Independent Publisher Book Awards

Enter the world's largest book awards competition and earn credibility and publicity for your books!

Final entry deadline March 15, 2014
$75 per title per category until Oct. 12, 2013
$85 per category Oct. 13, 2013 until Jan. 25, 2014
$95 per category Jan. 26 until March 15, 2014
Just $55 to also enter the Regional or E-Book Awards

For 18 years the Independent Publisher Book Awards have been conducted annually to honor the year's best independently published titles. The "IPPY" Awards reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. Independent spirit and expertise comes from publishers of all sizes and budgets, and books are judged with that in mind. All independent, university, small press, and self-publishers who produce books intended for the North American market are eligible to enter. Independent authors using print-on-demand publishing services are welcome to enter their books themselves.

National entries will be accepted in 76 categories, including 19 fiction categories. We recently split the Gay/Lesbian category into separate Fiction and Non-Fiction categories ; we added Juvenile Fiction and Military/Wartime Fiction, and split the Mystery category into Mystery/Cozy/Noir and Suspense/Thriller. Memoir has been divided into three divisions, and History into U.S. and World divisions; we also recently added the category Gift/Specialty/Journal. Our newest category is Book/Author/Publisher Website, for which we’ll award medals to the websites our judges choose as the best site for promoting a book, author or publisher. (This category replaces Best Book Marketing.)

Awards will be given in recognition of the Best Regional Fiction and Best Regional Non-Fiction books in eight U.S. and two Canadian regions, plus Australia/New Zealand. Regional books of fiction are typically set within the region, and deal with a local event, characters or topic; regional non-fiction entries are often guidebooks, picture books and informative books on regional history, geography, travel, etc. If your book is written or published with a regional focus, don't miss the opportunity to extend your exposure and increase your chances of winning a regional Independent Publisher Book Award. In general, children’s picture books don’t fare well in these categories.

To acknowledge the growing importance of e-books in our fast-changing business of publishing and bookselling, we’ve added an e-book division to the IPPY Awards. This year we will accept e-books in all categories, and also present ten new e-book awards: Best Adult Fiction E-Book, Best Adult Non-Fiction E-Book, Best Romance/Erotica E-Book; Best Mystery/Thriller E-Book; Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror E-Book; Best Non-Fiction Personal E-Book (Self-Help, Memoir, Inspirational, etc.); Best Non-Fiction Informational E-Book (Business, History, Parenting, etc.); Best Juvenile Fiction E-Book, Best Children’s Illustrated E-Book, Best Regional E-Book (East) and Best Regional E-Book (West). Regional – East includes entries from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Regional –West includes entries from Australia, New Zealand, and the Orient. Entry fee is just $55 when adding an e-book entry to a regular print book entry; fees are the same as National category fees when entering an e-book category only.

E-Book and Audiobooks Eligibility and Submission

We do accept both e-books and audiobooks in our regular subject categories, and they may be submitted electronically in any commonly used format.

For 30 years our mission at IndependentPublisher.com has been to recognize and encourage the work of publishers who exhibit the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground and bring about change. One book in each of the following categories will receive a gold medal for Outstanding Book of the Year:

Most Original Concept
Most Likely to Save the Planet
Most Outstanding Design
Peacemaker of the Year
Outstanding E-Book Achievement
Best Book Arts Craftsmanship
Independent Spirit Award
Independent Voice Award

These winning titles may or may not be medalists among the regular national categories or regional competition. No extra effort is needed to enter; they will be chosen from the regular Award entries. Categories are subject to change.

The Independent Publisher Book Awards, launched in 1996, were designed to bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers. Established as the first awards program open exclusively to independents, the "IPPYs" recognize hundreds of the year's best books, giving them instant credibility and bringing them to the attention of booksellers, buyers, librarians, and book lovers around the world.

Each year we see continued emergence of quality publishing from independents around the world. About 2,000 publishers participate each year, from all 50 United States, Canada, and English-speaking countries around the world. We define "independent" as 1) independently owned and operated; 2) operated by a foundation or university; or 3) long-time independents that became incorporated but operate autonomously and publish fewer than 50 titles a year.

Our IPPY Awards contest now receives more than 5,000 book entries, making this the largest independent book awards contest in the world. Popular categories like Memoir and Inspirational receive over 150 entries, increasing the competitiveness and legitimacy of the Awards. Book reviewers, buyers, and book lovers are always on the lookout for "proven winners!"

The Millionaire Next Door, a winner in our inaugural 1997 awards contest, has gone on to sell more than 2.5 million copies and spawn off-shoots including The Millionaire Mind.

1997 Cookbook winner Southern Settings, published by the Decatur General Hospital Foundation, continues to sell today, thanks in part to the Awards sticker on the cover of each copy.

A major pharmaceutical company discovered IPPY winner Fit to Cook: Why "Waist" Time in the Kitchen? and bought 187,000 copies to use in a promotional campaign.

Our 2004 IPPY Fiction category winner, The Sleeping Father, by Matthew Sharpe, was also a TODAY Show Book Club winner, got notices in the New York Times and Publishers Weekly, and has become a popular reading group selection.

“I just want to let you know that you have fulfilled my wildest dreams for my book! I found the Ippy Awards online 6 years ago shortly after beginning my book and entering my book was something I always knew I would do. Winning the Gold Medal has made my year!”

- Mary Anne Appleby, author of Winnie the Bear (Dominion Street Publishing) gold medalist in the Canada-West – Best Regional Non-Fiction category

“Wanted to share some exciting news... we just signed a book deal with Atria Books (a division of Simon and Schuster). Our book is going to be re-released in July 2011. Guess you were right!”

- Stacy Krastins, The Stocked Kitchen (2010 Cookbook category medalist)

“Our winning of a gold medal in the 2008 competition has greatly helped book sales. We sold nearly 2500 copies of Wild Alberta at the Crossroads last year and had to order a reprint of 1500. When we show retailers the gold medal they are always impressed and invariably order some books.”

- Robin White, NatureWatch Partners

“I was speaking to (a publisher I'd met at BookExpo) on the phone and she didn't remember me, but then the moment I said that my book won the 2006 IPPY Award for Outstanding Book of the Year - Most Life Changing, she immediately perked up and went "OH." She got really excited after that and wanted to hear more about my book. She was happily anticipating my book proposal. First, it shows how well-known and prestigious the IPPY award is. Just the name IPPY Award can knock down brick walls. Second, it's a great example of how important it is for authors to submit their books to award contests.”

- Bronwyn Marmo, author of The Food is a Lie, the Truth is Within

“Equipped with these awards, the book has taken on a new life. We've had several reviewers who passed on the chance to review it the first time around offer to review it now. We've also had some paperback reprint interest and even some film interest.”

- Joan Schweighardt, author of 2004 winner, the historical thriller Gudrun's Tapestry

“The fact is award stickers help to convince buyers to purchase. I've seen this happen with librarians -- when faced with two competing titles and a limited acquisition budget the librarians will take the one that won an award, any award, over the title that doesn't have an award to its credit. I'm confident that this same phenomena works for bookstore patrons browsing the shelves as well."

- Jim Cox, Midwest Book Review

“It was always going to be difficult for me to do business all the way from Australia. You and your awards have provided a "foot in the door" in the US market for me, which I thoroughly appreciate!”

- Ronald Johnston, One Vision Books, Brisbane, Australia

“I received the award for the William Fox book, and I can't tell you how happy I was to see it. We are a very small company and put our heart and soul into each book, often finding photos for the text ourselves and arguing with writers, who insist their work is perfect and not to be touched. Very few of our writers realize a good editor only makes them look better. But it's so nice to have your work recognized, especially since usually we only get complaints. I sincerely thank you.”

- Susan Svehla Midnight Marquee Press

Please visit these other Jenkins Group Publishing Service Companies:
Book Publishing • Books are Marketing Tools • Jenkins Group, Inc. •
Special Market Book Sales • Independent Publisher • Printellectual • eLit Book Awards •
Living Now Book Awards • Moonbeam Children's Book Awards • Axiom Business Book Awards •
PressKitPlus • Global Book Shows • Targeted Media Release • The Critic's Bookshelf • Your Pub Site

Independent Publisher Book Awards is published by Jenkins Group, Inc.
1129 Woodmere, Suite B, Traverse City, MI 49686
800.706.4636 main: 231.933.0445 fax: 231.933.0448