Beth Lincoln

Beth Lincoln
Born	(1992-02-01) 1 February 1992 (age 33) [1] Durham, England
Alma mater	University of Sussex Newcastle University
Years active	2017–present

Beth Lincoln (born 1 February 1992) is an English children's writer. Her ^[a] debut mystery novel The Swifts (2023) became a #1 New York Times bestseller and won a Nero Book Award among other accolades.

Early life

Lincoln is from Durham ^[2] and grew up in a former railway station house nearby. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English literature from the University of Sussex in 2014 and a Master of Arts (MA) in Creative Writing from Newcastle University in 2015. ^[3]

Career

Lincoln's first publication was a Hobbit-inspired short story in her village's parish magazine. ^[4] Lincoln was a 2017 Penguin Random House WriteNow mentee, where she worked on her debut novel, then under the working title A Plural of Swifts. ^[5]

In 2021, Puffin Books acquired the rights to publish Lincoln's debut middle-grade mystery novel The Swifts in 2023. ^{[6] [7]} Also released as The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, it became a #1 New York Times bestseller in the Middle Grade Paperback category. ^[8] The Swifts won a Nero Book Award and Barnes & Noble Children's and YA Book Awards in the Overall and Young Reader categories, and was shortlisted for a Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award. It was also an American Booksellers Association Indies Introduce pick. ^[9] Puffin would acquire two further titles in the series, published in 2024 and 2026 respectively. ^{[10] [11]}

Personal life

Lincoln is queer ^[12] and uses she/they pronouns. ^[13]

Bibliography

• The Swifts (2023)
• The Swifts: A Gallery of Rogues (2024)
• The Swifts: A Garden of Vipers (2026)

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result	Ref.
2023	Barnes & Noble Children's and YA Book Award	Overall	The Swifts	Won	[14]
		Young Reader		Won
2024	Nero Book Awards	Children's Fiction		Won	[15]
	Waterstones Children's Book Prize	Younger Fiction		Shortlisted	[16]
	Branford Boase Award			Shortlisted	[17]

Notes

1. Lincoln uses she/her and they/them pronouns.

References

1. Beth Lincoln (1 February 2024). "It's my birthday! I'm 32 today!" . Retrieved 2 October 2024– via Instagram.
2. Campbell, Lisa (4 December 2017). "Next WriteNow mentees have stories that 'need to be told'". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
3. Pauli, Michelle (6 January 2024). "Murder-mystery shenanigans: an interview with Beth Lincoln about The Swifts". Books for Keeps. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
4. O'Sullivan, Joanne (23 June 2023). "Spring 2023 Flying Starts: Beth Lincoln". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
5. "Penguin Random House to mentor eleven unpublished writers through WriteNow 2017 programme". Penguin. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
6. Chandler, Mark (21 April 2021). "Puffin swoops for Lincoln's madcap middle grade mystery". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
7. Bearn, Emily (2 February 2023). "The Swifts by Beth Lincoln, review: murder most splendid in this ghoulish debut". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
8. "Middle Grade Paperpack (February 2024)". The New York Times. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
9. Autenrieth, Emily (1 February 2023). "An Indies Introduce Q&A With Beth Lincoln". American Booksellers Association. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
10. Carpenter, Caroline (8 March 2023). "Puffin strikes six-figure deal for two more from Lincoln". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
11. Liu, Jonathan H (2 September 2024). "Stack Overflow: It's A Mystery!". GeekDad. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
12. Noble, Fiona (10 November 2023). "Beth Lincoln discusses her début children's book, a murder mystery with Gothic charm". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
13. Miller, Audra (12 June 2023). "The Swifts (Book Review)". Fun Fandom. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
14. "Barnes & Noble Announces Annual Children's & Young Adult Book Awards Winners". Barnes & Noble. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
15. Creamer, Ella (30 January 2024). "Paul Murray and Fern Brady win inaugural Nero book awards". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
16. "Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2024: Shortlist announced". BBC Newsround. 2024-02-09. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
17. Wood, Heloise (25 April 2024). "Beth Lincoln, Ayaan Mohamud and Matt Goodfellow tussle for 2024 Branford Boase Award". The Bookseller. Retrieved 12 September 2024.