Entries are now being accepted for the 2025 Awards
Chicago, IL - Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) has named the best indie books of 2023.
The books are winners of the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the largest international book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored Friday, June 23 at a gala event at the Newberry Library in Chicago, IL, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.
Organizers of this year's gala hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook, commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time at facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards. Videos of the 2021 and 2022 events have been viewed more than 100,000 times.
2023 is the 16th year of the largest international book awards program. This year's Platinum Sponsor is FabJob, a leading publisher of dream career guides with over half a million satisfied customers over 6 continents. IAP Career College, which offers online certificate courses in more than 100 career fields including book editing and book publishing, returns as a Gold Sponsor of this year's awards.
The Next Generation Indie Book 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.
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." That definition remains true for book publishing.
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 Catherine Goulet, Founder and Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, "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 recent statistics collected by Zippia.com, the U.S. book industry made $29.33 billion in revenue in 2021. Over 4 million new books were published in 2022 alone, with 2.1 million of those being self published. Romance is the most popular genre of books sold in the U.S., achieving over 32 million print copies sold in 2022.
To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 80+ books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the 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.
The top prize-winning books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Out Killing Indians, by Rick Steber (Bonanza Publishing, LLC)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
A Sacred Duty: An FBI Yellowstone Adventure, by Rhona Weaver (Two Oaks Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
The Tea Drinker's Guide to Adventure, by Andrée Jannette (Andrée Jannette)
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Art of Astonishment: Reflections on Gifts and Grace, by Alice Brittan (Bloomsbury)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, by Lynne Heasley, Illustrated by Glenn Wolff (Michigan State University Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias, and I'll Show You Our Connection, by Kimberlee Yolanda Williams (Elephant Room Press)
Honorable Mention ($250 Prize)
The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life, by Joyce Marter (Sounds True)
Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 80 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.
A complete list of 2023 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.
Out Killing Indians, by Rick Steber (Bonanza Publishing, LLC)
Out Killing Indians is a first-person narrative novel with so much honest emotion and story detail that there is no let-down in story progression or awkwardness in the tale. Our prodigal son narrator is the product of the unacceptable marriage between Old Chief and a long-dead white school teacher. His style calls back to oral storytelling traditions. He stands before us, coming alive to tell of contemporary prejudice against native people and his "half-breed" status—and his father's supposed crimes.
A Sacred Duty: An FBI Yellowstone Adventure, by Rhona Weaver (Two Oaks Press)
Many novelists keep readers in the audience watching a story. Some give us characters whose thought processes are so central to their being that there's nothing corporeal about them. And the world within which they live is somewhat impressionistic. This book opens and continues with a breathing, thinking and sensory-open character who brings the reader with him at every turn. Plus, the pace makes for a most compelling reader experience. I have to add that at various moments I felt I was again reading a Tony Hillerman masterpiece.
The Tea Drinker's Guide to Adventure, by Andrée Jannette (Andrée Jannette)
This original Chick Lit novel is an entertaining and wonderfully eye-opening take on older women who don't expect much from men, even if they'd like to. While the reader is thoroughly introduced to Cathy, Betsy and Linda on the first few pages, these characters unfold and bloom throughout the book until they feel like good friends. A delightful page turner that gets harder to put down the longer you read.
The Art of Astonishment: Reflections on Gifts and Grace, by Alice Brittan (Bloomsbury)
The Art of Astonishment rekindles our appreciation for grace, expanding our understanding of its transformative power. Brittan's prose is both elegant and accessible, engaging readers in a rich collection of personal reflection and historical exploration that inspire introspection and contemplation. This truly remarkable work reminds us of the pleasures and rewards of reading and invites us to embrace grace as a vital force that shapes and enhances our lives.
The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, by Lynne Heasley, Illustrated by Glenn Wolff (Michigan State University Press)
It is no small feat to marry scientific writing and literary prose in a way that is educational, inspiring, and a true pleasure to read. Lynne Heasley has done just that in The Accidental Reef. Her exploration of the intricate web that makes up the Great Lakes serves as both a moving reminder of connection and a warning of the importance of ecological stewardship and protection.
Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias, and I'll Show You Our Connection, by Kimberlee Yolanda Williams (Elephant Room Press)
Dear White Woman, Please Come Home is a powerful call to action for white women to reflect with intention on the microaggressions and racism perpetuated upon Black women. Williams' imaginative re-telling of real harms done to her by white women is done in such a way that invites the reader to really feel what she has to say, while firmly insisting that white women must do and be better. Beautifully written and deeply moving, this book is a generous gift that will stay with you for a long time.
The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life, by Joyce Marter (Sounds True)
Joyce Marter's The Financial Mindset Fix is not just another mind/money self-help book, though it does in fact deal with the connection between psychology and financial health and well-being. Marter is a psychotherapist and mental health advocate who brings to her writings on finances an integration of psychology, personal values, spirituality, mindfulness and daily-life practicality. Is abundance simply something quantifiable or is it a quality of life and inner-being? In her book she identifies twelve Mindsets which can be self-limiting or expanding and in which she guides the reader toward self-expansion. Financial Mindset Fix is a very well written, practical and wise book and useful even for readers not necessarily seeking another "abundance" book.
We hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time on Friday, June 23. Visit facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards.
Marilyn Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.
The aim of the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group is to promote professional standards in independent book publishing (also known as "indie" book publishing) and provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession.
Entries are now being accepted for the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2022, 2023, or 2024 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit indiebookawards.com for information.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards is proudly affiliated with Next Generation Indie Film Awards – a not-for-profit awards program for film, devoted to supporting filmmakers around the globe by recognizing excellence in filmmaking. To learn more and enter a film in the 2024 awards, visit indiefilmawards.co.