indie book winners 2026
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Overall Fiction

indie book winners 2026
The Wire-Walker by James Janko

THE WIRE-WALKER

by James Janko

indie book winners 2026
The Tale of the English Templar by Helena P. Schrader

THE TALE OF THE ENGLISH TEMPLAR

by Helena P. Schrader

indie book winners 2026
The Lost Seigneur by David Loux

THE LOST SEIGNEUR

(A Chateau Laux Odyssey)
by David Loux

Overall Nonfiction

indie book winners 2026
indie book winners 2026

WHAT IF I'M ENOUGH?

Confronting the Reflection. Releasing the Fear. Owning the Story.
by Teron Buford

indie book winners 2026
Book cover featuring the title Sparkle Trap in colorful letters on a black background. A rainbow arc appears below, followed by the subtitle, with author Daniel De Llano’s name at the bottom.

THE SPARKLE TRAP

Recognizing, Escaping, and Healing from Narcissistic Abuse in LGBTQ+ Love
by Daniel de Llano

indie book winners 2026
indie book winners 2026

SHINE ON

Raising Our Kids with Disabilities to Lead Bright, Happy Lives
by Cynthia Schulz

Best First Books

indie book winners 2026
indie book winners 2026

IRON ROSE

by Abigail O’Bryan

indie book winners 2026
Book cover with a watercolor background in pastel blues, purples, yellows, and pinks. The bold title "Stand Up Speak Up" highlights how survivors created a movement to end sexual violence. Written by Tim Lennon.

STAND UP SPEAK UP

How Survivors Created a Movement to End Sexual Violence
by Tim Lennon

Best Covers

indie book winners 2026
indie book winners 2026

THE MOON COULD ONLY WEEP

(Spent Spindle Book 1)
by Rara Hope
Cover by Rena Violet

indie book winners 2026
Book cover for Transient Anchors: A Memoir by Libere J. Ndacayisaba. A child pulls a large anchor toward a red city silhouette with a figure inside, visualizing the journey found within Transient Anchors. Subtitle: From refugee tents to research towers.

TRANSIENT ANCHORS

From Refugee Tents to Research Towers
by Libère J. Ndacayisaba
Cover by DesignDusk and Arslan

Genre Category Winners

GENRE SUB-CATEGORIES

FICTION
Action/Adventure​
indie book winners 2026
ESCALA'S WISH (Tales of Valla Book 1)

by David James

Audiobook​
indie book winners 2026
CETUS FINALIS: A Gray Whale Odyssey

by Suhail Rafidi, narrated by Ryan Hurtgen

Chick-Lit​
Illustrated book cover for Follow You Down by Katie Walsh. A man in shorts kneels, holding a shoe, as a woman in a striped dress with a wine glass sits above the title. Ocean and sunset line art accent the bottom, reflecting the novel’s themes.
FOLLOW YOU DOWN

by Katie Walsh

Children’s (Board Books & Pre-Reading)
indie book winners 2026
WORDS

by Katherine Davis-Gibbon

Children’s (Early to Intermediate)
Illustrated book cover titled Jibberjack, Fibberjack shows a frightened child in pajamas holding a flashlight, while the mischievous blue shadowy Jibberjack looms behind, with spilled candy scattered on the ground. Authors: Stefanie Gamarra, Marta Pilosio.
JIBBERJACK, FIBBERJACK: A Made-Up Monster Mystery

by Stefanie Gamarra

Coming of Age
indie book winners 2026
MARGARET OF THIBODAUX

by Jo Taylor

Dark Fantasy​
indie book winners 2026
BLOODY BLACK

by Rhiannon Hargadon

Dystopian
indie book winners 2026
THE DISRUPTION

by W.H. Hilf

Erotica
indie book winners 2026
HOOKUPS, HICCUPS, AND HAPPENSTANCES

by Sam L. Feldman

Fantasy
indie book winners 2026
THE SOURCE OF STORMS (The Stormbound Series Book 1)

by Angelina Jeanette Kelly

Gift/Holiday/Speciality
A Halloween comic book cover shows teens and a dog facing glowing Pumpkin Guts and roots rising from the ground, with a shadowy figure looming behind a pumpkin patch at night under a full moon.
PUMPKIN GUTS

by Jacoby A. Matott

Graphic Novel
indie book winners 2026
THE LAST BOOK

by Hungry Minds (collective fictional author Noah Kaplan)

Historical Fiction
THE GYRE by Stacy Carlson
THE GYRE: A Novel

by Stacy Carlson

Horror
indie book winners 2026
WHERE DARK THINGS RISE: A Novel

by Andrew K. Clark

Humor
indie book winners 2026
THE TYPO: In the Name of God

by William Lower

Inspirational
indie book winners 2026
WHITE SUGAR, BROWN SUGAR

by Michael A. Pyle

LGBTQ+
Book cover for Lost Village by Michael Saver. The image captures a foggy lakeside village with a church, reflected upside down at the top. The title "Lost Village" is centered in distressed typewriter font for a haunting effect.
LOST VILLAGE (The Conawalki Murder Mysteries Book 1)

by Michael Saver

Literary Fiction
indie book winners 2026
THE FAITHFUL ONES: A Novel

by Kathleen J. Waites

Middle Grade
indie book winners 2026
THE END OF THE SIDEWALK

by Nancy Schutt McCorkle

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
indie book winners 2026
BETWEEN THE SUN AND RAIN

by Leighton Kirby Richards

New Adult
indie book winners 2026
PROMISING YOUNG MAN

by Elias Axel

Paranormal
A book cover for The Seer: A Novel by Raquel Y. Levitt features a young woman with wide, expressive eyes, looking out from a softly lit, dreamy background with swirling colors and floral elements.
THE SEER: A Novel

by Raquel Y. Levitt

Poetry
Book cover for Colorscapes: Poetry by Lee Woodman. The background is a brick wall painted with large, overlapping shapes in red, orange, blue, green, yellow, pink, and black. The title and author are in bold white text.
COLORSCAPES

by Lee Woodman

Popular Fiction
Book cover for The Game by Brandon Keller, featuring a large gold coin, poker chips stacked in the background, colorful blurred lights, and a blue award finalist badge in the top left corner.
THE GAME

by Brandon Keller

Romance
A dramatic close-up of a womans face in shadow, eyes closed and lips slightly parted. The book title The Escape by Eve M. Riley and Book 6 in the Techboys Series are displayed across the image.
THE ESCAPE (The Techboys Series Book 6)

by Eve M. Riley

Romantasy
indie book winners 2026
LIKE A LILY AMONG THE THORNS

by Karen S. Bell

Science Fiction
Book cover for Hive: Madders of Time - Book One by DL Orton, featuring a swirling vortex at the center of a steampunk clock, surrounded by clouds, a conch shell, and a mechanical bee on a dark background.
HIVE (Madders of Time Book 1)

by D. L. Orton

Short Stories
A hooded, cloaked Grim Reaper holding a large scythe stands in a field of wildflowers at sunset. The vibrant sky sets the mood for this fantasy novel: Chronicles of the Grim Reaper, Volume 1 by Griz Calderon.
CHRONICLES OF THE GRIM REAPER

by Griz Calderon

Spiritual
indie book winners 2026
BIRDS IN A LAND OF NO TREES

by Anthony Lange

Socially Conscious
indie book winners 2026
THE LAST FLORIDIAN

by Pete Clements

Women’s Fiction
Book cover for Every Step of the Way by Sofía Ramírez Castillo, featuring a sunset over mountains and water, floating sheets of paper, a guitar, and a bird in the sky. The tagline: Sometimes healing begins with goodbye.
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

by Sofía Ramírez Castillo

Young Adult
indie book winners 2026
THEA

by Genevieve Morrissey

YA Horror
A person in a school uniform sits at a desk with a spilled glass of red liquid, a knife, and a book. Text above reads, “Death doesn’t forget those who are complicit.” Mortal Vengeance award and bestseller badges are shown below.
MORTAL VENGEANCE

by Alejandro Torres De la Rocha

NONFICTION
Aging/Death & Dying
Book cover for Carrying the Tiger: A Memoir by Tony Stewart, featuring an illustrated tiger in profile alongside the words: Carrying the Tiger—Living with cancer, Dying with grace, Finding joy while grieving.
CARRYING THE TIGER: A Memoir

by Tony Stewart

Biography
Book cover featuring a painted portrait of Charles Whitfield Richards—a man with glasses, moustache, and hat. Text reads: Charles Whitfield Richards: The Artist and His Circle by J. Michael Warner.
CHARLES WHITFIELD RICHARDS: The Artist and His Circle

by J. Michael Warner

Business
indie book winners 2026
RESTORING OUR SANITY ONLINE

by Mark Weinstein

Coming of Age
indie book winners 2026
MUD, MICROBES & MEDICINE: How a Curious Anthropologist Got to the Boardroom

by Elizabeth Reed Aden

Education
indie book winners 2026
WHAT'S YOUR NAME? How to Write Your Name in Han’gŭl Without Learning the Korean Language

by Albert Jung

Entertaining
indie book winners 2026
I HAVE A LOVE STORY

by Natalie MacMaster

Finance/Investment/Economics
indie book winners 2026
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO GROWING WEALTH AND INVESTING: Planting Seeds & Growing Riches

by Dr. Stacker

Health/Medicine/Nutrition
indie book winners 2026
HOPE IN THE FACE OF CANCER

by Darcie Wells and James Malinchak

History
Book cover with a painting of a woman with long, wavy red hair holding a pomegranate, reflecting the Pre-Raphaelites art movement. The title The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood is written vertically on the left; Nick Louras is at the bottom.
THE PRE-RAPHAELITE BROTHERHOOD

by Nick Louras

How-To
indie book winners 2026
WHAT HANGS IN THE BALANCE

by Philippe Johnson

Humor
indie book winners 2026
LOSER*: A Survival Guide to High School Popularity

by C.S. Beaty

Inspirational
indie book winners 2026
BELIEVE: A Memoir in Stories

by Christina H. Wilson

Kids
indie book winners 2026
THE CASTOFF CANINE

by Jeannette Greulach

LGBTQ+
indie book winners 2026
TO KILL A COCKROACH

by Osvaldo Calixto Amador

Memoir
indie book winners 2026
SUN SHINING ON MORNING SNOW: A Memoir of Identity, Loss, and Living Boldly

by Ingrid Hu Dahl

Parenting (Child Care/Family)
A dramatic illustrated book cover for Love Wars: Clash of the Parents shows two angry parents facing off with lightning between them, a worried boy in front, and scenes of family conflict, capturing the turmoil of a true divorce story.
LOVE WARS: Clash of the Parents, A True Divorce Story

by Matthew A. Tower

Photography
Book cover titled The ABCs of California’s Native Bees by Krystle Hickman, featuring close-up photos of California native bees on flowers within the letters A, B, and C.
THE ABCs OF CALIFORNIA'S NATIVE BEES

by Krystle Hickman

Poetry
A leafless tree silhouetted against a dramatic, cloudy sky. Text on the image reads Exits and Stephen C. Pollock, Selected Poems. The overall mood is dark and moody.
EXITS: Selected Poems

by Stephen C. Pollock

Politics/Current Events
The book cover for Stand Up Speak Up by Tim Lennon features colorful watercolor mountains and sky, with the subtitle How Survivors Created a Movement to End Sexual Violence in green text, highlighting the power of survivors in this movement.
STAND UP SPEAK UP: How Survivors Created a Movement to End Sexual Violence

by Tim Lennon

Pop Culture
indie book winners 2026
PLUS-SIZE: A Memoir of Pop Culture, Fatphobia, and Social Change

by Mekdela

Psychology/Mental Health
Book cover for Whats So Bad About Being Poor? by Deborah M. Foster, Ph.D. features an old, tilted family photo in a brown frame over a dark textured background, reflecting the realities of being poor with the title in handwritten-style font above.
WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT BEING POOR?

by Deborah M. Foster

Religion
A colorful book cover featuring two silver candlesticks with lit candles, a wine cup, challah bread, and grapes set against a scenic nature background. The title reads Manna Songs: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage.
MANNA SONGS: Stories of Jewish Culture & Heritage

Edited by Diane Gottlieb

Self-Help
indie book winners 2026
LIVING IN COLOUR: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Sisterhood

by Simone Hewitt

Sexuality/Relationships
indie book winners 2026
THE AUTHENTIC YOUNG LOVER: Learning to Love in a Broken Culture

by Chris Hakim

Socially Conscious
A man and a young girl walk hand in hand on a sunny park path. The book cover reads: Justice for Ma’at—The True Story of A Father’s Relentless Fight For His Daughter by Le Taxione.
JUSTICE FOR MA'AT: The True Story of a Father's Relentless Fight For His Daughter

by Le'Taxione

Sports/Fitness/Recreation
indie book winners 2026
CHASING LEGENDS: Motorcycle Stories from the Podcast Trail

by Aaron Pufal

Spiritual
BECOMING A PEACOCK: Strut Your Way Into Self-Love By MICHAL BARDAVID
BECOMING A PEACOCK: Strut Your Way Into Self-Love

by Michal Bardavid

Travel
indie book winners 2026
BELONGING TO THE WORLD: A Journey from Grief to Connection in Every Country on Earth

by Barry Hoffner

True Crime
indie book winners 2026
WONDERLAND: Memoir of a Black-Market Adoption

by Patricia Knight Meyer

Women’s Issues
Book cover for No Man's Land by Becky Jensen, featuring an illustrated bird perched among red-orange leaves, with a partial map of Colorado trails in the background and a glowing review quote at the top.
NO MAN'S LAND: Unpacking One Woman's Worth on the Colorado Trail

by Becky Jensen

Young Adult
indie book winners 2026
GAME CHANGERS: Inspirational Sport Stories

by Dan Gold

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