BiblioBoard is thrilled to announce the launch of the first annual Indie Author of the Year award. This award aims to identify the next great indie author out of the stellar group of authors who have had their titles chosen by librarian judging committees as the best indie-published eBooks in their regions through the preceding year’s Indie Author Project regional contests. The winner will receive:
- An additional $1,000 monetary award
- Recognition at DPLAFest 2019 in Chicago, Illinois
- Recognition at PLA 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee
- Audiobook production
- Indie Author Project Library Print Editions program participation
This Indie Author of the Year will be chosen each spring by a team of industry experts on the basis of marketability, overall catalog, personal brand, and potential for the author to break out. Since each of the authors in consideration has already had their book thoroughly vetted and endorsed by a judging committee of local librarians through their Indie Author Project regional contest, these industry professionals are able to allocate the award with great confidence in the author’s writing.
BiblioBoard CEO Mitchell Davis, says “The Indie Author Project and this award seek to leverage librarians’ expertise in helping patrons find their next great read and the library’s power to influence literary trends, in combination with the knowledge of these industry professionals to showcase the next great indie author to an expansive audience — all starting from the library community. The program has grown quickly and we are excited to be part of the process.”
The inaugural recipient of the 2019 Indie Author of the Year Award is Ran Walker of Hampton Public Library in Hampton, Virginia.
Ran Walker is the author of sixteen books including novels, novellas, short stories, flash fiction, microfiction, and poetry. His short stories, flash fiction, and poetry have appeared in a variety of anthologies and journals. Prior to becoming a writer and educator, he worked in magazine publishing and practiced law in Mississippi. Ran won the 2018 Virginia Author Project in the adult fiction category for his novel Daykeeper and was chosen as the 2019 Indie Author of the Year out of the 14 winners of last year’s regional Indie Author Project contests by a judging committee comprised of:
- Kiera Parrot, Reviews Director for Library Journal
- Guy Gonzalez, Publisher for Writer’s Digest
- Adam Boretz, Senior Editor for Publishers Weekly
- Robin Cutler, Director of IngramSpark
- Leslye Penelope, award-winning author with St. Martin’s Press
Ran’s diverse catalog and unique voice is a prime example of the kind of author the Indie Author Project aspires to promote and the BiblioBoard team looks forward to partnering with him in future endeavors.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the official award announcement and other exciting updates at DPLAFest, and visit IndieAuthorProject.com for additional news on the 2019 regional contests.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
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[…] of this year’s winners, one overall Indie Author of the Year will be chosen by a panel of industry experts. Along with the prizes that come with their regional […]
[…] of this year’s winners, one overall Indie Author of the Year will be chosen by a panel of industry experts. Along with the prizes that come with their regional […]
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[…] IAP Select features NY Times and USA Today bestselling authors, numerous award winners, as well as 2019 Indie Author of the Year Ran Walker’s award-winning Daykeeper in both eBook and audiobook. All eBooks and audiobooks are […]
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[…] won the adult fiction category of the 2018 Virginia Author Project, he went on to win the inaugural Indie Author of the Year award, and continued his streak as the Black Caucus of the American Library Association’s 2019 […]
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