Ian McEwan's novel Atonement is in the running for a WH Smith award - after missing out on the Booker and Whitbread prizes.

Atonement has been nominated in two categories for the prizes, worth �45,000 in total - the fiction section and the literary prize.

Winners in all but one of the nine categories are chosen by WH Smith's shoppers and readers.

Click here to see the shortlists

The literary award is bestowed by a jury of literary figures, chaired by Professor John Carey of the University of Oxford.

Stephenson: A life of husband Connolly (L)

Also nominated in the literary category are Niall Griffiths for Sheepshagger, Francis Cottam for The Fire Fighter, PD James for Death in Holy Orders and the late WG Sebald for Austerlitz.

Joanne Harris, Nick Hornby and Wilbur Smith are up against McEwan in the running for the fiction prize.

The biography/autobiography category is likely to be tightly fought.

Nominees include the former Speaker of the House of Commons, Betty Boothroyd, and Weakest Link presenter Anne Robinson, with Memoirs Of An Unfit Mother.

Favourite

Pamela Stephenson's biography of Billy Connolly, John Sergeant's Give Me Ten Seconds and J Randy Taraborrelli's Madonna are also in contention for the prize.

Jacqueline Wilson's Dustbin Baby is likely to be a strong favourite in the children's category, though it will be up against The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett, and Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl.

Public voting, for all categories except the literary award, begins on 23 January.

In 2001 more than 65,000 voters took part in choosing the award winners, and this year votes are being taken via the internet and by post, as well as at WH Smith shops.

The winner for each category will be announced at the WH Smith Book Award ceremony on the evening of Tuesday 9 April.

The WH Smith award shortlists

Back to top

Fiction

Atonement: Ian McEwan
Five Quarters of the Orange: Joanne Harris
How to be Good: Nick Hornby
Warlock: Wilbur Smith
The Last Time They Met: Anita Shreve

Literary prize

Sheepshagger: Niall Griffiths
Atonement: Ian McEwan
The Fire Fighter: Francis Cottam
Death in Holy Orders: PD James
Austerlitz: WG Sebald

New Talent

The Eyre Affair: Jasper Fforde
Kissing in Manhattan: David Schickler
Backpack: Emily Barr
The Death of Vishnu: Manil Suri
The Mind Game: Hector MacDonald

Biography/Autobiography

Betty Boothroyd: The Autobiography
Billy: Pamela Stephenson
Madonna: J Randy Taraborrelli
Give Me Ten Seconds: John Sergeant
Memoirs of an Unfit Mother: Anne Robinson

Children

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents: Terry Pratchett
Dustbin Baby: Jacqueline Wilson
Artemis Fowl: Eoin Colfer
Out of the Ashes: Michael Morpurgo
Stargirl: Jerry Spinelli

Home & Leisure

Nigella Bites: Nigella Lawson
Moro: The Cookbook: Sam & Sam Clark
Happy Days with the Naked Chef: Jamie Oliver
Rick Stein's Seafood: Rick Stein
Colour for Adventurous Gardeners: Christopher Lloyd

General Knowledge

The Floating Brothel: Sin Rees
In Harm's Way: Doug Stanton
Animal: David Burnie (editor)
The Blue Planet: Alastair Fothergill, Martha Holmes, and Andrew Byatt
The Earth from the Air 365 Days: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Travel Writing

Are You Dave Gorman? Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace
French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France: Tim Moore
The Weekenders: Various authors
Extra Virgin: Annie Hawes
Ma�ana Ma�ana: Peter Kerr

Business

Simply Brilliant: Fergus O'Connell
Jack: What I've Learned Leading a Great Company and Great People: Jack Welch and John A Byrne
The Rise and Fall of Marks & Spencer: Judi Bevan
Boo Hoo: A Dot.com Story from Concept to Catastrophe: Ernst Malmsten, Erik Portanger and Charles Drazin
Shackleton's Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antartic Explorer: Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell