2026 Indie Book Award Winners Announced

Chicago, IL - The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) has named the best indie books of 2026 in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world's largest awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be celebrated at a gala on June 26, 2026, at The Newberry Library in Chicago, IL, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.

Entering its 20th year, the awards honor outstanding independently published books in over 80 categories. Organizers of this year's gala hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook, commencing at approximately 5:00 pm CT at facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards. Videos of the 2024 and 2025 events have been viewed more than 100,000 times.

This year's Platinum Sponsor is FabJob.com, a leading publisher of dream career guides with over half a million satisfied customers across 6 continents. IAP Career College (iapcollege.com), 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 in the indie publishing industry, many of whom have had long careers at major publishing houses. Drawing on their deep experience and love of great storytelling, they recognize books that deserve 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 the Association of American Publishers’ latest StatShot Annual report, the U.S. publishing industry generated an estimated $32.5 billion in revenue in 2024, up 4.1% from 2023, with trade/consumer books accounting for $21.2 billion of that total.

Book output has also continued to climb: Bowker figures reported by Publishers Weekly show that more than 4 million books with ISBNs were published in the U.S. in 2025, driven largely by self-publishing, which accounted for more than 3.5 million print and ebook titles.

To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 80+ books in the 2026 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 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:

Top Fiction Winners

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Alice Anyway, by Brenda K. Thompson (Self-Published)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Red and Me, by Terry Lee Caruthers (Star Bright Books)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Writer-In-Residence, by J.A. Hoskins (Nom De Plume Publishing)

Top Non-Fiction Winners

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Of Bloodlines and Blue Notes: Lyrics, Album Notes and Critical Essays, by Terry Blade (Blade Arthouse Media)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Flora of the Orinoco: Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Plants, by Ivan Mikolji (Mikolji Corp.)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
African-American Women Who Began A Movement: 100 Visionaries Of Freedom, Justice, And Equality, by Michael A. Carson, Matthew A. Carson, Shenika H. Carson (Double Infinity Publishing)

Other Winners

Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 80 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.

A complete list of 2026 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.

About the Grand Prize-Winning Fiction Books

Alice Anyway, by Brenda K. Thompson (Self-Published)

Alice Anyway is teased for her quiet and vulnerable ways by her older twin sisters and school mates who call her 'Alice Anyway'. The novel follows her from her childhood home and wonderful relationship with her father through her marriage to an increasingly “devoted” husband. What makes this novel a standout is of course Alice from childhood through marriage. Then there's the author's writing. Melodic and simple, the writing style fits the times, the Appalachian setting, and of course Alice. The story is compelling and lyrical, following more than the coming of age of Alice. Alice must also determine what her adult life will be.

Red and Me, by Terry Lee Caruthers (Star Bright Books)

A girl and her dog. That is a simplistic description of a story that follows 10-year-old Marlene's slow summer in Turtle Dove Junction, Tennessee during the 1930's. Marlene finds Red, and he becomes her playmate and confidant as she tries to find her place in her own world. This reader finds herself sucked into her adventures and friendships as Marlene tests herself and becomes more self-aware. Also, Marlene's experiences of love and loss teaches her the precious nature of life, something that a girl of 10 is just discovering.

Writer-In-Residence, by J.A. Hoskins (Nom De Plume Publishing)

Rebecca Morley travels to Las Vegas with her husband of twenty-five years for a special anniversary. Yes, it is special but for all wrong reasons. At dinner the first night, he tells her wants a divorce. And if that isn't bad enough, he presents her with papers for her to sign, assuring her that it is a fair settlement. And when she tries to counter with therapy to keep their marriage, he strikes back that there's another woman—and a baby! In the midst of all this, Rebecca begins seeing how he has made her world small, and she accepts these limitations thinking that she was making their life together better. Now she's on her own in Vegas starting a new journey of self revision. She wants her own life on her terms, not his. So, when she fights the terms of her divorce, Rebecca starts walking her own path. This is a clever story with strong writing. Following Rebecca as she walks this new path is sometimes shocking and many times funny.

About the Grand Prize-Winning Non-Fiction Books

Of Bloodlines and Blue Notes: Lyrics, Album Notes and Critical Essays, by Terry Blade (Blade Arthouse Media)

A beautifully layered work of music writing, history, and cultural criticism. Of Bloodlines and Blue Notes traces the way music carries memory, inheritance, resistance, and lived experience across generations. Insightful and deeply engaging, this book makes a powerful case for music as both art and historical record.

Flora of the Orinoco: Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Plants, by Ivan Mikolji (Mikolji Corp)

A gorgeous and deeply attentive work that brings the aquatic and semi-aquatic plants of the Orinoco vividly to life. Flora of the Orinoco combines scientific care with a real sense of wonder, making a highly specialized subject feel rich, beautiful, and surprisingly absorbing. A remarkable contribution to botanical study and nature writing.

African-American Women Who Began A Movement: 100 Visionaries of Freedom, Justice, and Equality, by Michael A. Carson, Matthew A. Carson, Shenika H. Carson (Double Infinity Publishing)

A clear and meaningful tribute to the African-American women whose courage, leadership, and vision helped shape movements for justice. African-American Women Who Began A Movement brings deserved attention to figures too often left at the margins of history, offering an inspiring account of perseverance, activism, and lasting change.

About the Literary Agent

Marilyn Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for HarperCollins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and many divisions of the Penguin Random House Publishing Group (formerly Penguin Books and Random House). Ms. Allen has worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.

About IBPPG

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.

2027 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Entries are now being accepted for the 2027 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2025, 2026, or 2027 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at indiebookawards.com for more information.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards is pleased to introduce the Next Generation Short Story Awards, a not-for-profit awards program for authors of short stories. To learn more visit shortstoryawards.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Marilyn Allen, (203) 820-5967