The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has announced its 2025 longlist. Featured writers include names you might recognise – such as Labour MP Yuan Yang and Swedish singer Neneh Cherry – and others that might be new to you.
Books range from poignant memoirs and narratives of ordinary people (like Ootlin, Jenni Fagan’s powerful account of growing up in the care system) to sweeping histories and compelling takes on contemporary issues (such as What the Wild Sea Can Be by Helen Scales).
The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction was announced in 2023 after research revealed that, across seven UK non-fiction prizes, just 35.5% of the winning books from the previous decade were written by women.
The same research also found that only 26.5% of non-fiction reviews in national newspapers were allocated to female writers. Plus, the gender pay gap for authors rose from 33.3% to 35% over the previous five years.
As author and journalist Kavita Puri, this year’s Chair of Judges, tells us, “At every stage of the writing [and publishing] process – from the kinds of books that are commissioned to who gets reviewed – there are structural inequities that exist for female writers. So it’s important that women’s voices are amplified and heard. We’re living through really difficult times, and it’s important that women’s voices are at the table.”
Kavita continues, “[The judging experience has] just made me realise how many incredible women are writing about a whole range of subjects, and the importance of the prize. It’s been such an honour and a privilege but it’s also completely stretched my mind as well.”
“The question in our heads all the time is: Is this book going to be read in 30 years time?”
Starting in August of last year, Kavita and her team of judges have read around 150 submissions and worked collaboratively to narrow down their favourites to a longlist. When asked what qualities they look for in an award-winning non-fiction book, Kavita says…
“Our guiding principle is the writing: the quality of the writing, the originality of the storytelling, the quality of the research. But also: Is this a book for everyone? I think the question in our heads all the time is: Is this book going to be read in 30 years time?”
Of the 16 authors vying for this year’s £30,000 prize, 11 are from the UK. Last year, the inaugural prize was awarded to Canadian author Naomi Klein for her book Doppelganger, which The Guardian describes as “an insightful and subtle exploration of truth in politics.” Alongside the prize money, the winner also receives a limited-edition artwork known as ‘The Charlotte’, both gifted by the Charlotte Aitken Trust.
Speaking about what makes this year’s longlist remarkable, Kavita says two broad themes have emerged, one being a focus on underrepresented voices.
Rebecca Nagle’s centuries-spanning By the Fire We Carry explores Native American land rights, while Tracker by Alexis Wright tells the tale of a charismatic Aboriginal leader in Australia. As well as Indigenous experiences, the list also champions overlooked personal struggles, like Ootlin, and retellings of history from ordinary perspectives.
“So, Private Revolutions is a book about China, but it’s a story of the other side of the economic miracle through four women,” Kavita says. “I think that it’s telling stories that are well known, in a different way, or highlighting those kinds of stories that we should know but don’t.”
The other theme Kavita highlights is “an exploration of really meaty, complex themes of our time, whether that’s about power and how it’s used or unchecked power and what that could do. Autocracy, Inc. is a really excellent example of that, but it’s also about justice and injustice, and how we connect with each other. The Story of a Heart is very much about that, too, but also how we connect with the natural world.
“And then there’s a really brilliant book [What the Wild Sea Can Be] about one of the biggest issues of our day, which is climate change. But again, each book is unique in what they’re telling us and the way they approach the subjects.”
“What I think we've all loved is how books that we wouldn't normally read have really changed the way we think”
Following her 2024 award-winning BBC podcast series Three Million, which explores the Bengal Famine of 1943, Kavita is currently working on a book on the same subject. And she explains that judging the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction has fuelled her desire to become a better writer.
“I’m always kind of obsessed with structuring and the idea that an author can write about something in such a way that is particular to them,” Kavita tells us.
“What’s really remarkable about this set of books is that they are quite genre-defying. You could describe them in so many different ways. They could be a memoir but they could also be a nature book or a book about science. And it’s made me realise that there isn’t a model for writing a book and that it’s good to experiment. But also, at the end of the day, if you write a book exceptionally, whatever your subject, you will captivate a reader.”
When asked about her experience so far, Kavita is keen to highlight the camaraderie between her and her fellow judges.
“We’ve loved it so much. We have a WhatsApp group, and we’re on it all the time. We’re commenting on books that we love that are outside the ones that we’re looking at. Honestly, it’s been the most incredible experience. The judges have got on brilliantly.”
Kavita is joined on the judging panel by writer and broadcaster Dr Leah Broad; novelist and critic Elizabeth Buchan; writer and environmental academic Dr Elizabeth-Jane Burnett; and author Emma Gannon, who writes The Hyphen – a literature, wellbeing, and creativity newsletter – on Substack.
“We all come, I think, to the judging panel with our different experiences and expertise,” Kavita explains. “And so, what I think we’ve all loved is how books that we wouldn’t normally read have really changed the way we think and stretched our minds.
“I also think that the big thing about the list is that it’s not just about women for women. These are books for everyone. So I would just urge all of your readers to look and see if any interest them.”
“Everyone's a writer if that's in them. So, I think you’re never too young or too old to start writing”
Even if you consider yourself a fiction reader, Kavita explains that some of the longlisted non-fiction books can offer the same satisfying storytelling as a good novel.
“Some of these non-fiction writers could write fiction, and the quality of some of the writing is as good as fiction,” Kavita says. “Ultimately, what we all do is tell stories – whether that’s [through] fiction or non-fiction. And I think that a brilliant piece of non-fiction is as exciting, and the storytelling is as riveting, as a brilliant piece of fiction.”
Here at Rest Less, we speak a lot about age discrimination in different industries. However, one refreshing perspective that came out of our conversation with Kavita was the positive sentiments she had to share about age-inclusivity in the publishing world.
Kavita says, “I have to say, when I had my own experience [of writing and publishing a book], nobody ever asked me my age at all. And I don’t think it’s relevant. I think that people are interested in a good story and it doesn’t matter what age you are; you will be judged by your words.
“I wrote my first book in my 40s, and I have thought, ‘Goodness, did I come to this really late on in life? But it doesn’t matter when you come to writing. I think the question is: Do you have a story to tell? Can you tell it in an original way?
“With age comes life experience and confidence. And I also think there’s something about wanting to impart what you’ve lived and what you’ve learned. Now that may not be through a book, but it might be. I think that the biggest obstacle that stops people from writing is they think, ‘I’m not a writer or what I think a writer should be.’ But everyone’s a writer if that’s in them. So, I think you’re never too young or too old to start writing.”
“You don't have to have a really big audience, and you can have meaning in words that touch a few people”
If you’re inspired by this year’s longlist – which features several later-life writers – or you’ve been wanting to try your hand at writing for a while, Kavita’s main advice is to just have a go.
“Just put pen to paper and see how it goes,” she explains. “Do the words come off your pen as you’re writing?”
As well as reading widely, Kavita encourages fledgling writers to take an analytical approach to reading, making notes about what they enjoy about different pieces. She also suggests jotting down things in everyday life that “move and capture you” to inspire your work. This can be in a notepad or on your phone. But Kavita expresses that you don’t need to have aspirations of publication to find writing rewarding.
“Not everything has to be a book,” she says. “You can write for yourself or your family. Because I interview people about their lives, I know lots of people who write their life stories for their families. That’s writing. So you don’t have to go into a bookshop and see your name on a spine in a bookcase. I mean, that’s really nice, but there are lots of different ways to write.
“You might want to write a poem for your grandchild, and they might keep that poem forever and give it to their grandchild. The longevity of that is really important. You don’t have to have a really big audience, and you can have meaning in words that touch a few people. So I think that if you feel that you have it in you, then you should put pen to paper, definitely.”
You can view the full list of longlisted books for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction on the Women’s Prize website, and look out for the shortlist, which will be announced on Tuesday 26th of March.
For more interviews, head over to our books and literature section, where you’ll find chats with bestselling authors like Kate Mosse and Tessa Hadley.
Have you read any of this year’s longlisted books? Or are you inspired to give some a try after hearing from Kavita? If so, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below.