January 11, 2024 — The Indie Author Project (IAP) is thrilled to announce the seventh Indie Author Project Annual Contests. The contests are moving to a new genre-based structure this year versus the previous region-based approach. Doing this allows for even more inclusivity in the contests, and indie authors from outside North America can submit their ebooks (in English) for the first time. This year, the awards will honor the best indie-published ebooks in seven genres:

• Mystery/Thrillers
• Romance
• SciFi/Fantasy
• Historical Fiction
• General/Contemporary Fiction
• Memoir
• Young Adult

One winner and two honorable mentions from each genre will be selected. Each genre winner shall receive $2,500 and honorable mentions will receive $500. All winners and honorable mentions will also receive:

• Inclusion in Library Journal’s “Best of Books” December issue
• Honors at the Indie Author Project Awards Reception at ALA
• Opportunities to promote their book(s) at public libraries
• Opportunities to earn royalties through the IAP Select Commercial Collections (ePUB format required for eligibility)

Additionally, one author will be selected from the winners across all genres as the 2025 Indie Author of the Year. This winner will receive all of the rewards mentioned above, plus:

• $5,000 monetary prize
• Audiobook production 
• Ongoing marketing and promotional opportunities

More than a writing competition, the IAP contests are an opportunity for libraries to recognize two growing trends in publishing: digital and indie. The contests also help local authors build readership within their communities and establish meaningful partnerships within libraries and beyond. In addition to having an opportunity to win the contest, authors who submit their writing will have a chance to make their ebooks available to participating libraries in their home state or province—and potentially all across the U.S. and Canada—through the Indie Author Project collections.

With this year’s contests just around the corner, the Indie Author Project and industry partners are looking forward to another year of helping libraries become resource hubs for their local author communities. A representative from the Indie Author Project says “The energy we have seen over the years around indie authors and libraries working together has been inspiring. These contests remind us of the talent and quality in indie publishing and the library’s role in finding and exposing that talent to the world.”

The 2022 Virginia Author Project YA Fiction Winner, Sarah Newland, adds “Librarians are as endowed with knowledge as the books they keep, and they help you push boundaries, connecting you with other writers and readers… Libraries are the very soul of a community, an equalizing force with unlimited access to knowledge, and I’m eternally grateful to have their support.”

The contest submission period runs from April 1st to May 31st. Winners will be announced during the Indie Author Day reception in November.

Visit https://indieauthorproject.com/resources/ to learn more about the upcoming contests.