Beth Lincoln


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

Early life

Lincoln is from Durham and grew up in a former railway station house nearby. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Sussex in 2014 and a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Newcastle University in 2015.

Career

Lincoln's first publication was a Hobbit- inspired short story in her village's parish magazine. 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.
In 2021, Puffin Books acquired the rights to publish Lincoln's debut middle-grade mystery novel The Swifts in 2023. Also released as The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels, it became a #1 New York Times bestseller in the Middle Grade Paperback category. 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. Puffin would acquire two further titles in the series, published in 2024 and 2026 respectively.

Personal life

Lincoln is queer and uses she/they pronouns.