Our beloved Discovery Awards entry is just $69 when you combo with a Pro Review! Sale ends Nov. 28.  Learn More ›

Have your book read by people who make a difference

Sponsored By

Reedsy

A great value at just $149 for your first entry!

Ready to give your book the professional edge?

EVERY AUTHOR GETS A VERDICT BLURB FROM OUR PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS

Every author who enters a title in the 2025 IR Discovery Awards will receive a verdict, written by an IndieReader reviewer and based on their assessment after reading the complete book.

The verdict (should it be positive) is a great way to add credibility to your book as promotional copy or a blurb.

Plus, the Top Discovery Awards Prizes Include:

Free author website and 12 months service from Featherlight

Having your own website to sell your book(s) and cultivate a following is one of the most important things for any author. Featherlight provides authors with outstanding white-glove websites that help build your brand. They also host, secure, maintain, and update your website.
VALUE: $1,500

Your Book Reviewed by a Top New York Literary Agent

New York-based Dystel, Goderich and Bourret Literary Management (whose client list includes (originally self-pubbed author Colleen Hoover) will review the top six winning IRDAs books with an eye towards signing them for representation.
VALUE: Priceless

An Hour Consultation with a Top Book PR + Marketing Firm

Getting more attention your prize winning book is what the IRDAs are all about. To that end the top 2 winning books (one fiction + one non-fiction) will receive a consultation with Smith Publicity, widely considered the premier book promotion agency in the industry for more than 25 years.
VALUE: $499

An IndieReader Pro Review

Build more credibility for your book, get discovered, and stand out in a crowded marketplace with a full IR Review.
VALUED AT: $275

Get a featured place in the buzz around the Discovery Awards winners

Our press release announcing the 2024 IRDA winners has received close to 600 views and hits in various media with a total potential audience of 10.3 million. Past IRDA winners have received exposure in major media outlets, including The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal.

A $100 Reedsy Credit

Enhance your book, marketing, and more with a $100 credit to the world's best author services marketplace.

Check Out the 2025 Discovery Awards Entrants!

See the great books entered into the Awards this year (or check out your competition)!

Every book entered into the awards will be available as it is reviewed by our staff! *

*Our team enters verdicts on a rolling basis as our reviewers and judges complete them. 

IT ISN’T ALL ABOUT THE TROPHY!

Stand With The Best

The IR Discovery Awards seek to find the best of the best. Every book is read by an IR Pro reviewer and judged on its own merit. Only if it receives a 4+ rating does it go on to be read by one of our judges.

Read By People Who Matter

Every year the judges for the IRDAs include publishing pros--from journalists and reviewers to editors and PR pros--who will read through the entries to determine the winners.

Get Discovered

According to the latest Bowker stats there were nearly 2.23 million books self-published in 2021. That’s a lot of company (and competition!) for any author. An IRDA win and/or a positive blurb will help set your title apart from the rest, increasing your book’s chance for discoverability.

WHAT AUTHORS ARE SAYING ABOUT INDIEREADER DISCOVERY AWARDS

joecottonwood

Joe Cottonwood
Author of the Discovery Award-winner 99 Jobs

“I’d like to say THANK YOU and give a big (virtual) bear hug to you and IndieReader for selecting 99 JOBS for the Discovery Award, for the 9 Summer Reads, and now thanks to the award I’ve got a starred review from Kirkus!”

jackmayer

Jack Mayer
Author of the Discovery Award-winning Life in a Jar and Before the Court of Heaven

“My first Indie book, Life In a Jar received a 5-star IndieReader Review and won the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award for Biography. My book also garnered 8 other book awards, but the only sticker I apply to book covers is the IndieReader Discovery Award, knowing that it represents and supports the very highest ideals of the indie publishing community.”

The Cost

FIRST CATEGORY

$150

EACH ADDITIONAL CATEGORY

$50

Ready to give your book the professional edge?