We’re delighted to announce that on Monday 15th May, we won a British Book Award!
Team Export consists of the Open Market Team and the wider international sales team, supporting countries across the world from Germany to Singapore. It’s been an extremely eventful year, with our first trips and meetings abroad post-2020, and we’re thrilled to be recognised by the biggest UK book event of the year.
You can read the full judges feedback below:
HarperCollins shrugged off all the supply, distribution and inflation issues of 2022 to scoop this award from a notably strong shortlist.
It follows double-digit sales growth from its energetic international team, who were back travelling the world after Covid lockdowns and put exports at the heart of everything HC acquires and sells.
Some of the team’s biggest exports came from bankable brands such as David Walliams, Jeffrey Archer and Minecraft, but there were plenty of new voices too, including Nita Prose and Coco Mellors, while other authors like Bella Mackie and R F Kuang moved to the next level. The latter rose through HarperVoyager, the 2023 Imprint of the Year and the source of an exceptional international year for HC in sci-fi, fantasy and horror fiction. TikTok powered several of its other big hits, including from Alice Oseman, Holly Jackson and Tahereh Mafi—a trio who accumulated export sales of more than two million copies between them in 2022, and capped a stellar year for Young Adult imprint Electric Monkey.
Region-wise, Europe was the standout, yet Asia and the Middle East were strong too. Wherever it sold, there was exceptional promotional work with booksellers—in stores, through online events and via a revamp of the HarperReach website for international customers. HC’s global outreach was further enhanced midway through last year when it acquired (and took over international sales for) illustrated list Pavilion Books.
The judges were impressed by the breadth of HC’s exports and the determination of its team to leave no stone unturned. “It is fantastic growth in all formats and in all territories… to boost sales by this level at such a large publisher is hard to do. The list, revenue, territory coverage, marketing and digital activity were all outstanding.”
