'A prize for readers' - Kate Mosse on the Women's Prize for Fiction

Over the last 25 years, the prize has become arguably one of the three most important literary prizes for novels in the UK, alongside the Booker Prize and the Costa Book Award. It was launched in January 1996 after the seed for the idea was firstly planted in the early 90s, when the Booker shortlist in 1991 was comprised of only men. By 1992, only 10% of shortlisted novelists in the entire history of the Booker had been women. After some debate, a group of journalists, reviewers, agents, publishers, librarians and booksellers decided to set up a new literary prize that would celebrate fiction by women: the Women's Committee was founded. Four of the original committee members are still involved in the prize: publisher Susan Sandon, literary agent Jane Gregory, prize director Harriet Hastings, and co-founder Kate Mosse.