Entries are now being accepted for the 2025 Awards
Category Details · Inspirational (Non-Fiction)
These books share stories of real-life people who have struggled with adversity and, through their responses, typically help other people while also becoming transformed themselves. These books often have a religious or spiritual element to them, but this isn’t universally true. They can be in the form of an autobiography, biography, or memoir, or at least share features in common with them.
Why you should enter your book into the Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Category
Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest international awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. When you submit your book for this contest, it can be considered for cash prizes, awards, exposure, representation by a leading literary agent, and recognition as one of the top independently published books of the year!
Here's what makes this contest unique. ALL entry fees go back to winners and finalists. This includes through cash prizes; medals, trophies, and certificates; the awards ceremony; the running of the program; and the ongoing promotion of the winners and finalists.
About the Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Competition
In its sixteenth year of operation, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards was created to honor the most exceptional independent books being published today. This awards program recognizes indie authors and independent publishers for their incredible work and contributions to the literary world. It's presented by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group in cooperation with Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency).
More About Who Qualifies to Submit
This competition is open to all indie publishers, no matter the size, for books written in English. This includes university presses, self-published authors, and e-book authors who are based in the United States, Canada, or elsewhere internationally. It includes first-time authors, well-seasoned authors, and those in between. The book must be released in 2023, 2024 or 2025, with one of those years as the copyright date.
Watch and read testimonial from past participants
About the Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Awards
Awards for winners and finalists of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are as follows:
- $1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Fiction Book
- $1,500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the best Non-Fiction Book
- $750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Fiction Book
- $750 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the second best Non-Fiction Book
- $500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Fiction Book
- $500 Cash Prize and trophy awarded to the third best Non-Fiction Book
- $100 Cash Prize and a Gold Medal awarded to the winner of each of the 80+ categories
- Finalist Medals will be awarded to up to five finalists in each of the 80+ categories
In addition, winners and finalists will be listed in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards Catalog. This catalog will be sent to thousands of book buyers, media, and more. Names of winners and finalists will be listed online for an entire year, helping each of them to potentially benefit from increased revenue through this ongoing online exposure.
Plus, winners and finalists will be invited to our special Gala Awards Reception and provided with gold sticker awards that highlight their recognition. The first ten are complimentary, with more information about the stickers available here.
Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Prizes Include Possible Representation
The top 80 books in the 2025 competition will be sent to New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O'Shea Literary Agency) or one of her co-agents for possible representation (unless the person prefers not to have this happen). Allen has more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including the following:
- serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins
- directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books
- working with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more
It can be extremely difficult to get the attention of a leading New York literary agent or major publisher. They're swamped with requests, which means that many books of quality never get seen by them. Among the Inspirational (Non-Fiction) prizes, though, include this very opportunity for top winners.
If Allen or a co-agent decides to represent you, this can generate additional revenue for your book through distribution channels, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights.
Announcements of Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Awards
Winners and finalists will be notified of their placement by the end of May 2025. Other participants will not receive a notification but a complete list of winners and finalists will be available at www.IndieBookAwards.com by the end of June 2025.
Each category winner will also receive a written review from the judge.
The rest of the participants will not receive a review.
If Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Prizes Are Not Won
When a book is not selected, it's often because there was plenty of outstanding competition in the category. Winners of a Next Generation Indie Book Award really are the cream of the crop.
Other times, a book may not be chosen because it didn't fit the category as well as it should. Still other times, more editing may help.
Resubmitting to Our Inspirational (Non-Fiction) Contest
If you've entered a book in a previous Next Generation Indie Book Award competition, and would like to resubmit it in 2025, you may do so if it meets two guidelines:
- The publishing/copyright dates still fit the parameters
- You submit it in a different category
If you've revised a book that was published years ago — altering it by at least 10% — then you can submit it under the new release/copyright date.