing and sponsorship activation. Galaxy acted as the headline commercial sponsor, while numerous publishers, booksellers, retailers, and media organizations partnered with individual award categories.

The official website reflected these partnerships throughout its navigation and category listings.

Rather than presenting a single corporate identity, the site showcased collaboration across Britain's publishing ecosystem, including major publishers, book retailers, media organizations, audiobook companies, newspapers, and broadcasters.

This cooperative structure reflected one of the awards' major goals: celebrating every part of the publishing industry rather than only authors.

Purpose of GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com

The website functioned as much more than an announcement page.

Its principal objectives included:

• promoting shortlisted books
• encouraging reading
• celebrating authors
• increasing public awareness of new titles
• supporting booksellers
• providing award information
• allowing public voting
• publishing news throughout award season
• archiving winners and nominees
• promoting televised coverage of the ceremony

Because many literary awards operate primarily within the publishing trade, GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com intentionally reached beyond industry insiders.

Readers who had never attended a publishing conference could easily browse categories, discover unfamiliar authors, watch promotional content, and participate by voting for the overall Book of the Year.

The 2011 Awards Ceremony

The centerpiece of the website was coverage of the 2011 Galaxy National Book Awards.

The ceremony took place on Friday, 4 November 2011, at the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, one of London's best-known luxury hotels overlooking Hyde Park. Its location placed the ceremony within walking distance of several famous landmarks, including:

• Hyde Park
• Harrods
• Hyde Park Corner
• Buckingham Palace
• Green Park

Hosting the awards in Knightsbridge reinforced the event's reputation as one of Britain's premier literary celebrations.

Television personalities Dara Ó Briain and Helen Baxendale hosted the evening, bringing together leading authors, publishers, editors, booksellers, journalists, and literary figures.

Rather than being a one-night-only event, the ceremony became the basis for a six-part television series broadcast on More4, extending the awards' reach well beyond those attending in person.

Award Categories and Industry Partnerships

One of the defining characteristics of the Galaxy National Book Awards was the breadth of its categories. Rather than focusing solely on literary fiction, the awards reflected the diversity of modern publishing by recognizing commercial success, children's literature, biographies, cookbooks, audiobooks, and debut authors alongside more traditional literary works.

In 2011, the awards recognized excellence in eleven competitive categories, each supported by a prominent commercial or media partner. These partnerships helped raise the profile of both the books and the sponsors while emphasizing that publishing is supported by an interconnected network of booksellers, retailers, broadcasters, and publishers.

The principal categories included:

• Audible.co.uk Audiobook of the Year
• Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year
• Crime & Thriller of the Year
• More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year
• Galaxy New Writer of the Year
• National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year
• Food & Drink Book of the Year
• The Daily Telegraph Biography of the Year
• International Author of the Year
• Waterstones UK Author of the Year
• WHSmith Paperback of the Year
• Outstanding Achievement Award

This wide-ranging structure distinguished the awards from prizes such as the Booker Prize, which concentrates primarily on literary fiction. Instead, the Galaxy National Book Awards celebrated books that readers were actively buying, discussing, recommending, and enjoying across many genres.

Public Voting and the Galaxy Book of the Year

Perhaps the website's most distinctive feature was its emphasis on reader participation.

Once the winners of the individual categories had been announced, members of the public were invited to vote online for the coveted Galaxy Book of the Year. Rather than relying solely on a judging panel, the overall winner reflected the enthusiasm of readers nationwide.

The 2011 voting process featured all eleven category winners, giving every successful title an opportunity to become the year's overall champion. Voting remained open until December, helping to sustain interest in the awards well beyond the November ceremony.

The website highlighted the commercial impact of this recognition by noting that the previous year's overall winner, One Day by David Nicholls, experienced a dramatic increase in sales following its victory. According to the awards, the novel recorded sales growth of more than 300 percent during December 2010 before becoming one of Britain's bestselling paperbacks and later being adapted into a feature film.

This demonstrated that the awards could influence not only prestige but also commercial success, making them especially valuable for publishers and authors alike.

Notable Winners of the 2011 Awards

The 2011 ceremony honored a remarkable collection of authors representing both established literary figures and exciting newcomers.

Among the evening's most celebrated winners was Caitlin Moran, whose bestselling feminist memoir How to Be a Woman captured the More4 Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year before ultimately winning the public vote for Galaxy Book of the Year. The book became one of the defining nonfiction works of its era, combining memoir, humor, and social commentary in a way that resonated with a broad readership.

Other notable winners included:

• Alan Hollinghurst – The Stranger's Child, Waterstones UK Author of the Year
• Dawn French – A Tiny Bit Marvellous, Specsavers Popular Fiction Book of the Year
• S. J. Watson – Before I Go to Sleep, Crime & Thriller of the Year
• Patrick Ness – A Monster Calls, National Book Tokens Children's Book of the Year
• Claire Tomalin – Charles Dickens: A Life, Biography of the Year
• Jennifer Egan – A Visit from the Goon Squad, International Author of the Year
• Emma Donoghue – Room, WHSmith Paperback of the Year
• Louisa Young, narrated by Dan Stevens – My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, Audiobook of the Year
• Sarah Winman – When God Was a Rabbit, Galaxy New Writer of the Year

The ceremony also presented its Outstanding Achievement Award to bestselling novelist Jackie Collins, recognizing more than four decades of publishing success and hundreds of millions of books sold worldwide.

Looking back, many of these books have retained their influence. Several have become modern classics, appeared on school and university reading lists, inspired television or film adaptations, or remained consistently in print years after their publication.

Television Coverage and National Exposure

An important reason for the awards' popularity was their extensive television presence.

Unlike many literary prizes that receive only brief news coverage, the Galaxy National Book Awards partnered with broadcaster More4 to create a six-part television series. Produced by Cactus TV, the programs explored the shortlisted books, interviewed authors, and documented the awards ceremony itself.

Cactus TV had already established a reputation as one of Britain's leading producers of book-related programming, producing dozens of literary television programs each year. Their involvement gave the awards a polished, accessible presentation that appealed to viewers beyond the traditional publishing industry.

This television partnership helped transform the awards into a broader cultural event, introducing many viewers to authors and books they might not otherwise have discovered.

Encouraging Reading Communities

GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com also promoted reading as a shared social activity rather than simply an individual pastime.

One notable initiative featured on the website was a nationwide competition for reading groups. Organized in partnership with Reading Groups for Everyone, participants were invited to create video reviews of shortlisted crime and thriller novels.

The winning group received a collection of iPads, illustrating how the awards embraced emerging digital technologies while encouraging discussion, collaboration, and community engagement around books. The North London Book Group ultimately won the competition with its review of Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson.

This initiative reflected one of the broader missions of the awards: not merely recognizing outstanding books but actively encouraging people to read, discuss, and share them with others.

Sponsorship and Commercial Partnerships

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Galaxy National Book Awards was its successful integration of commercial sponsorship with literary recognition. Rather than allowing sponsors to overshadow the books themselves, the awards used these partnerships to provide financial support, increased publicity, and broader public engagement.

The title sponsor, Galaxy, lent its name to the awards during 2010 and 2011, reflecting a growing trend of major consumer brands supporting cultural events. Individual categories were also backed by organizations closely connected to books, publishing, and media. Sponsors included Waterstones, WHSmith, National Book Tokens, Audible.co.uk, More4, The Daily Telegraph, Specsavers, and others.

These sponsorships benefited both sides. The awards gained financial stability and marketing support, while sponsors associated themselves with literacy, publishing, education, and cultural achievement. Because many sponsors were directly involved in bookselling or publishing, their participation also reinforced the awards' credibility within the industry.

Website Design and Navigation

Although the original website is no longer active, archived versions reveal a clean, functional design that reflected early 2010s web development trends.

The site's primary navigation was straightforward, allowing visitors to quickly locate:

• Award categories
• Shortlists
• Winners
• News articles
• Voting pages
• Event information
• Sponsor information
• Author profiles
• Book descriptions
• Competition announcements
• Award photographs

Rather than emphasizing flashy multimedia, GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com focused on editorial content. Each nominated title received a concise description, helping visitors discover new books while understanding why they had earned recognition. In the Audiobook of the Year section, for example, visitors could read summaries of each shortlisted work and learn about the narrators who brought the stories to life.

The inclusion of book jackets, author information, and publisher details created a useful resource for readers looking to expand their reading lists.

Media Coverage and Industry Recognition

The Galaxy National Book Awards attracted extensive coverage from British newspapers, publishing magazines, broadcasters, and bookselling organizations.

Publications such as The Bookseller, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and numerous publishing industry websites reported on the shortlist announcements, award winners, and major speeches from the ceremony. Television coverage on More4 further increased public awareness by bringing authors and publishers into viewers' homes over several weeks.

Because the awards recognized books that were already attracting considerable public interest, the ceremony often became a focal point for discussion within the publishing industry. Winning titles frequently experienced renewed publicity and increased retail visibility, while shortlisted authors benefited from national exposure even if they did not ultimately receive the top prize.

Unlike purely academic literary awards, the Galaxy National Book Awards balanced critical appreciation with commercial success. This made them particularly influential among booksellers and publishers seeking to identify titles likely to appeal to a wide readership.

Audience and Popularity

The website appealed to a remarkably diverse audience.

Among its regular visitors were:

• General readers looking for recommendations
• Authors following award results
• Publishers monitoring industry recognition
• Booksellers planning seasonal promotions
• Librarians selecting new acquisitions
• Journalists covering publishing news
• Literary critics
• Reading groups
• Teachers and educators
• Students studying contemporary literature

The public voting component broadened participation even further, encouraging casual readers to become actively involved in choosing the overall Book of the Year. This democratic element helped distinguish the awards from many literary prizes decided exclusively by expert judging panels.

Although precise visitor statistics for GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com have never been publicly released, archived coverage and contemporary reporting indicate that the awards generated significant national attention during their two-year Galaxy sponsorship, particularly through their television broadcasts and partnerships with major retailers.

Cultural and Literary Significance

In retrospect, GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com represents more than simply the website for a literary awards ceremony.

It documents an important period in British publishing when the industry sought to make books more visible to mainstream audiences. Rather than treating literature as an exclusive pursuit, the awards celebrated books that entertained, educated, inspired, and reached readers across many genres.

Many of the 2011 winners remain highly regarded today. Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls has become a modern classic of children's literature and was later adapted into a critically acclaimed feature film. Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman continues to influence discussions about feminism and popular nonfiction. Emma Donoghue's Room achieved international acclaim before its award-winning film adaptation introduced the story to an even wider audience. S. J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep also became a successful motion picture, demonstrating the awards' ability to identify books with lasting cultural impact.

By recognizing both literary excellence and reader enthusiasm, the Galaxy National Book Awards helped strengthen the relationship between authors, publishers, booksellers, and the reading public.

The End of the Galaxy Era

The Galaxy sponsorship concluded after the 2011 awards. Beginning in 2012, Specsavers assumed title sponsorship, and the event became known as the Specsavers National Book Awards.

Although the awards continued for several more years, changing conditions within the publishing industry ultimately led to their discontinuation after 2014. For two years there was no successor ceremony, leaving a noticeable gap in Britain's literary calendar.

In 2017, however, The Bookseller revived the historic British Book Awards name, restoring the long-standing "Nibbies" identity that had originally launched in 1990. Today, the British Book Awards continue to celebrate outstanding achievements across the publishing industry while acknowledging their earlier incarnations, including the Galaxy-sponsored years.

Legacy of GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com

Although GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com was active for only a brief period, its historical value has grown considerably. Through archived versions preserved by services such as the Internet Archive, the website remains a rich source of information about one of Britain's most significant literary award ceremonies during the early 2010s.

The site captured more than lists of winners. It documented the excitement surrounding annual shortlist announcements, public voting campaigns, television broadcasts, reading group competitions, sponsor partnerships, and celebrations of authors whose work continues to influence readers today.

For researchers, librarians, publishers, literary historians, and book enthusiasts, the archived website provides insight into how the British publishing industry promoted reading during a period when digital media was rapidly transforming both bookselling and literary marketing.

Perhaps its greatest legacy lies in demonstrating that literary awards can successfully combine professional judgment, public participation, commercial sponsorship, and television entertainment without losing sight of their central purpose: celebrating outstanding books and encouraging people to discover their next great read.

GalaxyNationalBookAwards.com