11th Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize Shortlist Announced

APRIL 17, 2025 - In search of the best books written by debut Canadian authors, Rakuten Kobo today announced the shortlist for its 11th annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

The award was created to bring literary recognition to Canadian talent and kick-start the careers of debut authors. A $20,000 CAD cash prize will be awarded for a book published in 2024 in each of three categories: Nonfiction, Literary Fiction and a rotating Genre Fiction category, which is Romance this year. The Romance category will for the first time consider debut books from 2023 and 2022 as well, the last time the prize focused on this genre.

“The Emerging Writer Prize is a testament to our belief that readers around the world need new Canadian voices. It has been a cornerstone of Rakuten Kobo’s mission over these last 11 years to support Canadian authors and help new authors find their readership,” said Michael Tamblyn, CEO, Rakuten Kobo. “As we all know, there has never been a more important time to ensure that Canadian authors are supported, and Canadian stories are celebrated. We are proud to present this year’s shortlist, to bring attention to these notable debut authors, and champion an inclusive literary landscape for all readers.”

The 2025 shortlist comprises six books from each category, selected by Kobo’s team of expert booksellers, and now three bestselling Canadian author judges have the difficult task of choosing the winners: Sarah Weinman for Nonfiction, Suzette Mayr for Literary Fiction, and Chantel Guertin for Romance.

The winners will be announced June 17, 2025. Details to follow.

Nonfiction

• The Nature of Our Cities: Harnessing the Power of the Natural World to Survive a Changing Planet by Nadina Galle, published by HaperCollins Canada
• Dear Da-Lê: A Father’s Memoir of the Vietnam War and the Iranian Revolution by Anh Duong, published by Douglas & McIntyre
• The Monster and the Mirror: Mental Illness, Magic, and the Stories We Tell by K.J. Aiello, published by ECW Press
• My Fighting Family: Borders and Bloodlines and the Battles That Made Us by Morgan Campbell, published by Penguin Random House Canada
• Medicine Wheel for the Planet: A Journey toward Personal and Ecological Healing by Dr. Jennifer Grenz, published by Penguin Random House Canada
• The Traitor's Daughter: Captured by Nazis, Pursued by the KGB, My Mother's Odyssey to Freedom from Her Secret Past by Roxana Spicer, published by Penguin Random House Canada

Literary Fiction

• Broughtupsy by Christina Cooke, published by House of Anansi Press
• Grey Dog by Elliott Gish, published by ECW Press
• The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard, published by Simon & Schuster Canada
• Dotted Lines by Stephanie Cesca, published by Guernica Editions
• Celestina's House by Clarissa Trinidad Gonzalez, published by Dundurn Press
• Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram, published by Titan Books

Romance

• At Last Count by Claire Ross Dunn, published by Invisible Publishing
• A Five-Letter Word for Love by Amy James, published by HarperCollins Canada
• The Circus Train by Amita Parikh, published by HarperCollins Canada
• Never Been Better by Leanne Toshiko Simpson, published by HarperCollins Canada
• Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, published by Penguin Random House Canada
• A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland, published by Penguin Random House Canada

Full shortlist here: kobo.com/emergingwriterprize

Here are the judges who will choose the winning book in each category:

Sarah Weinman, Nonfiction

Sarah Weinman is the author of three nonfiction books: Without Consent (forthcoming in 2025); Scoundrel, named a Best Book of 2022 by Time, Esquire, CBC, and NPR; and The Real Lolita, named a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The National Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, and Vulture, and winner of the Crime Writers of Canada Award in Nonfiction. She has also edited two nonfiction anthologies: Evidence of Things Seen: True Crime in an Era of Reckoning (2023); and Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit & Obsession (2020), winner of the Anthony Award for Best Nonfiction/Critical Work. A native of Ottawa, Ontario and a graduate of McGill University, Weinman lives in New York City.

Suzette Mayr, Literary Fiction

Suzette Mayr is the author of six novels. Her most recent, The Sleeping Car Porter, won the 2022 Giller Prize, the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize. The novel was also a finalist for the 2023 Governor General’s Award for Fiction, and was shortlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award, the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, and the 2023 Republic of Consciousness Prize (US and Canada). Mayr’s novel Monoceros won the 2012 ReLit Award and 2011 City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize and was longlisted for the 2011 Giller Prize. A former President of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta, Mayr presently teaches Creative Writing at the University of Calgary, is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Killam Laureate.

Chantel Guertin, Genre Fiction (Romance)

Chantel Guertin is a bestselling author of five romantic comedies for adults and four novels for teens. Her most recent novels, including Instamom, Two for the Road, and It Happened One Christmas, have been instant national bestsellers and reviewed in national newspapers, Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. Her books have been translated into German, Polish and French. Before becoming an author, Chantel worked as a beauty editor at ELLE and appeared as an on-air expert on The Marilyn Denis Show and numerous other daytime programs across the US and Canada. After dating two men with almost exactly the same name, plus a starter marriage, she found the love of her life (phew), so she knows a thing or two about romance. She now lives in Toronto with her husband and three children. 

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About Rakuten Kobo Inc.

Rakuten Kobo Inc. is the world’s digital bookseller created by and for booklovers. Owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten Group, Inc. and headquartered in Toronto, Rakuten Kobo’s millions of worldwide users can read anytime, anywhere, and on any device. With a mission to make reading lives better for all, Rakuten Kobo connects readers to stories using thoughtful and personalized curation of eBooks and audiobooks, and the best dedicated eReaders and apps for reading. With the singular focus of making reading lives the best they can be, Kobo’s open platform allows people to fit reading into more moments in their busy lives.

To learn more about Rakuten Kobo, visit www.kobo.com.

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