CHICAGO, May 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group has named the best indie books of 2016.
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The books are winners of the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest
not-for-profit book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored this week in Chicago during BookExpo America.
The awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many coming from long careers with major publishing houses, to identify books that deserve to reach a wide audience.
"Our awards program is known as the 'Sundance' of the book or publishing world," says Catherine Goulet, Chair of the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards program.
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 that dominate the book publishing industry. Indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
According to Goulet, "Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don't experience. The indies have to work much harder to get their best books into readers' hands."
"Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books," adds Goulet. "They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print."
According to Bowker's Books in Print database, more than 2.3 million books are published or distributed in the United States alone in a single year. A majority of these are "non-traditionally" published, including print on demand and self-published titles. The number of self-published titles produced annually has grown 437% in five years.
To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 70 books in the 2016 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 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:
Top Non-Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Photographing Tourist: A Storyteller's Guide to Travel and Photography, by David Noyes (D.E. Noyes Studios)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Sharing Nature: Nature Awareness Activities for All Ages, by Joseph Cornell (Crystal Clarity Publishers)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Stories of Music, by Holly E. Tripp (Timbre Press)
Top Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Immurement: The Undergrounders Series, Book One, by Norma Hinkens (Dunecadia Publishing)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Echo from Mount Royal, by Dave Riese (Merrimack Media)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
The Boat Man, by Dustin Stevens (Kindle Direct Publishing)
Other Winners
In addition to the grand prize winners, top indie books were named as winners and finalists in 70 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Adult.
A complete list of 2016 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.
2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Entries are now being accepted for the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to fiction and nonfiction books released in 2015, 2016, or 2017 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit www.indiebookawards.com for information.
MEDIA CONTACT: Catherine Goulet, 403-873-1018