Meet the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2026 Shortlist Authors

The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize Shortlist is here and it's time to meet the class of 2026. With books that take us from modern America to medieval Europe, from magical realism to modern satire, from private lives to open houses - these are the writers that have most excited our experience booksellers and we can't wait for you to discover your own favourite. Join us for a freewheeling conversation about technique, tenacity and turning inspiration into something tangible.

Through her writing about love, Lily King has made readers care deeply about her characters and what life does to them. A year on from Heart The Lover's publication and after a month as our fiction pick, we finally got to sit down with Lily to talk about writing love, being surprised and how she feels about making her readers sob uncontrollably.

Having captivated readers with the eponymous Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton , Elizabeth Strout has moved down the coast from Maine to Massachusetts for her latest novel, and a new character for readers to meet. We sat down to speak with her about where Artie Dam came from, what he's wrestling with and why there are still things we never say.

George Michael managed to be both enigmatic and to share some of the most personal details about his life but superfan Sathnam Sanghera has looked a little closer to really appreciate the artistry and importance of one of pop's most enduring voices. We spoke with him about being a control freak, a defining era for music and why that voice is still so special to listen to.

Following the phenomenal success of Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell returns with Land, an epic novel of upheaval and loss beginning in 19th century Ireland, with its roots in Maggie's own family. We sat down to speak with her about such personal inspiration, the mapping of her narratives and what it really feels like to be on the Oscar's red carpet.

When Siri Hustvedt lost her husband, Paul Auster, to cancer, her immediate instinct was to write. This, in fact, has always been her instinct and the resulting book, Ghost Stories, is an elegant patchwork of memories, letters and more that serve as a moving tribute to their relationship. We spoke with her about their first meeting, nearly losing him immediately, their years of partnership and the impact of his loss, in a generous and ultimately uplifting conversation.

When Douglas Stuart won the Booker Prize with his debut, Shuggie Bain, it announced the arrival of a distinctive new voice in fiction. Now, after two novels set in his native Glasgow, his third takes us to the Isle of Harris for another close study of family dynamics, repressed emotion and the irrepressible urge towards self-expression. We sat down to speak with him about this change of location and the impact of its rurality, what he learned from his encounters with the local community and more about his own journey from a childhood with no books, to a life now filled with their riches.

Artist Jackie Morris and writer Robert Macfarlane have already blessed us with The Lost Words and The Lost Spells and their third project together is a field guide like no other. The Book of Birds asks us to really look and listen to a selection of birds whose future is under threat. We sat down with them both to discover more about the importance of drawing and painting from life rather than death, how to find the voice of each bird and what any one of us can do to engage more with the wonder of these incredible animals.

The investigative reporting of Patrick Radden Keefe has already given us non-fiction classics like Say Nothing and Empire of Pain. In London Falling, he turns his eye to the story of Zac Brettler, who plunged to his death from a luxury London apartment at the age of just 19. What his parents then discovered was an alternative life that had led their son through the capital’s dangerous underworld to that Thames-side balcony. We spoke with him about what makes a story compelling, his conversations with Zac’s parents, and what ultimately led to that fatal fall.

For the first time ever, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize assembles our shortlisted authors and illustrators for a special interview in which we discover more about the joy of picture books, the nature of world building, and how they incorporate important and mature themes as readers get older. Ahead of our winners announcement on 26 March, sit back and enjoy the brilliant creativity of them all.