This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.
Finding "best" lists that are only for independently published books is hard, but Foreword Reviews has been out there since 1998 providing trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses, in print and online.
On the award landing page, everything is easily broken out by genre and age range. Even Coffee Table Books, Graphic Novels
, Anthologies, and Poetry
have lists. You simply click on whichever
of the over
4 dozen categories you are interested
in to find books.
While this archive of indie best books is a treasure trove of information
for us-- for collection development, helping readers find a great under the radar title, display, lists, etc....-- it is not perfect. I need to note that they still use "multicultural" as a designation. I talk about this in my training programs, but using "multicultural" to designate any book that isn't about white, westerners, is not okay anymore. It is a mistake I made for many years myself. Most of these books are only about ONE culture but we-- white centered society-- use the term to other books by people of color.
Similarly, they also call out LGTBQ+ as a category. Interestingly, I have seen books like
Merry Dredgers (which I reviewed
here) by a nonbinary author showing up in "Fantasy" and not LGBTQ+, so I cannot accuse them of only including straight people in their lists. Also, I could see why you might have LGBTQ+ as a nonfiction category, but in fiction it is an odd choice. I hope both of these outdated, albeit well-meaning, ways of making sure you have a diverse list, are abandoned in the future. At least I found people of color and LGBTQ+ folks being included in just about every finalist list.
Finally, back to
Merry Dredgers. It is a Horror novel, but it is nominated in
Fantasy. (I reviewed it in Booklist
here.) Why? Because despite the fact that indie Horror is kicking ass and selling in huge numbers,
Forward is not giving it a category. Again, if they only had a few fiction categories, I would let it slide, but there are 14 fiction lists! And if Horror did not have a vibrant indie publishing scene, I would also be okay with this, but it does. Exhibit 1:
Christopher Hawkins won the BookLife Prize for General Fiction, for the best self published fiction book of the year....in any genre...and it is 100% Horror. Exhibit 2: have you heard of
Eric LaRocca? Of course you have. I could keep going but I have
an entire Horror blog you can explore for more.
All of this being said,
the Foreword INDIES Finalists lists are a great resource for all libraries as long as you use the lists responsibly and with the full knowledge of their limitations.
See below for the press release and
click here to go to the awards landing page.
Traverse City, MI, March 7, 2024—Foreword Reviews is excited to announce the Finalists for the 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards. As a platform dedicated to discovering, reviewing, and sharing works from university and independent publishers, we are honored to showcase the outstanding talent and skill represented in this year’s Finalists.
Over 2,400 entries spanning 55 genres poured in for consideration. Selected by Foreword’s editorial team, the Finalists now await judgment from teams of librarian and bookseller judges nationwide.
The complete list of Finalists can be found at: https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/finalists/2023/
“I am deeply impressed by the scope and range of books submitted this year. Each Finalist represents a significant contribution to the literary landscape and underscores the crucial role that independent authors and publishers play, ensuring a steady flow of diverse and thought-provoking content. The INDIES not only honors outstanding literary achievements but also helps to qualify and connect these exceptional books with librarians and booksellers alike,” said Christopher Nesbit, INDIES Award Director.
“Part of the INDIES joy for me is rediscovering so many fantastic books that didn’t get the attention they deserved when first released or were too quickly forgotten. This best of 2023 competition will once again put the spotlight on what makes indie publishing the soul of the book industry,” shared Matt Sutherland, Executive Editor.
Winners in each genre, along with Editor’s Choice Prize winners and Foreword’s Indie Publisher of the Year, will be announced in June 2024.
Check out the finalist lists here.
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