The Man Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world. The prize not only rewards its winner with £50,000 but also transforms their career, boosting sales and bringing international recognition across the literary world.
To celebrate the announcement of the 2016 Man Booker Prize winner, Gocompare.com has looked back over the last 16 years of the prize winning booksbooks that took home the award, and found that, on average, collectors of these titles could see returns of up to £152.19 (826%).
Every single book to have won the coveted prize has seen a notable increase in value. This year’s winner, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, is no different with signed copies of the first edition priced around £345 –, a 2,556% increase on its £12.99 RRP –, just one day after the announcement.
The researchGocompare.com’s research revealed that buyers who purchased first editions of the last 16 prize winners could see a return on their investment of up to 826% against RRP.. While aAn investor in Microsoft, purchasing £262.84 (total RRP of the 16 books) in stocks shares would see an increase of only 114%.
The research also found that collectors who had their copies signed saw the biggest increases, with an average rise of 154%.
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Remember, alternative assets like books, art and classic cars can be volatile, with big variations in value dependent on condition and rarity of the item. But passion investments can be a labour of love and people tend to collect rare books or first editions for enjoyment and nostalgia rather than financial benefit.
It’s always best to buy books that appeal to you and not try and second guess the market. However, with a little effort and luck collectors might get a pleasant financial surprise.
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As always, past performance is not an indicator of future returns.
Below is the full list and infographic
Man Booker Prize Winners 2000-2015
| Year | Author | Title | RRP (£) | First Edition Unsigned**** | First Edition Signed **** | Increase Unsigned |
| 2000 | Margaret Atwood | The Blind Assassin | £16.99 | £55 | £213 | 224% |
| 2001 | Peter Carey | True History of the Kelly Gang | £16.99 | £65 | £200 | 283% |
| 2002 | Yann Martel | Life of Pi | £12.99 | £125 | £300 | 862% |
| 2003 | DBC Pierre | Vernon God Little | £12.99 | £232 | £581 | 1,686% |
| 2004 | Alan Hollinghurst | The Line of Beauty | £16.99 | £155 | £280 | 812% |
| 2005 | John Banville | The Sea | £16.99 | £114 | £200 | 778% |
| 2006 | Kiran Desai | The Inheritance of Loss | £16.99 | £220 | £232 | 1,195% |
| 2007 | Anne Enright | The Gathering | £12.99 | £75 | £420 | 477% |
| 2008 | Aravind Adiga | The White Tiger | £12.99 | £100 | £280 | 670% |
| 2009 | Hilary Mantel | Wolf Hall | £18.99 | £600 | £1100 | 3,060% |
| 2010 | Howard Jacobson | The Finkler Question | £18.99 | £75 | £310 | 295% |
| 2011 | Julian Barnes | The Sense of an Ending | £12.99 | £75 | £300 | 477% |
| 2012 | Hilary Mantel | Bring Up the Bodies | £20 | £160 | £300 | 700% |
| 2013 | Eleanor Catton | The Luminaries | £18.99 | £100 | £581 | 427% |
| 2014 | Richard Flanagan | The Narrow Road to the Deep North | £16.99 | £134 | £480 | 669% |
| 2015 | Marlon James | A Brief History of Seven Killings | £18.99 | £150 | £400 | 690% |
|
Total |
£262.85 |
£2,435 |
£6,177 |
|||
| Average | £16.43 | £152.19 | £386.06 |
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