The shortlist for the coveted East Anglian Book Awards 2024 has been revealed, celebrating the very best of publishing, writing, and reading in the region.

Now in their 17th year, the awards shine a light on the writing talent within the East of England.

The East Anglian Book Awards are a partnership between Jarrolds, the Eastern Daily Press and the National Centre for Writing, supported by UEA Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

The shortlisted titles are:

Biography and Memoir

Judged by Anamika Bhattacharjee, author and PhD student at University of East Anglia

Sir James Neville: War and Peace: A Norfolk Soldier Abroad and At Home by Sara Barton-Wood (Poppyland)

Drawn to Print: HJ Jackson by Alan Marshall (Mascot Media)

Shop on Wheels by M.Janet Becker, edited by Alan Mackley (Blythburgh Books)

Fiction

Judged by Katherine Howe, award-winning historian and novelist

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things by Naomi Wood (Orion)

Weirdo by Sara Pascoe (Faber)

Enlightenment by Sarah Perry (Penguin)

General Non-Fiction

Judged by Yin Lim, non-fiction writer and co-editor of Hinterland

Sugar Beet Moon by Tor Falcon

The Vast Extent by Lavinia Greenlaw (Faber)

How to be a Bad Botanist by Simon Barnes (Simon & Schuster)

History and Tradition

Judged by Pete Goodrum, bestselling writer and broadcaster

Different Drums: One Family, Two Wars by Victoria Manthorpe (Poppyland)

Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium by Lucy Jane Santos (Icon Books)

Logo Rewind by Darren Leader (UEA Publishing)

The Mal Peet Children’s Award

Judged by Annie Rhodes, manager at Norfolk Children’s Book Centre

Looking for Lucie by Amanda Addison (Neem Tree Press)

Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence (Penguin)

One-Button and the Sea by Sara Stanley (Scallywag Press)

Poetry

Judged by Jessica Streeting, poet and novelist

The Snow Globe by Jenny Pagdin (Nine Arches Press)

Strange Shape by Cat Woodward (Story Machine)

Knee to Knee by Rachel Goodman & Elvire Roberts (Dialect)

While submissions were received from across the country, of the 18 shortlisted titles, four are published by east of England-based independent publishers Poppyland, Story Machine and Mascot Media, and another published by UEA Publishing.

Bestselling writer and broadcaster Pete Goodrum, who judged the History and Tradition category, said: "This was a hugely pleasant, and massively informative, but seriously challenging task.

"The range and quality of the books was wide, and the quality of the submissions was so consistently high that the judging process became harder with each reading."

Naomi Wood is a novelist and short story writer whose latest collection This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things was shortlisted for the Fiction category. These stories illuminate the lives of malicious, subversive and untamed women.

She said: "I am thrilled that This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things has been shortlisted for the East Anglian Book Awards. I wrote this collection entirely in and around the cafés, libraries and campuses of Norwich - so it feels perfect to have it recognised here."

The winning book from each category will be considered by a final judging panel of representatives from Jarrolds, Eastern Daily Press, National Centre for Writing and University of East Anglia.

One of these six finalists will go on to win the Book of the Year Award with a top prize of £1,000.

This year will see the return of the Book by the Cover Award, recognising the exceptional work of illustrators and book cover designers.

Each of the shortlisted titles will be considered for this award, judged by a panel of Jarrolds colleagues including representatives from the Jarrolds Art and Stationery Store.

Submissions are also open for the Exceptional Contribution Award, inviting the public to nominate organisations or individuals who contribute to making East Anglia a rich cultural destination for writers and readers alike.

Nominations can be submitted via the National Centre for Writing website and the deadline for submissions is 10am, Monday December 2.

The category winners will be announced in the Eastern Daily Press in January, followed by the overall Book of the Year Award, Book by the Cover Award, and Exceptional Contribution Award later at an event at Dragon Hall on Thursday February 13.

To qualify for the East Anglian Book Awards, works must be set largely in East Anglia or be written by an author living in the region – which is defined as Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and area of Fenland District Council.

Books must have been published for the first time between August 6 2023 and August 5 2024. They must have been commercially available in physical bookshops.

Discover more about the East Anglian Book Awards and submit nominations for the Exceptional Contribution Award at nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk/get-involved/writers/eaba/