The American Booksellers Association has relaunched the Indies Choice Book Awards, the literary prize program that has been on hiatus since 2019.
Titles featured on the Indie Next List, the Kids' Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce are eligible for the awards. Independent booksellers from ABA member stores will vote to select a shortlist and winner in each of the following categories: adult fiction, adult nonfiction, picture book, middle grade, young adult, debut adult, and debut children's. The winning author and/or illustrator in each category will receive $2,000.
"The Indies Choice Book Awards are a celebration of what makes independent bookstores so vital to the literary ecosystem," said ABA CEO Allison Hill. "These awards are voted on entirely by independent booksellers--people who read widely, recommend passionately, and engage with readers and authors every day. By drawing from titles featured on the ABA's Indie Next List, Kids' Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce book recommendations, these awards reflect a year of thoughtful curation, deep enthusiasm, and books we can't stop talking about. The Indies Choice Book Awards are a celebration and the best way for readers to find their next favorite book."
The award started in 1991 as the American Bookseller Book of the Year. In 2000 it was relaunched as Book Sense Book of the Year and renamed the Indies Choice Book Awards in 2009. In 2010 it became the Indies Choice Book Awards/E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. Previously, the awards coincided with BookExpo, which was last held in 2019.
The first round of voting for the Indies Choice Book Awards opened on January 28 and will close on February 28. The shortlists will be announced on March 11 and the final round of voting will take place from March 11 to March 25. The winners will be announced on April 8.
More information about the voting process can be found here, and inquiries about the awards can be made to icba@bookweb.org.