2025 Indie Book Award Winners Announced

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (IBPPG) has named the best indie books of 2025 in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world's largest awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored June 27th at a gala event at The Notary Hotel in Philadelphia, PA, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.

Organizers of this year's gala hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook, commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Pacific Time at facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards. Videos of the 2023 and 2024 events have been viewed more than 100,000 times. 2025 marks the 18th year of this prestigious international book awards program.

This year's Platinum Sponsor is FabJob, a leading publisher of dream career guides with over half a million satisfied customers across 6 continents. IAP Career College, which offers online certificate courses in more than 100 career fields including book editing and book publishing, returns as a Gold Sponsor of this year's awards.

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are judged by leaders in the indie publishing industry, many of whom have had long careers at major publishing houses. Drawing on their deep experience and love of great storytelling, they recognize books that deserve 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.

According to Catherine Goulet, Founder and Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, "Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don't experience. The indies have to work much harder to get their best books into readers' hands."

"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 the latest figures from the Association of American Publishers, the U.S. book industry generated $29.9 billion in revenue in 2023. More than 3 million new books were published last year, with self-published titles making up the majority. While romance remains a perennial favorite, recent surveys show that fantasy has now become the most popular genre among American readers.

To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 80+ books in the 2025 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the 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.

Top Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Boy With Wings, by Mark Mustian (Koehler Books)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Gentle Hugs, by Lily Guzman (Self-Published)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Told Ya! Stories, by Peta-Gaye Nash (Tamarind Tree Books)

Top Non-Fiction Books

First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore and Vic Liu, Illustrated by Vic Liu (PM Press)

Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
Cherokee History and the Spirit Family, by James Barnes (University of North Georgia)

Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
It's Not (All) Your Fault: Self-Help and the Individualization of Oppression, by Sharon Podobnik (Manuscripts LLC)

Other Winners

Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 80 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.

A complete list of 2025 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at www.indiebookawards.com.

About the Grand Prize-Winning Fiction Books

Boy With Wings, by Mark Mustian (Koehler Books)

Of all the books I read this time, Boy With Wings is the one I could not forget. This child born with wings is thought of as a freak only by the true freak characters. He's seen as a gift by others, even this reader.

Gentle Hugs, by Lily Guzman (Self-Published)

Some children must realize that their mother, or maybe another family member, is troubled and therefore without the emotional strength to give much needed attention to the child. This book in a truly gentle manner attends to that child's challenge. This book shows wisdom in a most tender manner.

Told Ya! Stories, by Peta-Gaye Nash (Tamarind Tree Books)

From the multicultural fiction category comes a collection of stories about the power of a Jamaican heritage and that culture and history transported to Canada. These are stories that speak to specific experiences while making the reader realize that they are universal.

About the Grand Prize-Winning Non-Fiction Books

The Warehouse: A Visual Primer on Mass Incarceration, by James Kilgore, Vic Liu, Illustrated by Vic Liu (PM Press)

A powerful and accessible account of mass incarceration that exposes its violence and amplifies voices too often silenced. The Warehouse doesn't just inform—it centers real people, lived experience, and the ongoing work of imagining something better. A rare and necessary tool for understanding systems of carceral punishment and pushing toward justice.

Cherokee History and the Spirit Family, by James Barnes (University of North Georgia)

James Barnes's Cherokee History and the Spirit Family is a masterful blend of personal memoir and historical scholarship. His meticulous research and heartfelt narrative breathe life into the past, offering a compelling and beautifully written tribute to Cherokee resilience. Enlightening and profoundly moving.

It's Not (All) Your Fault: Self-Help and the Individualization of Oppression, by Sharon Podobnik (Manuscripts LLC)

This book really speaks to the weight so many of us carry under the banner of "self-improvement." Podobnik clearly shows how systemic injustice often gets framed as personal failure. It's a compassionate, clear-eyed call to reframe the conversation—and to shift from self-blame toward collective care.

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 HarperCollins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins and many divisions of the Penguin Random House Publishing Group (formerly Penguin Books and Random House). 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 the 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.

2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Entries are now being accepted for the 2026 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2024, 2025, or 2026 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website indiebookawards.com for more information.

Next Generation Indie Book Awards is pleased to introduce the Next Generation Short Story Awards, a not-for-profit awards program for authors of short stories. To learn more visit shortstoryawards.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Marilyn Allen, (203) 820-5967