David Underwood has won the 2026 Voice of the Heartland Award, sponsored by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association (GLIBA) and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association (MIBA) and honoring "an individual or organization that upholds the value of independent bookselling and has made a significant contribution to bookselling across the Great Lakes and Midwest." Underwood's publishing career began with Bantam Books in New York in 1990. From 2003 until his recent retirement, Underwood was a regional sales director with Penguin Random House. He served two terms on the GLIBA Board, including as secretary, and served on the MIBA Board.
"Our industry is built on relationships, and David is one of the best relationship builders I have ever had the privilege to work with," said Larry Law, executive director of GLIBA. "He has always been someone booksellers could call, someone who would listen, someone who genuinely wanted independent bookstores to succeed. He understood that being a sales representative wasn't just about selling books, it was about being a partner to the people who sell them."
"I can't think of a better person to get the Voice of the Heartland award than David Underwood," said Stefan Moorehead, regional sales director for Penguin Random House. "David was not only a patient and wise mentor to me, but he is also a genuinely kind person who values the connections that are the core of the independent bookstore world. The popular books come and go but David is steadfast in his support of all Midwestern independent bookstores."
Underwood will receive the award during the Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony at the 2026 Heartland Fall Forum, which takes place October 6-9 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Past recipients include Wendell Berry, Kate DiCamillo, Jim Harrison, Louise Erdrich, Two Dollar Radio, Janet Webster Jones, Hanif Abdurraqib, and Ross Gay.
