Books by well-known broadcasters Kirsty Wark and Sally Magnusson are among those shortlisted for a prestigious literary prize.

The shortlists for the five different award categories that make up the annual Saltire Literary Awards were announced at the Wigtown Book Festival on Saturday.

Also on the list are writers including A L Kennedy, Anne Donovan and Ali Smith.

The five categories cover history, poetry, research, literature and first book of the year, with each award worth a £2,000 prize.

The winning book from each category goes on to compete for the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year Award, which rewards the winner with a £10,000 cash prize, sponsored by Creative Scotland.

Kirsty Wark is shortlisted in the Saltire Scottish First Book of the Year Award category for her novel The Legacy Of Elizabeth Pringle while Sally Magnusson is on the shortlist for the Scottish Literary Book of the Year Award for her work Where Memories Go, a first hand account of dementia and memory loss in the family.

She is up against works including The James Plays by Rona Munro, a trilogy of plays following the fortunes of James I, II and III, which were dramatised as part of the 2014 Edinburgh International Festival.

Books in the research category cover topics such as the societal changes to traditional dialects in fishing communities in the north east of Scotland, and the life of nineteenth century mountaineer Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, while history books examine topics such as religion in modern Scotland and Scottish urban history in art.

A shortlist has also been announced for the 2014 Saltire Society Scottish Publisher of the Year Award, sponsored by Creative Scotland, which seeks to recognise and celebrate creativity and innovation within the Scottish publishing industry.

Publishers on the shortlist for the £4,000 prize range from sports book specialists Backpage Press to educational publisher Bright Red and from Highland-based company Sandstone Press to Edinburgh-based Birlinn.

The winners of all award categories will be announced at a special ceremony on November 11.

Saltire Society executive director Jim Tough said: "This year sees Scotland's most prestigious literary awards become wider in scope and greater in impact through generous support from new sponsors Tamdhu Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Historical Review Trust.

"Once again, this year's judging panel has been truly impressed by the quality and range of books to be considered for the 2014 shortlist. Ranging from poetry and plays to novels and non-fiction, extending the length and breadth of the country and far beyond, here is a wealth of contemporary literature written by Scots or inspired by Scottish culture, landscape and history."

New figures revealed by the Saltire Society show the "significant benefit" to book sales experienced by writers and publishers shortlisted for the 2012 awards.

Official figures show that sales of books featured in the 2012 shortlist rose by 25% during the week after the shortlist was announced and by a further 32% a week later.

By four weeks after the shortlist was announced, collective sales of those books shortlisted had more than trebled.

Mr Tough said: "Our analysis of the official figures also suggests that being shortlisted for these awards is very likely to pique the interest of the book-buying public and translate into a substantial increase in actual book sales.

"In publishing, we are fortunate to have a wealth of Scottish companies ready to innovate and adapt to the fast changing landscape of modern bookselling.

"Selecting a winner from this year's shortlist will be a real challenge for the judging panel given the uniformly excellent pedigree of those companies shortlisted."

The Saltire Literary Awards are organised by the Saltire Society, a non-political independent charity founded in 1936.