THURSDAY 9 OCTOBER 2025 We are delighted to announce the shortlists for our annual Romance Industry Awards (RIAs) 2025. The RIAs celebrate outstanding work, commitment and support for the romantic fiction genre and its authors.

The six categories are: Publisher of the Year, Editor of the Year, Agent of the Year, Romance Champion of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, and Romance Narrator of the Year.

The nominations were submitted by our members, comprising almost 1000 authors and industry professionals, with the shortlist decided by a panel of independent judges from the RNA using the following criteria:

• How the nominee supports individual writers/authors
• How the nominee supports the genre
• How the nominee innovates or improves support for writers/authors or the romance genre
• The sixth category, Romance Narrator of the Year, was determined by how well the narrator created believable and distinct character voices, managed accents and cultural references appropriately, delivered with fluency, clarity and expressive intonation, and conveyed the intent and the emotional tone of the book.

Our RNA Chair, Seána Talbot, said, “We are delighted to announce the shortlist for this year’s RIAs. The romance publishing industry is strong at present and that strength is reflected in the quality and quantity of nominations we received. Shortlisting was challenging and all those who made the list should be proud.”

Our RNA Director & Awards Coordinator Maryam Oliver commented, “I extend my congratulations to all the industry professionals who have been shortlisted for this year’s RIAs. You have all contributed to making romantic fiction the best-selling genre adored by millions of readers worldwide.”

The categories and shortlists for 2025 are as follows:

Publisher of the Year

Audible UK
Boldwood Books
Bookouture
Harlequin (Mills & Boon Series, Editorial Team)
Headline Eternal
Tor Bramble
Ulverscroft

Editor of the Year

Oliver Grant (Audible UK)
Elisha Lundin (Sphere)
Ajebowale Roberts (Tor Bramble)
Hannah Smith (Penguin Michael Joseph)
Lucy Stewart (Hodder & Stoughton)
Annie Warren (Harlequin – Mills & Boon Series, Editorial Team)
Rebecca Weigler (Bedford Square)

Agent of the Year

Silé Edwards (Andrew Nurnberg Associates)
Rebeka Finch (Darley Anderson Literary Agency)
Kiran Kataria (Keane Kataria Literary Agency)
Saskia Leach (Kate Nash Literary Agency)
Rebecca Ritchie (A.M. Heath Literary Agents)
Tanera Simons (Greenstone Literary)

Romance Champion of the Year

Book Lovers’ Bookshop
Glimmer Book Club
RARE – Romance Author Reading Events
Riveting Reads & Vintage Vibes
Saucy Books
Sara-Jade Virtue (Simon & Schuster UK)
Ian Wilfred

Rising Star of the Year

Helena Bacon (Harlequin – Mills & Boon Series, Editorial Team)
Chloe Cummings (One More Chapter)
Tia Davis (Joffe Books)
Laura Heathfield (Greenstone Literary)
Ash Jayy Martinez (The Picture of Romance)
Binti Pattani (Harlequin – Mills & Boon Series, Editorial Team)
Niamh Wallace (Boldwood Books)

Romance Narrator of the Year

Kristin Atherton
Andrew Eiden/Teddy Hamilton
Soneela Nankani
Phyllida Nash
Chloe Sommer

The winners of the six categories will be announced during the RIAs ceremony, which will be held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City, 8-14 Cooper’s Row, London EC3N 2BQ, on Monday 3rd November 2025 at 11:30 a.m.

To purchase tickets for the awards ceremony click here.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

RNA Press Officer: PressOfficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org