2018 Indie Book Award Winners Announced

NEW ORLEANS, June 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) has named the best indie books of 2018.

The books are winners of the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world's largest not-for-profit book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored June 22 at Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.

The awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many with long careers at major publishing houses. Their love of a great read and experience in the publishing arena identify books deserving a wider audience.

2018 is the eleventh year of the not-for-profit book awards program.

Catherine Goulet, Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, proudly said, "Our program has become known as the Sundance of the book publishing world."

In an article at CNN.com titled If it's cool, creative, and different, it's indie, journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: "The term 'indie' traditionally refers to independent art – music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture – created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing."

Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates dominating the book publishing industry. Indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.

According to Goulet, "The indies must work harder to get their best books into the hands of readers."

"Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books," added Goulet. "They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print."

According to statistics from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than a million books are published worldwide each year.

To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 70 books in the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen O'Shea Literary Agency, or one of Ms. Allen's co-agents, for possible representation in areas such as: distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights. Ms. Allen has worked with best-selling authors and served in senior positions with major publishers including Harper Collins, Simon & Schuster, and Penguin Books.

The top prize-winning books in the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:

Top Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Other Side of Freedom, by Cynthia T. Toney (Write Integrity Press)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Stones, by Jeanie Kortum (She Writes Press)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Rage, by Stewart Raffill (Code 7 Books)

Top Non-Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Cast: Art and Objects Made Using Humanity's Most Transformational Process, by Jen Townsend and Renée Zettle-Sterling (Schiffer Publishing)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Noname The Feral Cat! by Cynthia O'Brien, Illustrated by Anne Berry (Self-Published)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Sage Grouse, Icon of the West, by Noppadol Paothong and Kathy Love (Self-Published)

Honorable Mention ($250 Prize)
Dance Across the USA, by Jonathan Givens (EPS Publishing)

Other Winners

Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 70 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.

A complete list of 2018 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.

2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Entries are now being accepted for the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2017, 2018, or 2019 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit www.indiebookawards.com for information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Shelley Anderson 403-873-1018

SOURCE Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG)

Related Links

http://www.indiebookawards.com