Revealed: The Richard and Judy way to book a best-seller

The prize that every author really aspires to win is inclusion on the shortlist for Richard and Judy's Book Club.

Since it began in 2004, the Book Club has revolutionised reading habits, generating sales of more than ten million and made at least ten authors millionaires.

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Richard and Judy: Book Club has revolutionised reading

Inclusion on the shortlist guarantees a huge sales boost and raised profile for authors.

For example, Kate Mosse's novel Labyrinth sold 1.3million copies, making it the fastest-selling paperback of all time.

And The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, included in the couple's Summer Read list, sold 63,128 copies in its first week, making Morton the biggest-selling author in the country after J K Rowling.

The 2008 list has just been released and includes A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini's follow-up to best-seller The Kite Runner; Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, which has already won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and A Quiet Belief In Angels, the latest novel from crime writer R J Ellory.

The Book Club begins on January 9 and each week for ten weeks two celebrity reviewers will debate the merits of each book on the Channel 4 show hosted by Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.

Viewers will vote for their favourite, and the "People's Choice" - officially called Richard and Judy's Best Read - will be announced at the Galaxy British Book Awards on March 14.

Madeley said: "Judy and I have a great affection for our Book Club, and we're delighted that its following continues to grow.

"The shortlist for 2008 doesn't disappoint and we're intrigued to find out which title the public will deem worthy of winning our Best Read."

Miss Finnigan added: "Every year this Book Club opens my eyes to the wealth of emerging talent and prolific storytelling that is out there.

"Reading is a passion of mine and my expectations from the shortlist are always exceeded."

The shortlist is chosen by a team at Cactus TV, the company which makes the Richard and July programme, chaired by its joint managing director Amanda Ross.

Mrs Ross said: "I have a different team of readers compiling the shortlist every year and I'm the only constant, so ultimately the list is my decision. Sometimes I'm completely on my own with a choice of book.

"That has happened with The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, The Girls by Lori Lansens, The Island by Victoria Hislop and Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.

"The question I always ask is, 'What is the sofa chat?'

"The celebrity guests invited to review the books have to be able to talk about something.

"If all you feel after reading a book is like you've had a warm bath, that's no good. It has to be dilemmas that people can have proper conversations about."

Richard and Judy will quit their daytime show at the end of 2008, but have indicated they would like to continue with a Book Club spin-off. Scroll down for more...