INDIE AUTHOR PROJECT CONTEST
Thank you so much for volunteering your time and insight as a judge for the Indie Author Project Annual Contest. Your thoughtful evaluations help us discover incredible indie books and connect them with readers in libraries across the U.S. and Canada.
This page has everything you need to complete your judging assignments successfully. If you ever have a question or run into a snag, don’t hesitate to reach out – we’re here to help!
Feel free to contact Nash Steele at nash.steele@lyrasis.org.
Quick Start Guide
- Check your email for judging assignments and deadlines, and also find your assignments on this spreadsheet
- Access your assigned books on BiblioBoard
- Need a tutorial? We’ve got you covered!
- Complete one evaluation form per submission
- Find additional resources in the Google Drive folder, including the judge onboarding recording
- Return to this page throughout the contest for updates, FAQs, and resources
How It Works
When you signed up to be a judge, you were asked to indicate which genre you would like to judge. We will do our best to match you with one of your top preferred genres, and you will only be reading submissions within that specific genre.
The number of submissions that each judge will read depends on the final number of submissions. You can find your assigned books on this spreadsheet in this Google Drive folder, which I’ll be updating regularly over the next few months as books are rated. You’ll read your assigned books on BiblioBoard, then submit a quick Google Form for each title with your ratings and comments.
Judging Rounds
Round one
Read the first chapter or first 12 pages (whichever comes first) of each assigned submission. For each one you read, fill out the First Chapter Rating Form.
Round two
Using round one feedback, we’ll narrow the pool. You’ll read the full book for each of your assigned submissions and fill out a Full Book Rating Form for each one.
Round three
We’ll narrow the pool again based on your round two feedback. All judges in a genre group read every remaining submission in that genre and submit the same Full Book Rating Form for each book. From there, your group selects one winner and two runners-up.
Children’s Picture Books
This genre has two rounds instead of three. In round one, read your assigned submissions and fill out the Children’s Picture Books Rating Form for each one. We’ll then narrow the pool for the final round, when all judges read all remaining books.
What if I find a book unreadable or poorly formatted?
Please note this in the comment section of the form. That feedback is helpful for our team.
Are my comments shared with authors?
Your comments will be shared with the other judges and may be passed along to the authors as well, especially if they provide helpful critique or praise. Please be constructive and kind.
Can I skip a book if I don’t like it?
If you start reading a book and can tell that it won’t be a contender for the final round, you are not required to finish it. Please note your feedback on the submission form.
What happens after I submit my feedback?
We’ll tally all scores and hold a meeting with all judges in each genre to determine which submissions will continue to the final round. Meeting dates and times will be communicated via email. While attendance is not mandatory, it is highly encouraged that you participate if you can.
Have a question? Experiencing technical issues? Want to double-check something?
Email Nash Steele at nash.steele@lyrasis.org
We’re so grateful for your time and support, and are always happy to help!
Be Proud to Be a Judge!
Feel free to tell your community that you’re an Indie Author Project Contest Judge! You can even download a digital badge to share on social media or your website:
Tag us @IndieAuthorProject if you post on social media!
Google Folder with all available resources