“Robert Kuok: A Memoir” was a sleeper bestseller in which the media-shy 94-year-old opened up to American journalist Andrew Tanzer about his life.

The awards recognise the best in local book publishing, The Straits Times reported.

The winners came from 31 shortlisted books in seven categories — Best Children’s Picture Book, Best Middle Grade/Young Adult Title, Best Fiction Title, Best Non-Fiction Title, Best Education Title, Best Book Cover Design and Best Illustrated Non-Fiction Title.

Robert Kuok’s memoir was expected to sell 4,000 copies, but sold 10 times that number in just four months and spent 33 weeks on The Straits Times bestseller list for non-fiction.

The newspaper quoted judge Michelle Martin, a radio host on Money FM 89.3, as describing the memoir as “an extraordinary book about a legendary man who rose from a broken home to incredible material success”.

Kuok’s publisher, Landmark Books, had another winner with “Stranger To Myself”, by Md Sharif Uddin, believed to be the first Bangladeshi construction worker to publish a memoir in English about his experience working in Singapore. It won the Best Non-Fiction Title.

Fantasy novel “The Gatekeeper” by Nuraliah Norasid won both Best Fiction Title and Best Book Cover Design.

The Best Children’s Picture Book went to “The First Journey” by Vietnamese duo Phung Nguyen Quang and Huynh Kim Lien.

Straits Times Press received Best Education Title for the workbook “Mastering English With The Straits Times: The Secondary Edition”, which helps students prepare for the O-level English examination.