Sarah Waters Bookie's Favourite To Win The Baileys Women's Prize For Fiction 2015

Book2BookThursday 28 May 2015 

With the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction only six days away, the latest odds from bookmakers William Hill have British author Sarah Waters as odds-on favourite with her sixth novel, The Paying Guests. This is the third time Sarah Waters has been shortlisted for the Prize* – she was previously shortlisted in 2002 for Fingersmith and then again in 2006 for The Night Watch. 

Second favourite at 3/1 is Ali Smith for How to be Both, her multi award-winning sixth novel.  Third place is occupied by the only debut author on this year's shortlist, Laline Paull for The Bees at 4/1. 
Joint fourth favourites at 5/1 are American author, Anne Tyler, for her twentieth novel A Spool of Blue Thread, and British writer, Rachel Cusk, with her eighth novel Outline. 
The outsider, at 6/1, is Pakistani/British novelist Kamila Shamsie with her sixth novel, A God in Every Stone.

Sarah Waters – The Paying Guests                                                            9/4

Ali Smith – How to be Both                                                                        3/1

Laline Paull – The Bees                                                                                4/1

Anne Tyler – A Spool of Blue Thread                                                        5/1

Rachel Cusk – Outline                                                                                 5/1

Kamila Shamsie – A God in Every Stone                                                  6/1

Set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote international fiction by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible, the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction is awarded for the best novel of the year written by a woman.  Any woman writing in English – whatever her nationality, country of residence, age or subject matter – is eligible.

The winner of the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction – in this, the Prize's twentieth year - will be presented with a cheque for £30,000 and a limited edition bronze statue known as 'the Bessie', created by artist Grizel Niven. Both are anonymously endowed.

The award ceremony will take place on 3rd June 2015 in The Clore Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London and will be streamed live this year online.  To watch the ceremony as it happens on stage, tune in from 6.45pm on Wednesday 3rd June 2015 at www.womensprizeforfiction.co.uk.