Congratulations and sincere thanks to the independent authors and publishers who participated in our 23rd annual, 2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards contest.
10 OUTSTANDING BOOKS OF THE YEAR
These medalists were chosen from our regular entries for having "the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground, and bring about change, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society." These are the book projects our judges found the most heartfelt, unique, outspoken and experimental among all of the entries.
___
Most Original Concept
Angels Unawares: Portraits of the Homeless in L.A.
by Casey Coates Danson (Brown Books Publishing Group)
Best Book Arts Craftsmanship (tie)
Turbo 3.0: Porche's First Turbocharged Supercar
by Ryan Snodgrass (Parabolica Press)
by Lucinda Bunnen; Design by Laurie Shock of Shock Design Books;
Photo Editing by Barbara Griffin (Lubo Press)
Most Outstanding Design
Masaaki Hatsumi: Dojo Giga | Heaven,
by Masaaki Hatsumi & Steve Olsen (Design by Erika Brask and Dan Saal of Wonderfull Design)
Most Likely to Save the Planet (tie)
The Future of Packaging: From Linear to Circular
by Tom Szaky and 15 Industry Leaders in Innovation and Sustainability (Berrett-Koehler Publishers)
Independent Spirit Award
I'm a Girl. See what I can be!
by Eunice Olsen (Eunice Olsen Media)
Independent Voice Award
O! Relentless Death!: Celebrity, Loss & Mourning
By Andrew & Lee Fearnside (Chimera Projects)
Freedom Fighter
A Whisper Across Time: My Family's Story of the Holocaust Told Through Art and Poetry
By Olga Campbell (Jubaji Press)
2019 Winners and Finalists
1. Fine Art
GOLD: In Our Eyes, In Our Words: Portraits from the Edge of Society
by Jeff Horn
(Music Care Inc.)
SILVER: Manifest Exhibition Annual Season 10
Edited by Jason Franz; designed by Tim McMahon
(Manifest Press)
BRONZE: Kimono Refashioned: Japan’s Impact on International Fashion
Edited by Yuki Morishima & Rie Nii; Essays by Akiko Fukai, Cynthia Amneus, Katherine Anne Paul, Karin G. Oen, Yuki Morishima & Rie Nii
(Asian Art Museum of San Francisco)
2. Performing Arts
GOLD: Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History
by James Mottram and David S. Cohen
(Insight Editions)
SILVER: Flying Sleeves: The Grandeur of Chinese Opera
by Dr. Chua Ee Kiam
(Simply Green)
BRONZE: Sound Pictures: The Life of Beatles Producer George Martin: The Later Years, 1966-2016
by Kenneth Womack
(Chicago Review Press)
3. Photography
GOLD: Cultures in Transition: Spirit - Heart - Soul
Photography by Oliver Klink; Essays by Anne Wilkes Tucker, Peter Finke and Geir Jordahl
(True North Editions)
SILVER (tie):
Wild India
by Axel Gomille
(Papadakis)
Joni: The Joni Mitchell Sessions
by Norman Seeff
(Insight Editions)
BRONZE: Manifest International Photography Annual 5
Edited by Jason Franz; designed by Tim McMahon
(Manifest Press)
4. Architecture
GOLD: CENTER 21: The Secret Life of Buildings
by Various Authors; Edited by Michael Benedikt and Kory Bieg
(School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin)
SILVER: Charles R. Stinson Architects- Connections
by Kristin Parker; photography by Paul Crosby; book design by Bobby Rogers; project direction by Carol Eastlund
(Wise Ink Creative Publishing)
BRONZE: Beauty, Neuroscience & Architecture: Timeless Patterns & Their Impact on our Well-Being
by Donald H. Ruggles, AIA
(Fibonacci)
5. Coffee Table Books
GOLD: St. Croix & Namekagon Rivers, the Enduring Gift: Collector’s Edition
Photography by Craig Blacklock
(Blacklock Photography Galleries)
SILVER: Fantastic Worlds: The Art of William Stout
by Ed Leimbacher
(Insight Editions)
BRONZE: Vroom!
photography by Shannon Brooke
(Working Class Publishing)
6. Popular Fiction
GOLD: Running to Graceland
by John Slayton
(Wise Ink Creative Publishing)
SILVER (tie): Hard Cider
by Barbara Stark-Nemon
(She Writes Press)
by Cathy Zane
(She Writes Press)
BRONZE: The Water Tower Club
by B K Mayo
(Fir Valley Press)
7. Literary Fiction
GOLD: Whiskey & Ribbons
by Leesa Cross-Smith
(Hub City Press)
SILVER (tie):
Across the Great Lake
by Lee Zacharias
(The University of Wisconsin Press)
Dixie Luck: Stories and the novella Terminal
by Andy Plattner
(Mercer University Press)
BRONZE: What Luck, This Life
by Kathryn Schwille
(Hub City Press)
8. Short Story Fiction
GOLD (tie):
What it Might Feel Like to Hope
by Dorene O’Brien
(Baobab Press)
by Virginia Pye
(Press 53)
SILVER (tie):
Perfect Conditions
by Vanessa Blakeslee
(Curbside Splendor Publishing)
by Jennifer Caloyeras
(Vandalia Press)
BRONZE: The Owl That Carries Us Away
by Doug Ramspeck
(BkMk Press, University of Missouri-Kansas City)
9A. Poetry
GOLD: Lord of the Butterflies
by Andrea Gibson
(Button Poetry)
SILVER (tie):
by Laura Apol
(Michigan State University Press)
by Cait Weiss Orcutt
(Zone 3 Press)
BRONZE: Drugstore Blue
by Susana H. Case
(Five Oaks Press)
9B. Poetry - Specialty/ILLUSTRATED/aNTHOLOGY
GOLD: Songs of Horses and Lovers
by Madelyne Camrud
(North Dakota State University Press)
SILVER: Olympusville
by Ron Koertge; illustrations by Alicia Kleman
(Red Hen Press)
BRONZE: All We Know of Pleasure: Poetic Erotica by Women
Edited by Enid Shomer
(Blair)
10. Anthologies
GOLD: Ransoming Pagan Babies: The Selected Writings of Warren Hinckle
Edited by Emmerich Anklam and Steve Wasserman
(Heyday)
SILVER: America, We Call Your Name: Poems of Resistance and Resilience
by Murray Silverstein, Senior Editor
(Sixteen Rivers Press)
BRONZE: Short Circuits: Aphorisms, Fragments, & Literary Anomalies
Edited by James Lough and Alex Stein
(Schaffner Press)
11. Juvenile Fiction
GOLD: AZ and the Lost City of Ophir
by Andrew Zimmern & H.E. McElhatton; Illustrated by Lisa Troutman
(Beaver's Pond Press)
SILVER: The Case of the Poached Egg: A Wilcox & Griswold Mystery
by Robin Newman; Illustrated by Deborah Zemke
(Creston Books)
BRONZE (tie):
Trygg the Dinosaur
by Paula Louise Salvador; Illustrated by John Bindon
(Productus/Tellwell)
by Lisa Cerasoli
(Story Merchant)
12. Young Adult Fiction
GOLD: The Unbinding of Mary Reade
by Miriam McNamara
(Sky Pony Press)
SILVER: Meet Me in the Strange
by Leander Watts
(Meerkat Press)
BRONZE: Fire Song
by Adam Garnet Jones
(Annick Press)
13. Fantasy
GOLD: The Heretic’s Guide to Homecoming: Book One: Theory
by Sienna Tristen
(Molewhale Press)
SILVER: Smoke City
by Keith Rosson
(Meerkat Press)
BRONZE
by Carrie D. Miller
(FiveFold Press)
The Alchemists’ Council (Book Two): The Flaw in the Stone
by Cynthea Masson
(ECW Press)
14. Science Fiction
GOLD: The Seas of Distant Stars
by Francesca G. Varela
(Owl House Books)
SILVER: When the River Ran Dry
by Robert Davies
(Indigo)
BRONZE: It Takes Death to Reach a Star
by Stu Jones & Gareth Worthington
(Vesuvian Books)
15. LGBT+ Fiction
GOLD: Paper is White
by Hilary Zaid
(Bywater Books)
SILVER: Sugar Land
by tammy lynne stoner
(Red Hen Press)
BRONZE: The Fifth Woman
by Nona Caspers
(Sarabande Books)
16. Erotica
GOLD: Domme Quixote
by Lissa Trevor
(Riverdale Avenue Books)
SILVER: Women Who Love Monsters
edited by Lori Perkins
(Riverdale Avenue Books)
BRONZE: Pop Secrets
by Markus Taylor and Camille English - pen name Jackie Notter
(Climate Publishing)
17. Historical Fiction
GOLD (tie):
A Hundred Fires in Cuba
by John Thorndike
(Beck & Branch)
by Rosanna Micelotta Battigelli
(Inanna Publications)
SILVER: A Child Went Forth
by Boston Teran
(High Top Publishing)
BRONZE
by Samuel Marquis
(Mount Sopris Publishing)
by Kristen Wolf
(Pixeltry)
18. Military/Wartime Fiction
GOLD: The Wooden King
by Thomas Mcconnell
(Hub City Press)
SILVER: Finding Sgt. Kent
by Raymond Hutson
(Köehler Books)
BRONZE: Billy Gogan: Gone Fer Soldier
by Roger Higgins
(Solas House)
19. Horror
GOLD: Our Lady of the Inferno
by Preston Fassel
(Fangoria)
SILVER: Callie: The Bayou Hauntings 1
by Bill Thompson
(Ascendente Books)
BRONZE: Headcheese
by Jess Hagemann
(Cinestate)
20. Multicultural Fiction
GOLD: The Wrong Kind of Indian
by Jessica Mehta
(Wyatt-MacKenzie)
SILVER (tie):
by Anita Kushwaha
(Inanna Publications)
by Christine Eber
(Cinco Puntos Press)
BRONZE: How a Mountain Was Made
by Greg Sarris
(Heyday)
21. Multicultural Fiction – Juv-Young Adult
GOLD: Apple in the Middle
by Dawn Quigley
(North Dakota State University Press)
SILVER: Mosquitos Don’t Bite Me
by Pendred E. Noyce
(Tumblehome Learning)
BRONZE: Chula the Fox
by Anthony Perry
(Chickasaw Press)
22. Mystery
GOLD (tie):
The Moving Blade
by Michael Pronko
(Raked Gravel Press)
by Mary Adler
(Dancing Dog Books)
SILVER: Full Service Blonde
by Megan Edwards
(Imbrifex Books)
BRONZE: The Sleeping Lady
by Bonnie C. Monte
(She Writes Press)
23. Suspense/Thriller
GOLD: High Crimes: A Georgia Davis Novel of Suspense
by Libby Fischer Hellmann
(The Red Herrings Press)
SILVER (tie):
by Taylor Zajonc
(Skyhorse Publishing)
by May Cobb
(Llewellyn Worldwide)
BRONZE: Death’s Echoes
by Penny Mickelbury
(Bywater Books)
24. Religious Fiction
GOLD: Island of Promise
by Amy Schisler
(Chesapeake Sunrise Publishing)
SILVER: Granted (May Hollow Trilogy Book Three)
by Angela Correll
(Köehlerbooks)
Bronze:
An Amish Blessing: An Amish Romance Inspired by a Beloved Bible Story
by J.E.B. Spredemann
(Blessed Publishing)
25. Romance
GOLD: Aphrodite’s Tears
by Hannah Fielding
(London Wall Publishing)
SILVER: Love All
by Rachel Spangler
(Bywater Books)
BRONZE: The Weaving: A Novel of Twin Flames Through Time
by Cheryl Lafferty Eckl
(Flying Crane Press)
26. Urban Fiction
GOLD: The Accidental Mistress
by Aya De Leon
(Dafina Books/Kensington Publishing)
SILVER: A Fistful of Honey
by Malena Crawford
(Transformation Press)
BRONZE: The LoveLock
by Eichin Chang-Lim
(Self-Published)
27. Visionary/New Age Fiction
GOLD: Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales
by Ayn Cates Sullivan, PhD
(Infinite Light Publishing)
SILVER: 49 Buddhas: Lama Rinzen in the Hell Realm
by Jim Ringel
(Black Bee Publishing)
BRONZE: Cloud Whispers
by Sedona Hutton
(Self-Published)
28. True Crime
GOLD: The Girls Are Gone
by Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann
(Wise Ink Creative Publishing)
SILVER: The Insanity Defense and the Mad Murderess of Shaker Heights: Examining the Trial of Mariann Colby
by William L. Tabac
(Kent State University Press)
by Ellen Poulsen and Lori Hyde
(Exposit)
29. Graphic Novel/Drawn Book - General
GOLD: Drawn to Berlin: Comic Workshops in Refugee Shelters and Other Stories from a New Europe
by Ali Fitzgerald
(Fantagraphics Books)
SILVER: Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime
by GE Wang
(Stanford University Press)
BRONZE: Why Art?
by Eleanor Davis
(Fantagraphics Books)
30. Graphic Novel/Drawn Book- Drama/Documentary
GOLD: Mark Twain’s Niagara
by Zachary Schwartz, Andy Stanleigh, Fred Kennedy
(Alternate History Comics Inc.)
SILVER: Mandela and the General
by John Carlin and Oriol Malet
(Plough Publishing House)
BRONZE: SCI: The Jewish Comics Anthology Volume 2,
edited by Steven M. Bergson; lettering by Andrew Thomas
(Alternate History Comics Inc)
31. Humor
GOLD: This Little Piggy Went to the Liquor Store ((Infused Edition): Unapologetic Admissions from a Non-Contender for Mother of the Year
by AK Turner
(Brown Books Publishing Group)
SILVER: The Ultimate Guide for the Avid Indoorsman: Life Is Better in Here
by John Driver
(Harvest House Publishers)
BRONZE: How to Complain When There’s Nothing to Complain About
by Susan Goldfein
(Citrine Publishing)
32. Children’s Picture Books (7 & Under)
GOLD: Little Moss, Big Tree
by M. Yap-Stewart; illustrated by Mariya Prytula
(Pebble & Moon Publishing)
SILVER (tie):
by Nancy Viau; illustrated by Talitha Shipman
(Albert Whitman & Co)
by Marta Zafrilla; illustrated by Martina Peluso; Translated by Jon Brokenbrow
(Cuento de Luz)
BRONZE: My Mom Has Two Jobs
by Michelle Travis
(DartFrog Books)
33. Children’s Picture Books (all ages)
GOLD: It’s Music Time
by T.C. Bartlett
(Sandhill Publishers)
SILVER: Tiny, Perfect Things
by M.H. Clark; illustrated by Madeline Kloepper
(Compendium)
BRONZE (tie):
Children in the Woods: A Photographic Fantasy
by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick
(Carl R. Sams II Photography)
Badger Tales: The Teacup Fliers
by Meghan Tibbits; illustrated by Sally Tibbits
(Tellwell)
34. Children’s Interactive
GOLD: Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts
by Matthew Reinhart; illustrated by Kevin M. Wilson
(Insight Editions)
SILVER: Along Came a Monster: the Monster’s Transport
by Donna Pirone Bauer and Angela Pirone; illustrated by Lorraine Dey
(Grain House Publishing)
BRONZE: Happy Holidays, Pirates
by Tatiana Koval; illustrated by Inna Chernyak
(Clever Publishing)
35. Juvenile-Young Adult Non-Fiction
GOLD: Dinosaurs of the Alberta Badlands
by Dr. W. Scott Persons IV; illustrations by Dr. Julius T. Csotonyi
(Harbour Publishing)
SILVER: The 50 State Fossils: A Guidebook for Aspiring Paleontologists
by Yinan Wang; illustrations by Jane Levy
(Schiffer Publishing)
BRONZE: Mr. President: A Life of Benjamin Harrison
by Ray E. Boomhower
(Indiana Historical Society Press)
36. Multicultural N-F Juv- Young Adult
GOLD: Sioux Code Talkers of World War II
by Andrea M. Page
(Pelican Publishing)
SILVER: Tom Max in the Wild West: True American Cowboy Stories
as told by Tomás Maximiliano Benavidez
(Lectura Books)
BRONZE: Lost Stories of the Great War
by Rosalie Lauerman
(Self-Published)
37. Multicultural Non-Fiction Adult
GOLD: How to Make a Life: A Tibetan Refugee Family and the Midwestern Family they Adopted
by Madeline Uraneck
(Wisconsin Historical Society Press)
SILVER: The Stump: My Way Out of Chicago’s South Side
by Terry L. Braddock
(Self-Published)
BRONZE: Breaking Vases: Shattering Limitations & Daring to Thrive
by Dima Ghawi
(Dima Ghawi, LLC)
38. Essay/Creative Non-Fiction
GOLD: Freedom Fighters and Hell Raisers: A Gallery of Memorable Southerners
by Hal Crowther
(Blair)
SILVER: America Deconstructed
by Chaithanya Sohan and Shaima Adin
(Motivational Press)
BRONZE: The Balance Point: A Missing Link in Human Consciousness
by Joseph Jenkins
39. Autobiography/Memoir I (Celebrity/Political/romance)
GOLD: Hurley: From the Beginning
by Hurley Haywood and Sean Cridland
(Visions of Power Press)
SILVER: Maharishi & Me: Seeking Enlightenment with the Beatles’ Guru
by Susan Shumsky
BRONZE
The People We Wanted to Forget
by Michael G. Harpold
Me & Mario: Love, Power, & Writing with Mario Puzo, Author of The Godfather
by Carol Gino
40. Autobiography/Memoir II (coming of age/family legacy/travel)
GOLD
A Letter to my Daughters: Remembering the Lost Dimensions & the Texture of Life
by Theodore Richards
With Gratitude: A Memoir of Gifts and Givers
by Jerrold S. Felsenthal
SILVER: Redlined: A Memoir of Race, Change, and Fractured Community in 1960s Chicago
by Linda Gartz
BRONZE: Buried Rivers: A Spiritual Journey Into the Holocaust
by Ellen Korman Mains
41. Autobiography/Memoir III (personal struggle/health issues)
GOLD: Nisei Naysayer: The Memoir of Militant Japanese American Journalist Jimmie Omura
by James Matsumoto Omura
SILVER: 48 PEAKS: Hiking and Healing in the White Mountains
by Cheryl Suchors
BRONZE: Relentless: How a Massive Stroke Changed my Life for the Better
by Ted W. Baxter
42. Biography
GOLD: Carl Llewellyn Weschcke: Pioneer & Publisher of Body, Mind & Spirit
by Melanie Marquis
SILVER: Pence: The Path to Power
by Andrea Neal
BRONZE: Albright: The Life and Times of John J. Albright
by Mark Goldman
43. AGING/DEATH & DYING
GOLD: On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity & Getting Old
by Parker J. Palmer
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers)
SILVER: Before I Leave: Wisdom from the Stories of Six Women Over Eighty
by Jenney Egertson
(Wise Ink Creative Publishing)
BRONZE: AARP Memory Activity Book: Engaging Ways to Stimulate the Brain, for People Living With Memory Loss or Dementia
by Helen Lambert
(AARP/DK Publishing)
44. ANIMALS/PETS
GOLD: Tears in the Jungle: Fight for Survival
by Daniel Clarke and William Clarke
(Tears in the Jungle)
SILVER: Adventures with Durango Pete: Life and Poetry with a Cow Dog Philosofur
by Stephen Hinman
(Barking Crow Publishing)
BRONZE (tie):
Pigs of Paradise: The Story of the World-Famous Swimming Pigs
by T.R. Todd
(Skyhorse Publishing)
GOLD: Orchestrating Transformation: How to Deliver Winning Performance with a Connected Approach to Change
by Michael Wade, James Macaulay, Andy Noronha, Joel Barbier
(IMD - International Institute for Management Development)
SILVER: Convinced! How to Prove Your Competence & Win People Over
by Jack Nasher
(Berrett-Koehler Publishers)
BRONZE: The Responsive Leader: How to Be a Fantastic Leader in a Constantly Changing World
by Erik Korsvik Østergaard
(LID Publishing)
46. Cookbooks - General
(Self-Published)
47. Cookbooks - Specialty
GOLD: Awesome Ancient Grains & Seeds: A Garden-to-Kitchen Guide
by Dan Jason and Michele Genest
(Douglas & McIntyre)
BRONZE: Ciao Italia: My Lifelong Food Adventures in Italy
by Mary Ann Esposito; photography by John W. Hession (Peter E. Randall Publisher)
48. Current Events I (Political/Economic/Foreign Affairs)
GOLD: Savvy: Navigating Fake Companies, Fake Leaders and Fake News in the Post-Trust Era
by Shiv Singh and Rohini Luthra
(Ideapress Publishing)
SILVER: The Jihadi Next Door: How ISIS Is Forcing, Defrauding, and Coercing Your Neighbor into Terrorism
by Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco
(Skyhorse)
by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall
(Stanford University Press)
49. Current Events II (Social Issues/Humanitarian)
by David J. Thomas, Ph.D. LMHC
(Praeger)
50. Education I (Workbook/Resources)
GOLD: Take Time For You: Self-Care Action Plans for Educators
by Tina H. Boogren
(Solution Tree Press)
SILVER: Every Student, Every Day: A No-Nonsense Nurturer®️ Approach to Reaching All Learners
by Kristyn Klei Borrero
(Solution Tree Press)
BRONZE: Owning It: Proven Strategies to Ace and Embrace Teaching
by Alex Kajitani
(Solution Tree Press)
51. Education II (Commentary/Theory)
by Danny Iny
(Ideapress Publishing)
BRONZE: Emotional Poverty in All Demographics: How to Reduce Anger, Anxiety, and Violence in the Classroom
by Ruby K. Payne PhD.
(aha! Process)
52a. Nature
GOLD: Trees: Between Earth and Heaven
Photographs by Art Wolfe; text by Gregory McNamee; introduction by Wade Davis
(Earth Aware Editions)
52b. Environment/Ecology
BRONZE: Save the Planet: An Amazonian Tribal Leader Fights for His People, The Rainforest, and The Earth
by Almir Narayamoga Suruí and Corine Sombrun
(Schaffner Press)
53. Finance/Investment/Economics
SILVER: Can Finance Save the World? Regaining Power Over Money to Serve the Common Good
by Bertrand Badré
BRONZE: 52 Weeks to Prosperity: What Your Accountant, Banker, Broker & Financial Adviser Might Not Tell You
by Peggy Doviak
(The RoadRunner Press)
54. LGBT+ Non-Fiction
GOLD: Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture from Around the World
by Tomás Prower
(Llewellyn Publications)
55. Gift/Specialty/Journal
GOLD: The Powerful You: A Message for Children & Young Adults that has Inspired Millions Worldwide
by Patrick Atkinson
(Beaver’s Pond Press)
SILVER: Until We Meet Again: From Grief to Hope After Losing a Pet
by Melissa Lyons; illustrated by Patricia Henderson
(Self-Published)
BRONZE: Walking the Heart Path: Bite-Sized Bits of Wisdom on Living & Leading From the Inside Out
by Sharon E. Reed
56. Holiday
GOLD: Ramadan Around the World
by Ndaa Hassan; illustrated by Azra Momin; Edited by Minha Kauser
(Self-Published)
SILVER: The Secret of Santa’s Naughty-Nice List
by Pat Hall; illustrated by Tamara Campeau
(Crow’s Foot Books)
57. Health/Medicine/Nutrition
by Thomas Washing
(Leather Apron Media)
SILVER: Kids, Sports, and Concussion: A Guide for Coaches and Parents
by William Paul Meehan III, MD
(Praeger)
True Wellness: How to Combine the Best of Western and Eastern Medicine for Optimal Health
by Catherine Kurosu, MD, LAc and Aihan Kuhn, CMD, OBT
(YMAA Publication Center)
Cancer Screening in the Developing World: Case Studies and Strategies from the Field
Edited by Madelon L. Finkel, PhD
(Dartmouth College Press)
58. History (U.S.)
The Third Degree: The Triple Murder that Shook Washington and Changed American Criminal Justice
by Scott D. Seligman
(Potomac Books)
Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No How: The Real Story of West Coast Rum Running
by Rick James
(Harbour Publishing)
59. History (World)
GOLD: A Dark Inheritance: Blood, Race, and Sex in Colonial Jamaica
by Brooke N. Newman
(Yale University Press)
SILVER: Cork Wars: Intrigue and Industry in World War II
by David A. Taylor
(Johns Hopkins University Press)
60. Home & Garden
GOLD: Tomato: Know-Sow-Grow-Feast
by Penny Woodward, Janice Sutton, and Karen Sutherland
by Roberta Sandenbergh, AIA
(Skyhorse Publishing)
BRONZE:Straight Dirt: New York’s Premier Landscape Designer Tells It Like It Is
by Steve Griggs
(Hugo House Publishers)
61. How-To (Crafts/Hobby/Industrial Arts)
62. Inspirational/Spiritual
63. New Age / Mind-Body-Spirit
64. Parenting
65. Popular Culture
66. Psychology/Mental Health
67. Sports/Fitness/Recreation
BRONZE: An All-Star’s Cardboard Memories
by Tom Zappala, Ellen Zappala, and Joe Orlando with Rico Petrocelli
(Peter E. Randall Publisher)
68. Reference
69. Religion (Eastern/Western)
70. Science
71. Self Help
72. Sexuality/Relationships
73. Transportation (Auto/Aviation/Railroad)
74. Travel – Essay
75. Travel – Guidebook
BRONZE: Cool Tokyo Guide: Adventures in the City of Kawaii Fashion, Train Sushi, and Godzilla
by Abby Denson (Tuttle Publishing)
76. Women's Issues
77. Writing/Publishing
78. BOOK/PUBLISHER/AUTHOR WEBSITE
79. Cover Design – Fiction
80. Cover Design – Non-Fiction
81. Cover Design - Non-Fiction Oversize
82. Best First Book - Fiction
BRONZE: High Hand
by Curtis Harris, James Rosen and James Ellenberger writing as Curtis J. James
(Copper Peak Press)
83. Best First Book - Non-Fiction
GOLD: Remembering Shanghai: A Memoir of Socialites, Scholars and Scoundrels
by Isabel Sun Chao and Claire Chao
(Plum Brook)
SILVER: Spoiler Alert: You’re Gonna Die: Unveiling Death One Question at a Time
by Korttany Finn & Jacquie Purcell
(Fawkes Press)
BRONZE (tie): Wisdom from the Homeless: Lessons a Doctor Learned at a Homeless Shelter
by Neil Craton M.D.
(Friesen Press)
84. Book Series - Fiction
GOLD: The Guinevere’s Tale Trilogy
by Nicole Evelina
(Lawson Gartner Publishing)
85. Book Series - Non-Fiction
GOLD: The Non-Obvious Guide Series (3 Volumes)
by Rohit Bhargava, James Notter, Maddi Grant, and Andrea Driessen
(Ideapress Publishing)
SILVER: Historical and Theological Foundations of Law (3 Volumes)
(Nordskog Publishing)
BRONZE: The Aztlán Anthology Series (6 Volumes)
Senior Editor Rebecca Frazier
(UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Press)
2019 Regional Winners and Finalists
These regional “IPPYs” were designed to spotlight the best regional titles from around North America and Australia/New Zealand. Books were judged alongside other books for and about their regions only, based on their quality and regional significance.
NORTHEAST – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Come, Bos
SILVER: Secrets Haunt the Lobsters’ Sea
BRONZE: Frost Heaves
US NORTHEAST – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Out in Blue Fields: A Year at Hokum Rock Blueberry Farm
SILVER: Red Scare in the Green Mountains: Vermont in the McCarthy Era 1946-1960
BRONZE: A Road Through Time: Manhattan to the Adirondacks on New York State’s First Road
MID-ATLANTIC – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Crazy About Kurt
SILVER: The Strongman and the Mermaid: The Donora Story Collection Book Two
BRONZE: Fathers’ Day
MID-ATLANTIC – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: The Stephen Decatur House: A History
SILVER: Lee Chapel at 150: A History
BRONZE: Congressional Procedure: A Practical Guide to the Legislative Process in the Congress
SOUTHEAST – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: An Unfinished Sunset: The Return of Irish Bly
SILVER: Mourning Dove
BRONZE: Heed the Apocalypse
SOUTHEAST – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: The Faces of Local Food: Celebrating the People Who Feed Us
by Charlotte Caldwell
(Farcountry Press)
SILVER: Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy
BRONZE: Kentucky’s 120 Counties: A Postcard Album (1900-1925)
SOUTH – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Valeria Vose
SILVER: While You Were Gone
BRONZE: South of Little Rock
SOUTH – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Andrea’s Cooktales: A Keepsake Cookbook
by Andrea LeTard
(Susan Schadt Press)
SILVER: Novel Sounds: Southern Fiction in the Age of Rock and Roll
by Florence Dore
(Columbia University Press)
BRONZE: 100 Insects of Arkansas and the Midsouth: Portraits & Stories
by Norman and Cheryl Lavers
(Et Alia Press)
GREAT LAKES – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Robert’s Rules
by J. F. Riordan
(Beaufort Books)
SILVER: The Clubhouse Thief
by James Janko
(Western Michigan University)
BRONZE: Still Waters
by Barbara E. Bull
(Cherry Point Publishing)
GREAT LAKES – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Wonderous West Shore
by Todd and Brad Reed
(Todd & Brad Reed Photography)
SILVER: Illinois Across the Land
by Lee Mandrell and DeeDee Niederhouse-Mandrell
(Indiana University Press)
BRONZE: Under the Radar Michigan: The Next 50
by Tom Daldin, Jim Edelman & Eric Tremonti
(Scribe Publishing)
MIDWEST – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: The Witness Tree
by Amy Pendino
(Wise Ink Creative Publishing)
SILVER: I Am Mrs. Jesse James
by Pat Wahler
(Blank Slate Press)
BRONZE: Once Upon A Sparrow
by Mary Avery Kabrich
(Open Wings Press)
MIDWEST – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Pacing Dakota
by Thomas D. Isern
(North Dakota State University Press)
SILVER: Operation Snowbound: Life behind the Blizzards of 1949
by David W. Mills
(North Dakota State University Press)
WEST-MOUNTAIN – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: In the Company of Like-Minded Women
by Elaine Russell
(Self-Published)
SILVER : Hopi Tea: A Murder Mystery
by Kent F. Jacobs
(Sunstone Press)
BRONZE: Traveling Light: a novelita
by Candelora Versace
(Self-Published)
WEST-MOUNTAIN – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Utah Canyon Country: 20 Must-See Sites and Short Hikes
by Laurie J. Schmidt
(Pleasant Creek Press)
BRONZE (tie):
In the Chasms of Water, Stone, and Light: Passages Through the Grand Canyon
by John Annerino
(Schiffer Publishing)
Four Corners USA: Wonders of the American Southwest
by Jim Turner; photography by Larry Lindahl
(Rio Nuevo Publishers)
WEST-PACIFIC – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: The Secret Life of Mrs. London
by Rebecca Rosenberg
(Lake Union Publishing)
BRONZE: Burying My Dead
by Bettie Lennett Denny
(Brooklyn Street Press)
WEST-PACIFIC – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Past/Forward: The LA Phil at 100
by Julia Ward, Robin Rauzi, Derek Traub
(Los Angeles Philharmonic Association)
SILVER: A Wild Promise: Prince William Sound
by Debbie S. Miller; photography by Hugh Rose
(Braided River / Mountaineers Books)
BRONZE (tie):
Painters of the Northwest: Impressionism to Modernism, 1900-1930
by John Impert
(University of Oklahoma Press)
Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred
by Paul Dorpat & Jean Sherrard
(Documentary Media)
CANADA-EAST – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: The Luminous Sea
by Melissa Barbeau
(Breakwater Books)
SILVER: One for the Rock
by Kevin Major
(Breakwater Books)
BRONZE: Celtic Knot: A Clara Swift Tale
by Ann Shortell
(Friesen Press)
CANADA-EAST – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Betrayal of Trust: Commander Wyatt and the Halifax Explosion
by Joel Zemel
(New World Publishing)
SILVER : No Poverty Between the Sheets
by Pauline Kiely
(Passionate Pen Publishing)
BRONZE: Treasures of the CNE: Memorabilia and Tales from the Canadian National Exhibition
by Lee Shimano
(Friesen Press)
CANADA-WEST – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Fat Cats: Book Four in the Dyed in the Green Series
by George Mercer
(Self-Published)
SILVER: Hider/Seeker: Stories
by Jen Currin
(Anvil Press)
BRONZE: Lure: Is Humanity the True Cancer?
by Jeff Marschall
(Self-Published)
CANADA-WEST – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Claiming the Land: British Columbia and the Making of a New El Dorado
by Daniel Marshall
(Ronsdale Press)
SILVER: That is Not Me: A Journey of Perception
by L.J. Nelson
(Friesen Press)
BRONZE: Larry’s Last Resort: A True Story
by Susan Riley
(Gower Point Press)
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: The Nam Shadow
by Carole Brungar
(Carole Brungar Publishing)
SILVER: Tasman: An Innocent Convict's Struggle for Freedom
by Paddy Eger
(Tendril Press)
AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Australia’s EXTRA. Ordinary. West.
by Clare McAleney & Carmen Jenner
(Creatavision Publishing)
SILVER: Women of a Certain Age
Edited by Jodie Moffat, Maria Scoda & Susan Laura Sullivan
(Fremantle Press)
BRONZE Lina’la: Portraits of Life at Litekyan
by Richard Flores Taitano Micronesian Area Research Center
(University of Guam Press)
EUROPE – BEST REGIONAL FICTION
GOLD: Straight Circles
by Jackie Bateman
(Anvil Press)
SILVER: In Servitude
by Heleen Kist
(Pollok Glen Publishing)
BRONZE: Remnants
by Stan Poel
(Heritage Beacon Fiction)
EUROPE – BEST REGIONAL NON-FICTION
GOLD: Holodomor: Silenced Voices of the Starved Children
by Lesa Melnyczuk and Phil Webster
(Carina Hoang Communications)
SILVER: Finding Monte Cristo: Alexandre Dumas and the French Atlantic World
by Eric Martone
(McFarland & Company Publishing)
2019 E-Book Winners
E1. BEST ADULT FICTION E-BOOK
GOLD: The Afterlife of Walter Augustus
SILVER: Split Rock: A Martha's Vineyard Novel
by Holly Hodder Eger
(Self-Published)
BRONZE: The Tiger's Time
by Marc Alan Edelheit
(Self-Published)
E2. BEST ROMANCE/EROTICA E-BOOK
GOLD: Heather House: Witch of Threadneedle Street
by Carmen Caine
(Dithmar Publishing)
SILVER: Just For Show
by Jae
(Ylva Publishing)
BRONZE: Etti’s Intended
by Janet Lane
(Dreaming Tree Publishing)
E3. BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER E-BOOK
GOLD (tie):
by Leah Erickson
(9MM Press)
by Elaine Williams Crockett
(BookBaby)
SILVER: Death Said the Gypsy Queen
by Susan Boles
(Argent Ocean Publishing)
BRONZE: The Shady Hoosier Detective Agency (Book1): Ghost Busting Mystery
E4. BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY/HORROR E-BOOK
GOLD: Literature® by Guillermo Stitch
(Self-Published)
SILVER: The Anuan Legacy by Traci Ison Schafer
(Inkana Publishing)
BRONZE (tie):
Web of Eyes: Buried Goddess Saga Bk 1
by Rhett C Bruno & Jaime Castle
(Aethon Books)
by Jeremy Wagner
(Riverdale Avenue Books)
E5. BEST ADULT NON-FICTION PERSONAL E-BOOK
GOLD: B Plus: Dancing for Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theatre
by Michael Langlois
(Epigraph Books)
SILVER: From Under the Russian Snow
by Michelle A. Carter
(Bedazzled Ink Publishing)
by Amy Byer Shainman
(Archway Publishing)
E6. BEST ADULT NON-FICTION INFORMATIONAL E-BOOK
GOLD: Charming Cheaters: Protect Yourself from the Sociopaths, Psychopaths, and Sexopaths in Your Life
by Nicole Kelly, M.D.
(JACC Publishing)
BRONZE: Emojigraphy: The International Emoji Language Basic
by Emojigraphy Team
(Self Published)
E7. JUVENILE/YOUNG ADULT FICTION E-BOOK
GOLD: The Princess of Baker Street
by Mia Kerick
(Harmony Ink Press)
BRONZE: Daisy Doyle
by Madonna Ball
(Abuzz Press)
E8. BEST CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATED E-BOOK
GOLD: Galdo’s Gift: The Boovie
by Trevor Young and Eleanor Long
(Tapocketa)
SILVER: Growing Up in Alaska
by Constance Taylor; illustrated by Ben O’Brien
(Fathom Publishing)
BRONZE: I Am a Girl. See what I can be!
by Eunice Olsen
(Eunice Olsen Media)
E9. BEST REGIONAL E-BOOK – FICTION
SILVER: A Far Different Path by Michael Stone (Self-Published)
BRONZE: The Wrong Boy by Cathy Ace (Four Tails Publishing)
E10. BEST REGIONAL E-BOOK – NON-FICTION
GOLD:
The Architecture of Engagement
by Jim Taggart
(Abacus Editions)
SILVER: Radical Revolution: The Fight for Animal Liberation
by Stephen Saunders
(Self-Published)