THE WINNERS OF THE 2025 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AWARDS
The IPG is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Independent Publishing Awards. They are:
CPI Independent Publisher of the Year
Boldwood Books
PBShop Trade Publisher of the Year
Boldwood Books
Clays Children’s Publisher of the Year
David Fickling Books
ProQuest Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year
Sage
IPG Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year
SPCK
The Bookseller Newcomer Award
Bedford Square Publishers
Publiship International Award
Nosy Crow
IPG Impact Award
Atlantic Books
The Alison Morrison Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Sweet Cherry Publishing
(joint)
World of Books Sustainability Award
Bonnier Books
Zebralution Audio Award
Bloomsbury Publishing
Virtusales Metadata Award
SPCK
Usborne Publishing
(joint)
PLS AI Award
Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
The Ola Gotkowska Young Independent Publisher Award
Helena Heald, Edinburgh University Press
IPG Services to Independent Publishers Award
David Taylor
IPG Patrons’ Award
Richard Fisher
Well done to the 13 IPG members and three individuals who won Independent Publishing Awards—and to the many more who were shortlisted. The winners were selected by 20 expert judges from shortlists that featured 38 organisations and four individuals, and they received their trophies at a special Gala Lunch at the OXO Tower in London on Wednesday 30 April.
You can read our judges’ comments about each of the winners and all the other names on the shortlists for each category below.
Thank you to all the valued supporters of the Independent Publishing Awards, without whom they would not be possible: CPI, Clays, Gardners, Nosy Crow, PBShop, Publishers’ Licensing Services, ProQuest, part of Clarivate, Publiship, The Bookseller, Virtusales Publishing Solutions, World of Books and Zebralution. We pay tribute to the two much-missed individuals for whom Awards are named: Ola Gotkowska and Alison Morrison.
The IPG is grateful to all the judges of the 2025 Independent Publishing Awards, who gave every single submission careful attention: Nadiya Amlani, consultant; Will Atkinson, IPG; Jessica Barnfield, Zebralution; Graham Bell, EDItEUR; Simon Crump, consultant; Elise Dillsworth, Elise Dillsworth Agency; Natasha Edmonds, ProQuest, part of Clarivate; Vicky Ellis-Duveen, Clays; Richard Fisher, IPG; Oliver Gadsby, IPG; Marzia Ghiselli, consultant; Jonathan Griffin, consultant; Alison Kaye, CPI; Simon Mellins, consultant; Chris Saynor, EDItEUR; Caroline Summers, PBShop; Phil Turner, Virtusales; Sarah Walden, World of Books; George Walkley, consultant; and Tom West, Publishers’ Licensing Services.
HERE ARE THE JUDGES' COMMENTS ABOUT THE WINNERS OF THE 2025 IPG INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING AWARDS.
CPI Independent Publisher of the Year and PBShop Trade Publisher of the Year
Boldwood Books wins this Award for a second time, having passed the milestone of 35 million books sold, just five years after starting up. Its groundbreaking multi-format approach is backed by superb digital marketing, and audio boomed in 2024. Judges said: “Boldwood is a mini-powerhouse—a force of nature but with extreme expertise. It’s got all the elements you need to succeed and it looks after its authors, retailers and readers brilliantly. It’s an inspiring publishing story with truly remarkable commercial results.”
Also shortlisted for the CPI Independent Publisher of the Year were the winners of the three other Publisher of the Year categories: David Fickling Books, Sage and SPCK.
Also shortlisted for the PBShop Trade Publisher of the Year were Atlantic Books, Bedford Square Publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing and Granta Publications.
Clays Children’s Publisher of the Year
David Fickling Books wins its first ever Independent Publishing Award. Its success in 2024 was powered by comic book artist and writer Jamie Smart, alongside exciting new series, young fiction and a weekly comic, The Phoenix. Judges said: “DFB has had amazing success with Jamie Smart but it’s about so much more than that. The team believe passionately in literacy and they’re helping a lot of children find the joy of reading.”
Sweet Cherry Publishing was highly commended for the Clays Children’s Publisher of the Year Award. Also shortlisted was Nosy Crow.
ProQuest Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year
Sage wins this Award after a 60th anniversary year in which it achieved organic growth in books, journals and digital in the UK and made some smart acquisitions. Judges said it showed exemplary market knowledge and applauded efforts to make its publishing more diverse and sustainable. “Sage is delivering strong growth across the board. It’s good to see a social sciences publisher—and such a proudly and resolutely independent one—doing so well.”
Also shortlisted for the ProQuest Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year were Bloomsbury Publishing, Class Publishing and Princeton University Press.
IPG Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year
SPCK has now won this Award four times, having revived its fortunes after a challenging period in its field of Christian publishing. It had highest ever sales and market share—the result of publishing fewer books better and finding new global markets. Judges said: “SPCK is doing a lot of brave things and looking under every rock for opportunities. It’s always striving to do more and be THE voice in its field.”
Also shortlisted for the IPG Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year were Bloomsbury Special Interest Division and Vertebrate Publishing.
The Bookseller Newcomer Award
Bedford Square Publishers, founded by three former Hachette colleagues, has made a big impact in the trade in its first three years. It has established close ties with authors, retailers and readers and earned both critical acclaim and commercial success. Judges said: “Bedford Square has established itself in its fields very quickly. It punches way above its weight in sales, marketing and publicity and has built a very professional infrastructure.”
Also shortlisted for The Bookseller Newcomer Award were Renard Press and Safar Publishing.
Publiship International Award
Nosy Crow has now won this Award six times, and for the first time since 2021. Publishing directly in the US via Nosy Crow Inc has been a game-changer, and it has a share of UK publishers’ international sales that far outweighs its size. Rights and coedition sales soared, including in several new territories. Judges said: “Nosy Crow has great international visions and the energy to make them happen.”
Also shortlisted for the Publiship International Award were Bloomsbury Publishing, Magic Cat Publishing and Michael O’Mara Books.
IPG Impact Award
Atlantic Books wins this Award for the remarkable success of The Courage to be Disliked by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi. After spotting a surge in interest on TikTok, Atlantic’s Felice McKeown led a strategic and phased campaign that delivered six-figure sales. Judges said: “This is a fine example of opportunistic marketing, and of how books can be reimagined. To get bestseller status from a backlist title like this is extraordinary.”
Also shortlisted for the IPG Impact Award were Bloomsbury Publishing, David Fickling Books, Saqi Books, Sweet Cherry Publishing and Quarto.
The Alison Morrison Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
Cambridge University Press & Assessment has put DEI at the heart of its global education materials and ensures books take local sensitivities into account. It has used internships to attract more talent from underrepresented backgrounds and with new legislation nearing it has made accessibility a top priority. Judges said: “The intent and focus behind the work is very good. Accessibility is a part of DEI that is often forgotten, so it’s good to see its importance recognised.”
Sweet Cherry Publishing has been a very diverse business ever since it was born, and it extended its inclusion towards children with special educational needs and disabilities with a new Every Cherry imprint in 2024. It continues the mission of helping everyone enjoy books. Judges said: “Sweet Cherry is doing important work in publishing for readers who are too easily forgotten. It shows you can have strong diversity and ethics AND grow as a business.”
Also shortlisted for the Alison Morrison Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award were Bloomsbury Publishing, Edinburgh University Press and Sage.
World of Books Sustainability Award
Bonnier Books had a landmark year in sustainability, as it hit its target of cutting emissions by a quarter since 2019. It has ambitious goals for more reductions via the Science Based Targets Initiative, including via renewable energy and low-impact paper and production. It also planned a move to an office with best sustainability practices. Judges said: “They’ve taken a very proactive approach to sustainability and made some big cuts very quickly.”
Also shortlisted for The World of Books Sustainability Award were Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Nosy Crow and Renard Press.
Zebralution Audio Award
Bloomsbury Publishing wins this Award for Want, its collection edited by Gillian Anderson. Judges admired the casting and production, the leveraging of Anderson’s star power and the positioning of the audiobook as a distinctive format. Judges said: “It was so good to see audio put at centre stage for Want. You can feel the passion for the project and Bloomsbury made it a positive moment for female empowerment as well a commercial success.”
Princeton University Press was highly commended for the Zebralution Audio Award. Also shortlisted were Bonnier Books and Sweet Cherry Publishing.
Virtusales Metadata Award
SPCK has substantially improved the breadth and accuracy of its data lately, and it focused its strategies on two areas in 2024: its own metadata in the US, and the inbound feeds of partner publishers into the UK. It has set aim at the highest standards and says improvements have directly increased sales. Judges said: “SPCK shows a real commitment to metadata excellence. It understands its value and is focusing improvements in the correct areas.”
Usborne Publishing wins this Award jointly after a transformation of its approach to metadata. Its team have sharpened up its many feeds, especially to the US and its marketing platforms, and overhauled data for foreign-language titles. There has been buy-in across the business. Judges said: “Usborne has seen how good metadata has a through line to better sales. The team have tooled up and put a lot of effort into this area in a short space of time.”
Also shortlisted for the Virtusales Metadata Award were Abrams & Chronicle Books and Bloomsbury Publishing.
PLS AI Award
Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing wins the inaugural PLS AI Award for work to make its agricultural and food science content more accessible. The ‘AgNetZero’ software-as-a-service, powered by Librios’ generative AI tools, enables users to have ‘conversations’ with its content and obtain new outputs. Judges said: “This is smart use of tech to leverage content and find new audiences. It shows how AI can be a positive for publishing when used right.”
The Ola Gotkowska Young Independent Publisher Award
Helena Heald of Edinburgh University Press has progressed from marketing to commissioning editor. She’s shown an ability to cross departments and has worked on metadata and title management systems while commissioning for her history and classical studies list. Judges said: “It’s great to see someone breaking the silos of work in publishing. An editor who understands data and marketing so well is a great asset for EUP.”
Also shortlisted for the Ola Gotkowska Young Independent Publisher Award were: Will Dady, Renard Press; Katy Mathers, Emerald Publishing; Rosie Morgan, Granta Publications; Erin Murgatroyd, Nosy Crow and Naomi Weeks, b small publishing.
IPG Services to Independent Publishers Award
David Taylor, senior vice president at Ingram Content Group, retires in June 2025 after more than 40 years in publishing—23 of them at Ingram Content Group, where he has transformed publishers’ print and distribution options. He has led the growth of print on demand and been instrumental in making the global supply chain faster and smoother. One independent publisher said: “David has been at our side since we started and has provided global solutions for our ebook, audio and print content. He understands better than anyone the global marketplace in all its aspects of printing, distribution and sales. He’s given great service and support to the UK independent publishing sector.”
Also shortlisted for the IPG Services to Independent Publishers Award were BooksoniX, Clays, David Taylor, Lisa Faratro and Suzanne Collier.
IPG Patrons’ Award
Richard Fisher receives the IPG Patrons’ Award, which is given to individuals who have made a particularly significant contribution to independent publishing and the IPG over their careers. Richard has worked in academic publishing for more than 40 years, and for the last ten of them has been the IPG’s academic and policy correspondent, filing monthly briefings that have helped academic publishers track news, issues and trends. Richard has been a non-executive director, mentor and friend to academic publishers and has represented the IPG on various bodies. He has also been a popular conference chair and worked on the IPG’s stands at the London and Frankfurt Book Fairs. IPG President Oliver Gadsby said as he presented the Patrons’ Award: “Many IPG members have reasons to be grateful to Richard. We are sorry to see him go but know he will always be a friend to the IPG and independent publishing.”