The shortlist for the Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award – a prize for South African booksellers’ favourite book – has been announced.

The Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award goes to the South African book that booksellers ‘most enjoyed selling or that sold so well that it made a difference to the bottom line of booksellers across the country’.

The 2016 Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award shortlist

• Born A Crime and Other Stories by Trevor Noah (Pan Macmillan)
• Emily Hobhouse: Geliefde verraaier by Elsabe Brits (Tafelberg)
• JAN: A Breath of French Air by Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen (Struik)
• Kook saam Kaaps by Koelsoem Kamalie and Flori Schrikker (Lapa Uitgewers)
• Koors by Deon Meyer (Human & Rousseau)
• My Own Liberator by Dikgang Moseneke (Picador Africa)

Last year’s winner was Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew, who said in her acceptance speech: ‘I am so honoured to win the Nielsen Booksellers’ Choice Award 2016; booksellers are heroes – up there with librarians in my estimation. Reading can entertain, challenge and educate. It takes us to places and ideas we don’t normally visit. It can even open our hearts and uplift our souls. Thank you, booksellers for this gift you give to us all.’

This year’s winner will be announced at the annual The South African Booksellers Association (SABA) and Publishers’ Association of South Africa (PASA) conference, which takes place from 22-23 August at the Coastlands Hotel and Spa in Umhlanga.

The annual Sefika Awards, celebrating the promotion of literacy and a culture of reading in South Africa by producing and selling quality books, will also be announced at the conference.

The following categories form part of the booksellers awards:

• Academic bookseller of the year
• Education bookseller of the year
• Library supplier of the year
• Trade bookseller of the year (chain stores)
• Trade bookseller of the year (independent)

Publisher’s awards that will be elected are:

• Academic publisher of the year
• Education publisher of the year (large)
• Education publisher of the year (small)
• Trade publisher of the year

 

Categories Fiction Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Born A Crime Deon Meyer Dikgang Moseneke Elsabe Brits Flori Schrikker Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen Koelsoem Kamalie Koors My Own Liberator Nielsen Booksellers Choice Award Pan Macmillan SA Sefika Awards Trevor Noah