We are delighted that HONEY AND SPICE by Bolu Babalola has been shortlisted for the Début Fiction Book of the Year award as part of the British Books Awards (more commonly known as the Nibbies).

The Nibbies are a major award celebrating the book industry, administered by The Bookseller. Each year, the achievements of teams and individuals in the trade are recognised, as well as books in a range of categories.

Also shortlisted in Début Fiction category are LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY by Bonnie Garmus, THE RABBIT HUTCH by Tess Gunty, THE SATSUMA COMPLEX by Bob Mortimer, THE WHALEBONE THEATRE by Joanna Quinn and TRESPASSES by Louise Kennedy.

The winner will be announced in a ceremony on 15 May, which will also be livestreamed.

HONEY AND SPICE was published in hardback by Headline in July 2022, becoming a Times bestseller, and the paperback will follow in May 2023. William Morrow published in North America, where it was a Reese’s Book Club pick.

HONEY AND SPICE by Bolu Babalola

As host of radio show Brown Sugar, Kiki Banjo's mission is to protect her listeners from heartbreak. Which puts Whitewell College's newest student, handsome ‘player’ Malakai Korede, at the top of her hitlist.

But when Kiki's dream summer internship in New York depends on finding a fresh angle for her radio show, she must make an unlikely bargain with Malakai himself – to put their simmering clashes aside to form a fake relationship, something sweet and spicy enough to win over the whole campus.

However, close proximity to the notorious heartbreaker brings everything Kiki thought she knew about her own heart into question. Why does throwing out her stringent romantic rulebook suddenly so tempting?

Will she find it in her to resist?

Praise for HONEY AND SPICE

‘The must-read book of the summer… Think “will they, won’t they” sexual tension, 1990s university nostalgia and a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted black female lead.’ – The Sunday Times

‘A deliciously witty romantic comedy, packed full of memorable characters and relatable humour.’ – Waterstones Best Books of the Year: Feelgood Fiction

‘From the author of the bestselling short story collection LOVE & COLOUR comes this funny and charming debut novel… the central couple have a beguiling sweetness and Babalola skilfully imbues their scenes with a tender innocence that is romantic.’ – The Observer

‘Bolu Babalola’s HONEY & SPICE will steam up your sunglasses… Look forward to sizzling chemistry and well-developed characters in this debut novel from Bolu Babalola, a pop-culture scholar who previously authored the short-story collection LOVE IN COLOUR.’ – Angela Haupt, Time Magazine

‘HONEY & SPICE is gorgeously written and heart-meltingly romantic. Kiki and Malakai have a rare, extraordinary, sizzling chemistry which has you rooting for their love story from the very first moment they cross paths. A triumph of a novel.’ – Beth O’Leary, author of THE FLATSHARE

‘From the first page, there are zingers aplenty; you instantly feel safe in the knowledge that the rest will take you on a journey that’s equal parts sweet and hot. Fitting, really.’ – The Independent

‘In HONEY & SPICE, Babalola trains her keen eye and considerable wit on young Black British society… She soars in her rich depictions of intimacy and relationships, in all their grandeur… Expectations for her first full-length novel are high. Sexy, messy and wry, HONEY & SPICE more than delivers.’ – The New York Times

About Bolu Babalola

Bolu Babalola is a British-Nigerian with a misleading Bachelor's degree in Law, and a Master’s degree in American Politics & History from UCL. She feels it is important to state that her thesis was on Beyoncé's ‘Lemonade’, and she was awarded a distinction for it, so essentially she has a Master’s degree in Beyoncé.

A writer of books, scripts, culture pieces and retorts, and a lover of love and self-coined ‘romcomoisseur’, Bolu writes stories of dynamic women with distinct voices who love and are loved audaciously. She is a big believer in women being both ‘beauty and the beast’. Her short story collection, LOVE IN COLOUR, was published in 2020, became a Times bestseller and was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. Her debut novel, HONEY AND SPICE, was published in July 2022 and was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.

Her culture writing can be seen in publications such as NYMag, Bustle, Vogue and Paper Magazine.

Bolu’s pilot episode of Big Age, which she created, wrote and executive produced, was broadcast on Channel 4 in autumn 2021.

Visit Bolu’s website

Follow Bolu on Twitter

We are thrilled that Isobel Dixon has been shortlisted for the 2022 British Book Awards ‘Literary Agent of the Year’.

Praising Isobel’s work, The Bookseller wrote: “Isobel Dixon’s tenacity and loyalty to authors was exemplified by her work with Costa Book of the Year winner Monique Roffey. As president of the Association of Authors’ Agents, she has championed agenting beyond her own work as well, and she helped to lead the Save Our Books campaign.”

Isobel Dixon joined Blake Friedmann Literary Agency in 1995, ‘falling happily into publishing’ after studying English Literature and Applied Linguistics at Edinburgh University. She began as Carole Blake’s assistant, also selling audio, short stories and translation rights. She was promoted to agent in 1997, taking on clients from the UK, South Africa, India and around the world, and is now Head of the Book Department and Managing Director of the Agency as a whole. She is also a Trustee of the National Centre for Writing and has served on the board of the Book Trade Charity.

Alongside Isobel, Diana Beaumont (Marjacq Scripts), Camilla Bolton (Darley Anderson Literary Agency), Ludo Cinelli (Eve White Literary Agency), Crystal Mahey-Morgan (OWN IT!), Kate Nash (Kate Nash Literary Agency), Becky Thomas (Lewinsohn Literary Agency) and Caroline Wood (Felicity Bryan Associates) are all in contention for the ‘Literary Agent of the Year’ award. You can read more about the category here.

First launched in 1990, The British Book Awards (otherwise known as ‘The Nibbies’) celebrate the best of the book trade, with categories from ‘The Pageturner Award’ and ‘Children’s Fiction’ in the ‘Books of the Year’ categories, to ‘Marketing Strategy’ and ‘Book Retailer’ in the trade categories.

This year’s winners will be announced at prize ceremony at Grosvenor House London on the 23rd of May 2022, which will be also available online for those who can’t attend in person.

Read more about Isobel and her clients here.

Follow Isobel on Twitter and Instagram, and visit her poetry website.