2005 Medalists

The 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards attracted books from over 1,500 publishers around the world; from all 50 U.S. states, nine Canadian provinces, and 18 foreign countries. The ninth annual, 2005 Awards saw a continued increase in quality and diversity – and the writing and publishing exhibited great passion. Yes, independent authors and publishers are passionate about getting their message out, and they are changing the world, one book at a time…

Thanks and congratulations to all participants for your truly great work!

And now, the results:


Ten Outstanding Books of the Year

For 22 years our mission at Independent Publisher 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 changes, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society, our environment, and our collective spirit. Each will receive a $500 cash award.

Most Original Concept
Goodbye Gutenberg: How a Bronx Teacher Defied 500 Years of Tradition and Launched an Astonishing Renaissance, written and designed by Valerie Kirschenbaum (Global Renaissance Society, LLC)

Most Likely to Save the Planet
The Face of Human Rights, edited by Walter Kälin, Lars Müller and Judith Wyttenbach (Lars Müller Publishers)

Best Corporate Branding Book
The Lotus Book: The Complete History of Lotus Cars – Series Three, by William Taylor (Coterie Press Limited)

Most Unique Design
The Cult of Mac, by Leander Kahney; design by Octopod Studios (No Starch Press)

Best Book Arts Craftsmanship
McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern - Issue #13 (The Comics Issue) Managing Editor: Eli Horowitz; Guest Editor Chris Ware

Story Teller of the Year
Joe Hayes, author of Ghost Fever (Mal de Fantasma) and La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) (Cinco Puntos Press)

Most Inspirational to Youth
If I Knew Then…, by Amy Fisher and Robbie Woliver (iUniverse)

Most Life-Changing
Sacred Earth, Planet of Light: A Visionary Photo-Essay Exploring the Unity of Nature, Life and Spirit, by Ernest L. King (Silver Bear Press)

Best Health Book
Our Drink: Detoxing the Perfect Family, by Chris Volkmann & Toren Volkmann (Elton-Wolf Publishing)

Business Breakthrough of the Year
Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness – How to Make Sales FOREVER (Bard Press)


2005 INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS

1. Fine Art

Winner: Georgia O’Keeffe and New Mexico: A Sense of Place (Princeton Univ Press/Georgia O’Keeffe Museum)

Finalists: Ceramics from the House of Amphora: 1890-1915 (Richard L. Scott)

Trench Art: An Illustrated History (Silverpenny Press)


2. Performing Arts

Winner: Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage (Collectors Press)

Finalists: Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass (Michigan State Univ Press)

The Wilco Book (Picturebox)


3. Photography

Winner: A Voice Within: The Lake Superior Nudes (Blacklock Photography Studios)

Finalists: Joel Sternfeld: American Prospects (D.A.P.) 

At the Pulse of Life: About Nature and Photography (Kilda-Verlag)


4. Architecture

Winner: Long Beach Architecture: The Unexpected Metropolis (Hennessey + Ingalls)

Finalists: Architecture as Signs and Systems: For a Mannerist Time (Belknap/Harvard)

A Heritage in Iron (Double Shoe Cattle Company)


5. General Fiction

Winner: Meritocracy: A Love Story, by Jeffrey Lewis (Other Press)

Finalists: Portisville, by Steve Cushman (Novello Festival Press)

Incantation, by Steven M. Greenberg (The Streamside Company)

Waiting for White Horses, by Nathan Jorgenson (Flat Rock Publishing)

Inheritance, by Lan Samantha Chang (W.W. Norton)


6. Short Story Fiction

Winner: Love to the Spirits, by Stephen March (River City Publishing)

Finalists: Ideas of Heaven, by Joan Silber (W.W. Norton)

How We Are Hungry, by Dave Eggers (McSweeney’s)


7. Anthologies

Winner: The Merrimack Literary Review: A collection of poetry and prose, Edited by Ron Howland & Greg Waters (The Merrimack Literary Review)

Finalists: Pieces of Me: The Voices of WriteGirl, Edited by Keren Taylor (WriteGirl Publications)

Breath of Parted Lips: Voices from the Robert Frost Place Vol. II, Edited by Sydney Lea (CavanKerry Press)


8. Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction

Winner: Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton (Annick Press)

Finalists: Beacon Street Girls: Worst Enemies/Best Friends, by Annie Bryant (B*tween Productions)

Lady’s Big Surprise, by JoAnn S. Dawson (F.T. Richards Publishing)


9. Fantasy/Science Fiction

Winner: Singularity, by Bill DeSmedt (per Aspera)

Finalists: Binary Tales, by John and Lawrence Buentello (iUniverse)

Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, by Tee Morris (Dragon Moon Press)


10. Historical/Military Fiction

Winner: The Fallen Nightingale, by John W. Milton (Swan Books/Beaver’s Pond Press)

Finalists: The Kochi Maru Affair, by Daniel C. Helix (Devil Mountain Books)

The Red Caduceus, by Gerald A. Strand (Llumina Press)


11. Horror

Winner: The Unseen, by Lee Driver (Full Moon Publishing)

Finalists: Reach of the Claw, by Lawrence Crossett (LTDBooks)

Dark Neighbors, by Mark Clement Rodgers (iUniverse)


12. Multicultural Fiction

Winner: The Fifth Sun, by Mary Helen Lagasse (Curbstone Press)

Finalists: Everything Good Will Come, by Sefi Atta (Interlink Books)

No Room for Squares, by Orlando Lima (Limachips Press)


13. Multicultural Fiction (Juv-Y/A)

Winner: Featherless (Desplumado), by Juan Felipe Herrera; illustrated by Ernesto Cuevas, Jr. (Children’s Book Press)

Finalists: Chickasaw Adventures: The Journey Begins, by Jen Murvin Edwards (Layne Morgan Media)

Kai’s Journey to Gold Mountain: An Angel Island Story, by Katrina Saltonstall Currier (Angel Island Association)


14. Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

WinnerYellow as Legal Pads, by Fran Stewart (Doggie in the Window Publications)

Finalists: A Small Case of Murder, by Lauren Carr (iUniverse)

Xs: An Allie Armington Mystery by Louise Gaylord (Little Moose Press)

Railroaded! by Whitfield Grant (Denver-Austin & Co.)


15. Religious Fiction

Winner: Letters to Luke, by Joe E. Holoubek, MD (Little Dove Press)

Finalists: The Religion War, by Scott Adams (Andrews McMeel Publishing)

Melequest: The Men from Menahur, by Miles Oxlaide (Javaro Press)


16. Romance

Winner: Feather on the Wind, by Catherine Snodgrass (LTDBooks)

Finalists: Faithful, by Anita-Louise Johnson (iUniverse)

The Captain of Her Heart, by Anita Stansfield (Crosswalk Books)


17. True Crime

Winner: Portland Confidential: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Rose City, by Phil Stanford (WestWinds Press)

Finalists: Eleven Days of Hell: My True Story of Kidnapping, Terror, Torture and Historic FBI & KGB Rescue, by Yvonne Bornstein with Mark Ribowsky (AuthorHouse)

The Murder at Asbury Park: The Classic Detective Story Revealed, by Peter Lucia (Peter Lucia Projects)


18. Visionary Fiction

Winner: Mystic Warrior: A Novel Beyond Time and Space, by Edwin Harkness Spina (Higher Dimensions Publishing)

Finalists: Dark Side of Time, by Vladimir Chernozemsky (Triumvirate Publications)

Vespers, by Tony C. Caputo (NOW Comics)


19. Children’s Picture Books (6 & Under)

Winner: Lost in the Woods, by Carl R. Sams II & Jean Stoick (Carl R. Sams II Photography)

Finalists: Who’s Not Asleep? Written and Illustrated by Shirley Hillard (Mamoo House)

It’s Me! by Eric Drachman; illustrated by Isabelle Decencière (Kidwick Books)


20. Children’s Picture Books (7 & Over)

Winner: Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom & Wishes, by Susan V. Bosak & various illustrators (TCP Press)

Finalists: The Harmonica by Tony Johnston; illustrated by Ron Mazellan (Charlesbridge)

My Subway Ride, by Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender; illustrated by Selina Alko (Gibbs Smith, Publisher)


21. Children’s Interactive

Winner: The Big Book of Boy Stuff (Gibbs Smith, Publisher)

Finalists: Robotic T-Rex (Advantage Publishing Group)

Murphy’s Safety Songs: Tuneful Tips for Tots and “Spots” (Murphy’s Bone Publishing)


22. Juvenile-Teen-Y/A Non-Fiction

Winner: Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth (Kids Can Press)

Finalists: The Cave Painter of Lascaux: A Journey Through Time (Crystal Productions)

Gross Universe: Your Guide to All Disgusting Things Under the Sun (Maple Tree Press)


23. Multicultural N-F Juv-Teen-YA

Winner: Alec’s Primer, by Mildred Pitts Walter; illustrated by Larry Johnson (Vermont Folklife Center)

Finalists: Sélavi: A Haitian Story of Hope (Cinco Puntos Press)

ABC de Puerto Rico (Gabriel Press)


24. Multicultural Non-Fiction Adult

Winner: Golden Mountain: Beyond the American Dream (Silver Light Publications)

Finalists: Dharma, Color, and Culture (Parrallax Press)

Every Day is a Good Day: Reflections by Contemporary Indigenous Women (Fulcrum Publishing)


25. Essay/Creative Non-Fiction

Winner: RealLivePreacher.com, by Gordon Atkinson (Eerdmans)

Finalists: Scribblers: Stalking the Authors of Appalachia, by Stephen Kirk (John F. Blair, Publisher)

A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (House of Anansi Press)


26. Autobiography/Memoir

Winner: Ginny Good, by Gerard Jones (Monkfish)

Finalists: Inge: A Girl’s Journey Through Nazi Europe, by Inge Joseph Bleier (Eerdmans)

Dancing In My Nightgown: The Rhythms of Widowhood, by Betty Auchard (Stephens Press, LLC)


27. Biography

Winner: Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton)

Finalists: E.E. Cummings, by Christopher Sawyer Laucanno (Sourcebooks)

William Beebe: The Remarkable Life of an Explorer and Naturalist, by Carol Grant Gould (Island Press)


28. Aging/ Death & Dying

Winner: Aging in Stride: Plan Ahead, Stay Connected, Keep Moving (Caresource Healthcare Communications)

Finalists: What are Old People For? How Elders Will Save the World (VanderWyk & Burnham)

Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life On Purpose (Berrett Koehler)


29. Animals/Pets

Winner: If I Had a Horse: How Different Life Would Be (Willow Creek Press)

Finalists: Trail Training for the Horse and Rider (Alpine Publications)

Help Your Dog Fight Cancer: An Overview of Home Care Options (JanGen Press)


30. Business/Career/Sales

Winner: Starting Something: An Entrepreneur’s Tale of Control, Confrontation & Corporate Culture (Ravel Media LLC)

Finalists: Nonprofit Stewardship: A Better Way to Lead Your Mission-Based Organization (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation)

Show Me the Numbers: Designing Tables and Graphs to Enlighten (Analytics Press)


31. Coffee Table Books

Winner: Mountain Ranges of Colorado (Westcliffe Publishers)

Finalists: The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (Lonely Planet)

Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom (Friendly Planet)


32. Computer/Internet

Winner: Degunking Windows (Paraglyph Press)

Finalists: Running QuickBooks 2004 for Nonprofits: Adapt QuickBooks for Your Nonprofit (CPA911 Publishing)

Programming with Intel® Wireless MMX™ Technology: A Developer’s Guide to Mobile Multimedia Applications (Intel Press)


33. Cookbooks

Winner: The Jewish Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from Around the World (Interlink Books)

Finalists: Recipes from Wine Country (Whitecap Books)

Personal Favorites: The Chefs of Las Vegas (Stephens Press LLC)


34. Current Events

Winner: Into the Buzzsaw: Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press (Prometheus Books)

Finalists: The Freedom: Shadows and Hallucinations in Occupied Iraq (The New Press)

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (Berrett-Koehler)


35. Education/Academic/Teaching

Winner: Discovering a Watershed: The Missouri (Project WET)

Finalists: Lively Learning: Using the Arts to Teach the K-8 Curriculum (Northeast Foundation for Children)

The Meaning of Swarthmore (Swarthmore College)


36. Environment/Ecology/Nature

Winners - 3-way tie: Feeding the Future (From Fat to Famine): How to Solve the World’s Food Crises (House of Anansi)

Hope’s Horizon: Three Visions for Healing the American Land (Island Press)

Red Sky at Morning: America and the Crisis of the Global Environment (Yale Univ Press)

Finalists: Prairie: A Natural History (Greystone Books)

On Ancient Wings: The Sandhill Cranes of North America (Michael Forsberg Photography)


37A. Erotica

Winner: Suicide Girls (Feral House)

Finalists: Naked Erotica (Pretty Things Press)

Soul Sex: A Sexual Adventure Through the Chakras with Erotic Escapades in Exotic Lands (ShellDen Publishing)


37B. Sexuality

Winner: Sadie Allison’s Tickle His Pickle: Your Hand’s On Guide to Penis Pleasing (Tickle Kitty)

Finalists: Virgin Sex: a girl’s no-regrets guide to happy, healthy sex…the first time and every time (Palmetto Tree Press)

Guide to Getting It On (Goofy Foot Press)


38. Finance/Investment/Economics

Winner: Yes, You Can…Achieve Financial Independence (Stowers Innovations)

Finalists: Biblical Principles for Becoming Debt Free! (City Bible Publishing)

Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Journeys of Successful American Businesswomen (Andrews McMeel)


39. Gay/Lesbian

Winner: Whose Eye Is on Which Sparrow? by Robert Taylor (The Haworth Press)

Finalists: MondoHomo: Your Essential Guide to Queer Pop Culture (Alyson Books)

A Gathering of Angels, by Larry Dean Hamilton (Sigma Logo Books)


40. Health/Medicine/Nutrition

Winner: Just Fine: Unmasking Concealed Chronic Illness and Pain (Write Face Productions)

Finalists: Dying in Vein: Blood, Deception…Justice (Hollis Publishing)

Balanced Healing: Combining Modern Medicine with Safe & Effective Alternative Therapies (Harbor Press)


41. History

Winner: Afterwar: Veterans from a World in Conflict, by Lori Grinker (de.Mo)

Finalists: G.A. Custer: His Life and Times (Swanson Productions)

Notre Dame vs. The Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan (Loyola Press)


42. Home & Garden

Winner: Welcoming Wildlife to the Garden: Creating Backyard & Balcony Habitats for Wildlife (Hartley & Marks Publishers)

Finalists: Decorative Painting & Faux Finishes (Creative Homeowner)

Rainwater Collection for the Mechanically Challenged (Tank Town Publishing)


43. How-To (Crafts/Hobby)

Winner: Sew Sensational Pillows (Sixth&Spring Books)

Finalists: Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters (Nomad Press)

Portrait Sculpting: Anatomy & Expressions in Clay (PCF Studios)


44. Humor

Winner: The Future Dictionary of America, edited by Jonathan Safran Foer, Dave Eggers, Nicole Krauss & Eli Horowitz (McSweeney’s)

Finalists: Whose Panties Are These? More Misadventures from Funny Women on the Road, edited by Jennifer L. Leo (Travelers' Tales)

Waiter, There’s a Horse in My Wine, by Jennifer “Chotzi” Rozen (Dauphin Press)


45. Inspirational/Spiritual

Winner: Between Two Souls: Conversations with Ryôkan, by Mary Lou Kownacki (Eerdmans)

Finalists: What I Learned on the Ranch: and Other Stories from a West Texas Childhood, by James Bruce Frazier (McWhiney Foundation Press)

Agnostic Prayer, by Paul Sutherland (Karuna Press)


46. New Age (Mind-Body-Spirit)

Winner: The Richest of Fare: Seeking Spiritual Security in the Sonoran Desert (Sonoran Cross Press)

Finalists: Going Deeper: How to make sense of your life when your life makes no sense (Prism House Press)

Altars of Power and Grace: Create the Life You Desire (Balanced Books)


47. Parenting

Winner: Parenting Your Premature Baby and Child: The Emotional Journey (Fulcrum Publishing)

Finalists: Consuming Kids: The Hostile Takeover of Childhood (The New Press)

Picky Parent Guide: Choose Your Child’s School With Confidence (Armchair Press)


48. Poetry

Winner: The Drunken Lovely Bird, by Sue Sinclair (Goose Lane Editions)

Finalists: Magellan’s Shadow: Faith Poems, by Barbara Booth Hemphill (Shadow Verse Press)

How We Sleep on the Nights We Don’t Make Love, by E. Ethelbert Miller (Curbstone)


49. Popular Culture/Leisure

Winner: The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys (Keys Publishing)

Finalists: What is Goth? (Red Wheel/Weiser)

The All-American Hot Rod: The Cars. The Legends. The Passion (Voyageur Press)


50. Psychology/Mental Health

Winner: Wider Than the Sky: The Phenomenal Gift of Consciousness (Yale University Press)

Finalists: Helping Your Teenager Beat Depression: A Problem-Solving Approach for Families (Woodbine House)

Medicine, Mind and Meaning: A Psychiatrist’s Guide to Treating the Body, Mind, and Spirit (In One Press)


51. Sports/Fitness/Recreation

Winner: Scottish Golf Links: A Photographic Journey (Clock Tower Press)

Finalists: The Pleasures and Principles of Partner Yoga (Wisdom Arts)

Simplify Your Riding: Step-by-Step Techniques to Improve Your Riding Skills (Carriage House Publishing)


52. Reference

Winner: The Design Encyclopedia, by Mel Byars (MoMA)

Finalists: Audio in the 21st Century (Intel Press)

The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960 (Columbia University Press)


53. Religion

Winner: The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason, by Sam Harris (W.W. Norton)

Finalists: Nothing Sacred: A Journey Beyond Belief, by T.F. Rigelhof (Goose Lane Editions)

Random Designer: Created from Chaos to Connect with the Creator, by Richard G. Colling, PhD (Browning Press LLC)


54. Science

Winner: Creating the New World: Stories & Images from the Dawn of the Atomic Age, by Theodore Rockwell (Author House)

Finalists: The Hype About Hydrogen: Fact and Fiction in the Race to Save the Climate (Island Press)

Rhythms of Life: The Biological Clocks the Control the Daily Lives of Every Living Thing (Yale University Press)


55. Self Help

Winner: Sacred Therapy: Jewish Spiritual Teachings on Emotional Healing and Inner Wholeness (Shambhala)

Finalists: Just Change It! The Fast Track Guide to Personal & Professional Renewal (Peggy Grall & Assoc)

Be Nice (Or Else!) and what’s in it for you (Von Curtis Publishing)


56. Travel Essay

Winner: The Canada Chronicles: A Four-Year Hitchhiking Odyssey, by Matthew Jackson (Summit Studios)

Finalists: One Wheel, Many Spokes: USA by Unicycle, by Lars Clausen (Soulscapers)

A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk about Their Craft, Lives and Inspiration (Travelers’ Tales)


57. Travel Guidebook

Winner: Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide (Destination Press)

Finalists: The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia & Karabagh (Stone Garden Productions)

Michelin Must Sees: New Orleans (Michelin Travel Publications)


58. Women’s Issues

Winner: The F Word: Feminism in Jeopardy: Women, Politics, and the Future (Seal Press)

Finalists: Mother Rising: The Blessingway Journey into Motherhood (Seeing Stone Press)

The Boundaries of Her Body: The Troubling History of Women’s Rights in America (SourceBooks)