Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025 Shortlist Interview

The Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize 2025 shortlisted authors are here! Meet Catherine Airey (Confessions), Gurnaik Johal (Saraswati), Niamh Ní Mhaolieoin (Ordinary Saints), William Rayfet Hunter (Sunstruck) Lisa Ridzén (When The Cranes Fly South) and Lucy Steeds (The Artist). Join us for a free-flowing conversation about the themes and strengths highlighted by our booksellers and some winning tips for any writers out there working on their own debut.

What do you do when you've already sold over 36 million copies of your Horrible Histories books? You write the kind of book that you, as a reader, would kill to read. And Terry Deary's first love was always murder mysteries, so this year he brings us his first: Actually, I'm Murderer. We sat down with him to discover more about the incident in 1974 that inspired it, how he found his way to writing and what keeps him inspired.

Known for her pioneering work as an intimacy co-ordinator on shows such as Normal People and I May Destroy You, Ita O'Brien has distilled her practice into a book that has something to say to anyone about the role of intimacy in their lives. In a frank and honest conversation that covers why guidance was desperately needed in the entertainment industry through to her passionate advocacy for sex education that is fit for purpose, we also find out more about the path that has led her to such a unique role.

We sat down with our beloved Waterstones Children's Laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce to discuss the magic of movie sets, the power of Shakespeare, the importance of reading for children and much more as we celebrate his brand new middle grade adventure The Blockbusters! A hilarious, globetrotting adventure, in which a boy bearing a striking resemblance to a huge movie star joins a film crew on location in hope of tracking down his runaway brother....

Continuing a conversation begun with his first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, we sat down with Ocean Vuong to discuss his new book, The Emperor of Gladness, which sees a wayward young man unexpectedly caring for an elderly woman with dementia. In another fascinating conversation we see how unlikely friendship, memory and a unique look at America's working class combine in this tale of second chances.

From dismissal of symptoms to one-size-fits-all surgical solutions, women's healthcare comes under the spotlight in Naga Munchetty's important new book, It's Probably Nothing. We spoke with her about her own personal journey and the stories shared through dozens of conversations with women and men in order to better understand why women's health has been so poorly supported in the past and what might improve things in the future.

Robert Macfarlane's latest book is his most personal and political yet, asking a question which may sound simple, but which forces the reader to look at rivers in a profoundly different way to simply being matter for human use. In this conversation he takes us from the cloud forest of Ecuador, to the industrially clogged waterways of India before sending us down the white waters of Canada and returning home to the source of a chalk stream near his home. Also telling the stories of three people whose proximity to death is radically altered by their encounters with these rivers, we hope that after listening, your answer to that bold question will be a resounding yes!

Jack Fairweather brings the same rigour and narrative flair that won him the Costa Book of the Year award for The Volunteer, to his new book, The Prosecutor, which tells the story of Fritz Bauer, a gay German Jew, who retuned to West Germany on a mission to prosecute Nazi war criminals and found himself opposed on all sides in forcing the German people to reckon with their past. Join us for a fascinating conversation about personal responsibility, public prosecution, and the personal cost to a very determined man.

Completing a trilogy of outstanding books that examine the efforts to bring Nazi war criminals to account, Philippe Sands blends memoir, travelogue, detective story, and courtroom drama to stunning effect again with 38 Londres Street. We’re delighted to share his conversation with author Nick Harkaway, from their recent event at Waterstones Piccadilly, in which he shares the personal, the political and the legal facets of this intriguing journey.

Hallie Rubenhold helped readers to see the Ripper murders from an entirely new perspective with The Five, which assiduously assembled the lives of his victims. With The Story of a Murder, she does the same again with the case of Dr Crippen, shining new light on a case most know for a couple of lurid details. What happened to Crippen’s first wife, what was the nature of his marriage to his victim Belle Elmore, and how involved was his mistress, Ethel La Neve? Join us for more fascinating insight into a true crime classic.