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Tom Newlands | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Notable work | Only Here, Only Now (2024) |
| Awards | McKitterick Prize |
| Website | www |
Tom Newlands (born 1980) is a Scottish writer. His debut novel Only Here, Only Now (2024) won the McKitterick Prize and was runner up for the ADCI Prize,[1] and was named Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year.[2]
Early and Personal life
[edit]Newlands was born in Perth,[3] and is neurodivergent.[4][5] He did not attend university.[6] He formerly worked as an art handler and started writing only at the age of 40,[3] when put on furlough during the COVID lockdown. Living in London at the time, he has cited homesickness as inspiring him to start his debut novel.[7]
Career
[edit]Newland's first novel Only Here, Only Now was published in June 2024 in the U.K,[8] and November 2024 in the U.S.[9] It won the Society of Authors McKitterick prize, was runner up for the Society of Authors ADCI prize, was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize, and was chosen as a fiction book of the year in The Guardian.[10][11] In November 2025 it was named Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year.[12] The book, about a teenager with undiagnosed ADHD, was widely praised for its humour, empathy and vivid prose.[13][14][15][16][17]
In 2024 Newlands spent a year as writer in residence at Bethlem Gallery.[18] He was appointed to the Creative Future Advisory Board in 2025, to help guide the organisation in their support of underrepresented writers.[19] In 2026 he was given a Royal Society of Literature Scriptorium Award,[20] and was named Passa Porta International writer in residence, in collaboration with the National Centre for Writing.[21]
Accolades
[edit]| Year | Book | Award | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Only Here, Only Now
|
Gordon Burn Prize | — | Shortlisted | [22] |
| Authors' Club Best First Novel Award | — | Longlisted | [23] | ||
| ADCI Prize | — | Runner-up | [24] | ||
| McKitterick Prize | — | Won | [25] | ||
| Diverse Book Awards | Adult | Longlisted | [26] | ||
| Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year | — | Won | [27] |
Works
[edit]- Newlands, Tom (2024). Only Here, Only Now ISBN 978-1399607896
References
[edit]- ^ "ADHD, disability and working-class life: Tom Newlands wins prize for breakout Scottish debut". The Scotsman. 22 June 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Debut novel wins Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2025". The Herald. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Tom Newlands' second novel is a story about love and the obstacles it must overcome". The Bookseller. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Loose Ends, Ore Oduba, Amy Macdonald, Kim Blythe, Tom Newlands, Rose Room". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Introducing Tom Newlands: From warehouse worker to acclaimed debut novelist - UK News Group". 20 June 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Newlands, Tom (24 March 2022). "In 1990s Scotland, our teachers taught us nothing we could relate to". New Statesman. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Seidel |, Matt. "Writers to Watch: 10 Promising Fiction Debuts, Fall 2024". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Crown, Sarah (27 June 2024). "Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands review – growing up with ADHD". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands". www.publishersweekly.com. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Jordan, Justine (7 December 2024). "The best fiction of 2024". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Team, Editorial (7 June 2025). "Tom Newlands' Acclaimed Debut Only Here, Only Now Chosen as Waterstones Book of the Month in Scotland". Wellbeing Magazine. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Debut novel wins Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year 2025". The Herald. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Popescu, Lucy (9 June 2024). "Only Here, Only Now by Tom Newlands review – visceral coming-of-age tale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Growing up in a 'manky wee hellhole' in 1990s Scotland". TLS. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "I read the Scottish Book of the Year. Here's my review of Only Here, Only Now". The Herald. 13 November 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "ADCI shortlistees reveal their writing motivations ahead of prize announcement". The Bookseller. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "BBC Radio Wales - Michael Sheen: Margins to Mainstream, Tom Newlands". BBC. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Writer in Residence - Creative Future". www.creativefuture.org.uk. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Advisory Board - Creative Future". www.creativefuture.org.uk. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ Watson-O'Shea, Cai (25 June 2025). "RSL Scriptorium Awards - Royal Society of Literature". Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Our residents". National Centre for Writing | NCW. Retrieved 31 May 2026.
- ^ "Shortlist". New Writing North. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "Longlist for Authors' Club Best First Novel Award 2025". The Authors' Club Since 1891. 24 February 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "The ADCI Literary Prize". The Society of Authors. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "McKitterick Prize awarded to London Writers Award alumni Tom Newlands – Spread the Word". www.spreadtheword.org.uk. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "2025 LONGLIST". The DB Awards. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ^ "Only Here, Only Now, Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year". Waterstones.com. Retrieved 7 August 2025.