SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

Pitch Publishing is a fantastic imprint.
They do all the great Got, Not Got series
and plenty of other retro sports titles.

James Brown, The Late Tackle, talkSPORT

Pitch Publishing show the way for enterprising
sports book publishers and remains a beacon
of hope for sports authors aspiring or established.

The Sports Bookshelf.com

Pitch Publishing, an outfit whose "pitch perfect"
commissioning of boxing material stands
as a rebuke to more established houses

Boxing Monthly

Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining
and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado
would want to read, then deliver it with great verve.

Paul Hayward, The Daily Telegraph

Pitch have enabled me to write in the ways I enjoy most.
Their production support is superb, delivering eye-catching
designs, attentive proof-reading, energetic marketing and helpful advice.

Tim Quelch, Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Orient to the Emirates, Underdog!

Pitch are willing to back out-of-the-blue and innovative
ideas and turn them into viable, entertaining books.
They do so with great presentation and editorial flair.

Justin Parkinson, Then Came Massacre

Pitch saw the potential in my story, used their expertise
to polish it, published it and helped inspire thousands
around the world to get into the sport of triathlon.

Andy Holgate, Can’t Swim, Can’t Ride, Can’t Run & Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop

The process of working with Pitch to produce Picking up the Threads
was enjoyable and rewarding, with the final edition surpassing
expectations and becoming a resounding success.

John Chandler, Picking up the Threads

Pitch will take a chance on books that other publishers won't
and realise that interest in football extends beyond the
Premier League and the top 20 countries in the FIFA rankings.

Steve Menary, Outcasts!

Pitch have the vision to look beyond the obvious,
seeking out interesting ideas and subjects and
matching them with the right target audience.

David Tossell, Tony Greig, The Great English Final, Grovel!, Natural

Pitch have been an absolute joy to work with,
contributing their passion, expertise, knowledge
and experience to help produce a brilliant book.

Sam Pilger, Ashes Match of My Life

Pitch took our original concept and further enhanced it,
using their knowledge, experience and expertise, and helped
make Got, Not Got one of the football books of the year for 2011.

Derek Hammond, Got, Not Got series of books

Pitch bought into the concept of development through football,
channeling profits and proceeds from Eleven into helping
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the world.

Steve Fleming, Eleven

In the highly competitive world of sport publishing,
Pitch have consistently demonstrated the happy
knack of spotting, nurturing and promoting winners.

Neil Dunkin, Anfield of Dreams

21 Sep

SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR

Congratulations go out to John McAvoy and Mark Turley, authors of Redemption: From Iron Bars to Ironman, which was today long-listed for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award.

A 16-strong list of nominations for the 29th 'Bookie Prize' - the world's oldest. most valuable and prestigious sports book award - includes books by Judy Murray, coach and mother to tennis stars Andy and Jamie, and former England cricket captain and psychoanalyst, Mike Brearley.

Announcing the short list this morning, the William Hill committee summarised the popular attraction of Redemption:

"Stints at Her Majesty’s pleasure are documented in two of the longlisted titles: a dramatic story of sporting salvation is relayed by author Mark Turley with former gang member and one of Britain’s Most Wanted criminals, John McAvoy, in Redemption: From Iron Bars to Iron Man – whilst serving a life sentence for armed robbery in Belmarsh high security unit, McAvoy discovered a talent for endurance athletics, which he harnessed to become a world record-breaker and one of the UK’s leading Iron Man competitors; and the highs and lows of the life of professional gambler and one of the industry’s most bombastic characters, Harry Findlay – including a one year prison stint aged 21 – as detailed by Findlay with author Neil Harman in Gambling for Life."

The shortlist will be announced on 24th October 2017. The winner will be announced at an afternoon reception at BAFTA, in central London, on Tuesday 28th November.

Click here to see the long list of nominations in full.

Click here for more information, or to read a sample from Redemption.