2017 Indie Book Award Winners Announced

NEW YORK, May 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) has named the best indie books of 2017.

The books are winners of the 2017 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 May 31 at the Harvard Club in New York City during BookExpo America.

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.

2017 is the tenth 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 2017 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 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards are:

Top Non-Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Lost Wax: Essays, by Jericho Parms (The University of Georgia Press)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Blair House: The President's Guest House, by William Seale (The White House Historical Association)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act, by Lowell E. Baier (Rowman & Littlefield)

Top Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Fireflies in the Night, by Nalini Warriar (Warriar Books)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Know the Mother, by Desiree Cooper (Wayne State University Press)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
The Coney Island Hot Dog Heist, by Kim Meehan (self-published)

Other Winners

In addition to the grand prize winners, top books were named as winners and finalists in 70 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Adult.

A complete list of 2017 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.

2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Entries are now being accepted for the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2016, 2017, or 2018 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit www.indiebookawards.com for information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Tag Goulet 403-873-1018

SOURCE Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG)

Related Links

http://www.indiebookawards.com