Coffee, My Love by Portland resident Alicia Crofton has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of the best indie books of 2020.
Alicia Crofton’s book is a finalist of the Romance category in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world’s largest book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists were honored June 26 in an online event which streamed live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time) and 5:00 pm (Pacific Time).
2020 is the 13th year of the not-for-profit book awards program. Outskirts Press, an independent book publisher which provides services for self-publishing authors, was a Silver Sponsor of this year’s awards.
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many with long careers at major publishing houses. Their love of a great read and experience in the publishing arena identify books deserving a wider audience.
In an article at CNN.com titled If it’s cool, creative, and different, it’s indie, journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: “The term ‘indie’ traditionally refers to independent art – music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture – created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.” That definition remains true for book publishing.
Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates dominating the book publishing industry. Indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
“Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books,” adds Goulet. “They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print.”
According to an October 2019 report by Bowker, publisher of the Books in Print database, the number of titles self-published in the United States grew to over 1.6 million in 2018, an increase of 40% over the previous year. “This trend is likely to continue as the quality of many self-published works now rivals that of traditionally published titles,” according to the report.
To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 70 books in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen O’Shea Literary Agency, or one of Ms. Allen’s co-agents, for possible representation in areas such as: distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights.
The awards were presented on June 26 in an online event which streamed live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time) and 5:00 pm (Pacific Time).
This year’s awards event was originally planned to take place at Chicago’s Newberry Library, to coincide with the American Library Association Annual Conference, but was moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other prize-winning books in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards include:
Top Non-Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Treasured Lands: A Photographic Odyssey Through America’s National Parks, by QT Luong (Terra Galleria Press)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
The Chimpanzee Chronicles: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope from Behind the Bars, by Debra Rosenman (Wild Soul Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Brooklyn Italian’s Recipes Celebrating Food and Family, by Daniel Paterna (powerHouse Books)
Top Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Lucky-Child: The Secret, by Dr. Chelinay Gates aka Malardy (Tellwell Publications)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Eve of Snows, by L. James Rice (Twelfth Star Publishing)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Marlon MacDoogle’s Magical Night, by Sean Covel and Diego Velasquez (Baby Buddha Publishing)
Other Winners
Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 70 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.
A complete list of 2020 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at indiebookawards.com.
About the Literary Agent
Marilyn Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.
About IBPPG
The aim of Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group is to promote professional standards in independent book publishing (also known as “indie” book publishing), and provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession.
2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Entries are now being accepted for the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2019, 2020, or 2021 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at https://www.indiebookawards.com for more information.
Next Generation Indie Film Awards
Next Generation Indie Book Awards is proudly affiliated with Next Generation Indie Film Awards – a not-for-profit awards program for short films, devoted to supporting filmmakers around the globe by recognizing excellence in filmmaking. To learn more and enter a film in the 2021 awards, visit https://indiefilmawards.co.
MEDIA CONTACT: Alicia Crofton, aliciacrofton@gmail.com
Alicia Crofton 