Kay's book has sold almost 1 million copies

The Sound of Laughter, which sold 600,000 copies in its first two months has been nominated for book of the year and biography of the year.

Richard Dawkins' anti-religious The God Delusion is up for author of the year and book of the year.

Ricky Gervais' Flanimals is in the running for the children's book award against Peter Pan In Scarlet.

Book club

The other contenders for book of the year are children's favourite The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn and Hal Iggulden, The Island by Victoria Hislop, The Night Watch by Sarah Waters and Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.

There are also nominations for Jilly Cooper (popular fiction award), Lauren Weisberger's The Devil Wears Prada and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (TV and film book of the year).

TV presenters Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan will host the awards on 28 March at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.

The awards include the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year, which comprises eight titles featured in the show's book club.