NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

CELEBRATING SELF & INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING EXCELLENCE

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Winners of the 19th Annual Contest!

1ACTION/ADVENTURE

Cult Stalker Ephraim Clark Glass Spider Publishing

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ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER Non-Fiction

Cult Stalker Ephraim Clark Glass Spider Publishing

ACTIVITY BOOKS: CHILDREN

Apple and Grape Official Activity Book Chaz Lulu Press

ADDICTION & RECOVERY

Foods That Lie: How to Stop Overeating and Eat Like a Normal Person Libby Marama Grace Final Quit

AFRICAN AMERICAN FICTION

Done in the Dark Tamara Morgan RootedThroughStories

AGING

Good to Go: Five Understandings to Navigate a Peaceful and Elegant Last Chapter of Life John A. Horton MD New Insights Press

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

Pain Patterns: Why You Are In Pain and How To Stop It Rick Olderman MSPT Boone Publishing, llc

ANIMALS & PETS

The Mind of a Horse. Science Meets Comics Helena Telkanranta Arador Publishing

ANTHOLOGY

COOLEST AMERICAN STORIES 2025 Mark Wish & Elizabeth Coffey, Editors Coolest Stories Press

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Female Gaze in Art and Photography Anita Selzer Hardie Grant Publishing

ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER: FICTION

The Immortal Woman Su Chang House of Anansi

AFRICAN AMERICAN NON-FICTION

Mission to China John Holliday Tallai Books

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

My Father's Suitcase Mary Garden Justitia Books

BEAUTY

Dress Your Essence: How to Find Your True Personal Style and Express Your Beauty as a Sacred Work of Art Jennifer Butler WorldChangers Media

BIOGRAPHY: GENERAL

Young Men Go West: The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and One Teenager's Risky Escape Dawn-Eve Mertz Kleo Press

BIOGRAPHY: HISTORICAL

Women's Crusader: Catharine Beecher's Untold Story R. Lee Wilson Glanderston House

BODY/MIND/SPIRIT

The Rooted Renegade: Transform Within, Disrupt the Status Quo & Unleash Your Legacy Rebecca Arnold Greenleaf Book Group

BOOK COVER DESIGN: CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

Bowerbirds! Donna Huntriss Blurb Books

BOOK COVER DESIGN: FICTION

The Penniman Menagerie Winona Howe Koehler Books

BOOK COVER DESIGN: NON-FICTION

The Endless Sphere of Time Geir Jordahl True North Editions

BOOK INTERIOR DESIGN: NON-FICTION

Exploring Wine Regions: México Michael C. Higgins, PhD International Exploration Society

BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURSHIP & SMALL BUSINESS

The Purposeful Decision Maker: A Guide to Making Great Decisions in Life and Business Pádraig Ó Céidigh Amplify Publishing Group

BUSINESS: GENERAL

Veteran Led: Military Leadership Lessons to Help Your Team Survive, Thrive, and Dominate John S. Berry Greenleaf Book Group

BUSINESS: MOTIVATIONAL

The Power of the Only: Own Your Voice, Thrive in Any Environment Angela Chee Ideapress Publishing

CANCER

Taming Cancer: 21st Century Biology and the Future of Cancer Medicine Drew N. Kelner, Ph.D. BioCentury Press

CAREER

Thrive in Color: How to Master Self-Advocacy and Command Your Career as an Underrepresented Professional Devika Brij WorldChangers Media

CAREGIVING

Spin Cycle: Notes From A Reluctant Caregiver Alfredo Botello Koehler Books

CHAPTER BOOKS

Danger in the Hills: The NOLO Uncle Jerry & Liz Fahey Fuzz & Hue Press

CHICK-LIT

The First Love Myth Casey Dembowski Red Adept Publishing

CHILDREN’S FICTION

Spaceman Sam D'artagnan Greenleaf Book Group

CHILDREN'S INSPIRATIONAL/MOTIVATIONAL

Finding Messi: The Miracle Cat from Kyiv Trevor Ostfeld & Iryna Chernyak Greenleaf Book Group

CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION

ABCs of my First Surgery F.A. Khan GRANDE READS

CHILDREN’S RELIGION

Miriam and Naomi: A Christmas Story Peggy Dudarchik Grey Eyed Publishing

COFFEE TABLE BOOKS

Lights, Camera, Lionel Trains! A Photo History of an American Icon Roger Carp Project Roar Publishing

COMEDY

Worse Than You Think: The Mostly True Story of Two Teachers Running for Congress Deep in the Heart of Texas Heath Hamrick & Todd Allen TCU Press

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

My Book of the Dead, a memoir Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Edwards

CONTEMPORARY NOVEL

Sugar Free Robin D'Amato Atmosphere Press

COOKBOOKS: GENERAL

How Not to Get Sick Benjamin Bikman, PhD & Diana Keuilian BenBella Books

COOKBOOKS: REGIONAL

German Heritage Baking Volume I Heidrun Metzler

CRIME FICTION

The Commissary William Doonan BookYearMysteries

CROSS GENRE

Uplift Jessica Mann BookBaby

CURRENT EVENTS

Good As Gold: How to Unleash the Power of Sound Money Judy Shelton Independent Institute

DEATH & DYING

Through the Darkness: A Story of Love from the Other Side Charlie Bynar Girl Friday Productions

DIET & NUTRITION

Deprogram Diet Culture: Rethink Your Relationship with Food, Heal Your Mind, and Live a Diet-Free Life Dr. Supatra Tovar Greenleaf Book Group

DIVORCE

The Committed Professor, A Memoir: My Fall From the Lectern to the Psych Ward Kathi N. Miner KNM Publishing

EDUCATION

Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools: Transforming Practices So All Students Feel Accepted & Supported Emily Kircher-Morris & Amanda Morin Free Spirit Publishing

ENVIRONMENT

Earth's Emergency Room: Saving Species as the Planet and Politics Get Hotter Lowell E. Baier Rowman & Littlefield

EROTICA

Her Wild Body Noa Raveh Malka Press

FACTION

The Sower of Black Field Katherine Koch Time's Arrow Press

FANTASY

Creatures of Chaos Julie Hall Julie Hall LLC

FICTION: GENERAL

Threads of Us: A Novel Christie Havey Smith Greenleaf Book Group

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FINE ARTS

ART U.S.A.: One Hundred Works on Paper, 1925-1950, from the Collection of the Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University Paul Manoguerra Jundt Art Museum at Gonzaga University

FRIENDSHIP

Almost Family Ann Bancroft She Writes Press

GIFT BOOKS

Poetry Dust: In the Middle of My Before and After Alyssa Skyes InkStep Press

GRIEF

Song of the Cardinal: A true story of miracles and magic after heartbreaking loss Cynthia Waine Brandt Starfish Publishing, LLC

HEALTH: GENERAL

Lies I Taught in Medical School Robert Lufkin, MD BenBella Books

HISTORICAL FICTION

When Sounds Collide: A Novel M. Day Hampton River Grove Books

HISTORY: GENERAL

An Artist Goes to War: Leon Granacki in the South Pacific WWII Victoria Ann Granacki Archway Publishing

HISTORY: UNITED STATES

We the Men: How Forgetting Women’s Struggles for Equality Perpetuates Inequality Jill Elaine Hasday Oxford University Press

HOLIDAY

Official White House Christmas Ornament: Collected Stories of a Holiday Tradition Marcia Mallet Anderson The White House Historical Association

HOME & GARDEN

Feng Shui, A Homeowner's Guide to Abundance Jane Langof Feng Shui Concepts

HORROR

THE INHABITANTS Beth Castrodale Regal House Publishing

HOW-TO

The Shift Code: Your Personal Empowerment Masterplan Gay Page BookBaby

HUMOR

Nola Face: A Latina's Life in the Big Easy Brooke Champagne University of Georgia Press

INSPIRATION

Daily Mindful Moments: A Year of Life Wisdom Alice Inoue BN Press

JUVENILE FICTION

Miscommunicamp! Steph Katzovi Brown Books Kids

JUVENILE NON-FICTION

Be A Scribe: Working for a Better Life in Ancient Egypt Michael Hoffen Callaway Children's Classics

LATINX FICTION

Not That Kind of Call Girl Nova García The Wild Rose Press

LATINX NON-FICTION

How Schools Make Race: Teaching Latinx Racialization in America Laura C. Chávez-Moreno Harvard Education Press

LEADERSHIP

Radical Humility: Be a Badass Leader and a Good Human Urs Koenig Amplify Publishing Group

LEGAL THRILLER

Midnight for Justice Charlotte Stuart & Don Stuart Quartermaster Publishing

LGBTQIA FICTION

Reborn In Shadows: From The Ashes Maya Fisher One-Legged Woman Publishing LLC

LGBTQIA NON-FICTION

Better To Cry Now: Shaping the Flow of a Gay Black Man Geoffrey Newman River Grove Books

LITERARY FICTION

The Pale Flesh of Wood Elizabeth A. Tucker She Writes Press

MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Organic Social Media: How to Build Flourishing Online Communities Jenny Li Fowler Kogan Page

MEDICAL

Birth Emergencies for Community Midwives Bonnie U Gruenberg Synclitic Media LLC

MEDICAL THRILLER

Caravan of Specters Carlos García Saúl St Petersburg Press

MEMOIR

Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood Julie Ryan McGue She Writes Press

MEN’S HEALTH

Nurse Florence®, Tell Me About the Testes. Michael Dow, RN, MS Dow Creative Enterprises

MILITARY FICTION

High End Kevin P. Miller Braveship Books

MILITARY NON-FICTION

Suicide Jockeys: The Making of the WWII Combat Glider Pilot Monique Taylor Koehler Books

MISCELLANEOUS

Never Dull! Heather Sharp Heather Sharp

MOTIVATIONAL

Reflections on Mountaineering: A Journey Through Life as Experienced in the Mountains (FIFTH EDITION, Revised and Expanded) with Addendum Alan V. Goldman Bookside Press

MOVIES & TV

AFTER DISNEY: Toil, Trouble, and the Transformation of America's Favorite Media Company Neil O’Brien Post Hill Press

MULTICULTURAL FICTION

A Girl Within a Girl Within a Girl Nanda Reddy Zibby Publishing

MULTICULTURAL NON-FICTION

Colorful Palate: A Flavorful Journey Through a Mixed American Experience Raj Tawney Fordham University Press

MUSIC

No Big Deal: Chasing the indie music dream in the last days of the record business Dean Brownrout Guernica Editions

MYSTERY

Lost Grove: Part One Charlotte Zang & Alex J. Knudsen Self-Published

NATIVE/INDIGENOUS/FIRST NATIONS FICTION

Evergreen Dread Victor Marrow

NATURE

The Cicadas of North America Chris Alice Kratzer Owlfly Publishing

NEW AGE FICTION

The Monarchs Mark Sabbas Koehler Books

NEW AGE NON-FICTION

The Riddle of Alchemy Paul Kiritsis Mantra Books

NEW FICTION

The Days Before Tomorrow Mark Hass Peconic First Books

NEW NON-FICTION

Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply about the Meaning of Our Existence Samuel T. Wilkinson Pegasus Books

NON-FICTION

SOUTH KOREA: The Price of Efficiency and Success, Second Edition John Gonzalez & Young Lee John M Gonzalez

PARENTING & FAMILY

Raising Securely Attached Kids Eli Harwood Sasquatch Books

PERFORMING ARTS

I Can't Remember if I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love, and Legacy Lori Tucker-Sullivan Backbeat

PERSONAL GROWTH

Becoming a Good Relative: Calling White Settlers Toward Truth, Healing, and Repair Hilary Giovale Green Writers Press

PHILOSOPHY

Scanning and Sizing the Universe and Everything in It: Playing Scales Harold Toliver Bookside Press

PHOTOGRAPHY

The Endless Sphere of Time Geir Jordahl True North Editions

PICTURE BOOKS: ALL-AGES

ABCs of Arabia: A Journey Across the Arabian Peninsula Alison Hong Nguyen Lihalakha Kahana Press

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PICTURE BOOKS: PRESCHOOL

A Halloween Farty Party Junia Wonders Gmur Verlag

POETRY

Heart Fiat Desmond Francis Xavier Kon Zhicheng-Mingdé Poetry Festival Singapore

POLITICAL

To Stop a Tyrant: The Power of Political Followers to Make or Brake a Toxic Leader Ira Chaleff Greenleaf Book Group

POLITICAL THRILLER

Cold War: A Novel of the Berlin Airlift Helena P. Schrader Cross Seas Press

PREGNANCY & CHILDBIRTH

The B.A.B.Y. Book: Best Advice for Baby & You Karen L. Brewer, BSN, RNC-MNN Fostering Healthcare Communications, LLC

PSYCHIATRY/PSYCHOLOGY

An Impossible LIfe: A True Story of Hope and Mental Illness Rachael Siddoway & Sonja Wasden A Possible Life, LLC

REFERENCE

The Birds of Monhegan Brett M. Ewad Indie Author Books

REGIONAL FICTION: MIDWEST

The Mermaid of Lake Superior Aurora Lothbrok Beaver's Pond Press

REGIONAL FICTION: NORTHEAST

Brooklyn '76: A Novel Anthony Ausiello South Allen Street Press

REGIONAL FICTION: SOUTHEAST

STONE BY STONE WENDY S SIMONS WS SIMONS BOOKS

REGIONAL FICTION: SOUTHWEST

When We Were Hardcore Linda Michel-Cassidy EastOver Press

REGIONAL FICTION: WEST

TANGLES Kay Smith-Blum Black Rose Writing

REGIONAL NON-FICTION: MIDWEST

Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer Brian Reisinger Skyhorse Publishing

REGIONAL NON-FICTION: SOUTHEAST

Trails & Treats: A Hiker and Runner's Guide to Great Trails and Good Eats in North Carolina Palmer McIntyre & Hollis Oberlies (co-authors) Ingram

REGIONAL NON-FICTION: SOUTHWEST

Love Letter to Ramah: Living Beside New Mexico's Trail of the Ancients Tim Amsden University of New Mexico Press

REGIONAL NON-FICTION: WEST

ELK LOVE: A MONTANA MEMOIR Lynne Spriggs O'Connor She Writes Press

RELATIONSHIPS

Tailing Grace Annette G. Anders Amica Press

RELIGION FICTION

Magda Revealed Ursula Werner She Writes Press

RELIGION NON-FICTION

Drop the Armor: Release the Past, Ignite Your Faith, and Unlock an Extraordinary Life Christine Jewell WorldChangers Media

ROMANCE

Lenswoman on Love - a novel of the 1960s & '70s Kim Gottlieb-Walker Conrad Press Ltd

ROMANTIC COMEDY

The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrikles Marty Essen Encante Press, LLC

SALES & MARKETING

Outmarket the Competition: Advanced Marketing Tactics to Drive Growth and Profitability Nick Doyle Fast Company Press

SCIENCE

Painting the Cosmos Dr. Nia Imara BenBella Books

SCIENCE FICTION

Outbound: Islands in the Void Richard M. Anderson Precocity Press

SELF HELP: GENERAL

The Miracle Morning (Updated and Expanded Edition) Hal Elrod BenBella Books

SELF HELP: MOTIVATIONAL

Be Seen Now! Inspiring Insights Into Being a Fearless Speaker Lee Glickstein Precocity Press

SELF HELP: SPIRITUAL

No More Layers Discover Your Inner Power and Reclaim True Freedom From Inside Out Martine Cohen WorldChangers Media

SHORT STORIES

Welcome Back to the World: A Novella and Stories Rob Davidson Cornerstone Press

SMALL BOOKS

Oil for Your Lantern: Sharing Light After the Death of a Child Elizabeth Brady Sunbury Press

SOCIAL MEDIA

Scams, Hacking, and Cybersecurity: The Ultimate Guide to Online Safety and Privacy May Brooks-Kempler Authority Publishing

SOCIAL/POLITICAL CHANGE

Marketing for Social Change How to Turn Purpose into Business and Social Impact Kian Bakhtiari Kogan Page

SPECIALTY BOOKS

The Magic of Alchemy Journal Katelyn Mariah Mystick Creek Publishing

SPIRITUALITY

Love Heals All Wounds; A Roadmap from Fear to Unlimited Possibilities Linda F Kent Clearly Rising LLC

SPORTS

Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899 Norman Jetmundsen, Jr. & Karin Dupree Fecteau Shakerag Hollow Press

SUSPENSE

What Lies Buried Leslie Kain Atmosphere Press

TECHNOLOGY

Reentry Eric Brger BenBella Books

TEEN FICTION

Ugliest Kelly Vincent KV Books LLC

TEEN NON-FICTION

I'm not alone: A teen's guide to living with a parent who has a mental illness or history of trauma Michelle Sherman & DeAnne Sherman Seeds of Hope Books

THRILLER

Brothers Bound Bruce K. Berger Koehler Books

TRAVEL

Looking for Legends: Let Us Take You Somewhere You've Never Been Before, and Introduce You to Our Friends Scott & Tarantino Whole Wide World Publishing

TRUE CRIME

CONVOLUTED: The 1972 Durham Family Triple Homicide Terry L. Harmon Self-Published

VISIONARY FICTION

Journey to 2125: One Century, One Family, Rising to Challenges Gary F. Bengier Chiliagon Press

WELL-BEING

Highway To Your Happy Place A Roadmap To Less Stress Gary Sprouse, M.D. New Outcomes

WESTERN FICTION

Blue Wild Indigo James Jennings Plum Bay Publishing

WESTERN NON-FICTION

Journeys of a Pure Naturalist Joe “JB” Billings MonarchQuestAZ

WINE

Wine and the White House: A History Frederick J. Ryan, Jr. The White House Historical Association

WOMEN'S FICTION

The Perfumer's Secret Neroli Lacey She Writes Press

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Pump or Bust: A New Mama’s Guide to Office Politics, Breast Health, and Pumping on the Road! Karlee Vincent Praeclarus Press

WOMEN'S ISSUES

Muse: The Magnetism of Women Who Stop Abandoning Themselves Dr. Amanda Hanson Greenleaf Book Group

WRITING & PUBLISHING

The One Week Writing Workshop: 7 Days to Spark, Boost or Revive Your Novel Karin Adams Indigo Rose / Author In Your Corner

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Creatures of Chaos Julie Hall Julie Hall LLC

YOUNG ADULT NON-FICTION

Talking About Adolescence: Supercharge Your Body and Brain Power Eichin Chang-Lim BookBaby

NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

CELEBRATING SELF & INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING EXCELLENCE

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