Penguin Random House’s chances at this year’s Booker Prize are especially strong: Four of the six finalists are published by the group. They include “Flashlight” by Susan Choi (Jonathan Cape), “The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny” by Kiran Desai (Hamish Hamilton), “Audition” by Katie Kitamura (Fern Press), and “Flesh” by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape). “Flashlight” is published exclusively by Penguin Random House UK, while “The Loneliness Of Sonia And Sunny” and “Audition” are also published by Penguin Random House U.S. and Penguin Random House Canada. And “Flesh” was published by Penguin Random House Canada as well as in the U.K.
The Booker Prize, worth £50,000, is among the most important literary awards in the English-speaking territories, making it one of the most prestigious literary honors anywhere in the world. Each of the six shortlisted authors also receives £2,500. The judges reviewed 153 novels this year, all published in the U.K. or Ireland between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. This year’s panel is chaired by 1993 Booker Prize winner Roddy Doyle, and also includes Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀, award-winning actor, producer, and publisher Sarah Jessica Parker, writer and literary critic Chris Power, and New York Times bestselling and Booker Prize-shortlisted author Kiley Reid.
Winner to be announced on November 10 in London
Penguin Random House UK had five books on the Booker Prize longlist of 13 titles, announced at the end of July, which also included “Seascraper” by Benjamin Wood (Viking) alongside the four works now shortlisted. The winner of the 2025 Booker Prize will be announced in London on Monday, November 10, and according to the Booker website, can expect to see “international recognition and a significant increase in worldwide sales.”
