An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole, which will be published by Poisoned Pen Press on December 30, was the winner of the BuzzBooks contest at the 2025 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Tradeshow, September 28-30, in Spokane, Wash.
Punch cards were distributed to booksellers and librarians who visited participating exhibitors on the show floor for quick pitches, a total of five contestants across a variety of genres. Booth visits were verified with a stamp from the attending reps. Full cards awarded players a vote for their pick for strongest handsell and a chance at one of three randomly selected cash prizes.
The win for An Arcane Inheritance, "a modern-day dark academia fantasy with a twist," was announced to a packed house at the Signature Dish author dinner, where the participant prizes were also handed out.
Winners of the participant prizes were Crystal Whitcomb-Johnson, Jerrol's, Ellensburg, Wash.; Julie Graham, Yakima Valley Libraries, Yakima, Wash.; and Hanna Fischer, Rediscovered Books, Boise, Idaho.
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The shortlist has been selected for the £10,000 (about $13,450) Goldsmiths Prize, which honors "fiction judged to be at the cutting-edge of contemporary literature," and is sponsored by Goldsmiths University and the New Statesman. The winner will be announced November 5.
The shortlist:
We Pretty Pieces of Flesh by Colwill Brown
The Catch by Yrsa Daley-Ward
Helm by Sarah Hall
The Expansion Project by Ben Pester
Nova Scotia House by Charlie Porter
We Live Here Now by C.D. Rose