Bestselling Author Jennifer L. Armentrout Announces Winners of the "IndieReader Discovery Awards"

MONTCLAIR, N.J., June 1, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Today, Jennifer L. Armentrout, a New York Times and International bestselling author, and Amy Edelman, founder of IndieReader, announced the winners of the 9th annual "IndieReader Discovery Awards" (IRDA) at BookCon, in New York City.

With sponsors including Amazon, IngramSpark and Kirkus, IndieReader created the IRDAs to give indie authors access to people who can make a difference in their book's success. Says Edelman, "With the rush by traditional publishers to sign them and their noteworthy bestselling status, there's no longer much doubt that indie authors can be both commercially and creatively successful. All that was left to do was create a credible vehicle by which to find them. That's where the IRDAs come in."

While writing a great book is the first step, getting it in front of the right people—be they readers or agents—is also a critical part of making an indie book a success. To that end, judges on the IRDA panel include PR and publishing professionals, editors, book designers, professional reviewers and more. Winners will have their titles submitted to New York literary agents Dystal, Goderich & Bourret for representation consideration.

Judging is based on the quality of writing, editing and the originality of the story.

There was a first, second and third place winner for fiction and non-fiction categories, 32 category winners and two winners each for BEST FIRST BOOK and BEST COVER DESIGN (for fiction and non-fiction).

The winners, judges, the genre and the authors contact information follows below.

FICTION

First Place

Ayn Cates Sullivan / Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales
Categories: Women's Fiction, Inspirational/Spiritual
Contact: ayn@infinitelightpublishing.com

Second Place

Lyle Saxon, Michael Warner (editor) / A Lyle Saxon Reader: Lost Stories of the French Quarter and Buried Treasure
Category: Literary Fiction
Contact: michael@culturedoak.com

Third Place

Olivia Rana/ Elastic Girl
Categories: Women's Fiction
Contact: Olivia.rana@hotmail.co.uk

NON-FICTION

First Place

Toby Neal/ Freckled: A Memoir of Growing up Wild in Hawaii
Category: Memoir
Contact: tobyneal0@gmail.com

Second Place

Rosemary Lombardy/ Breaking Bonds: How to Divorce an Abuser and Heal
Categories: Self-Help, Women's Issues
Contact: lombardy@comcast.net

Third Place

Genevieve Layman/ Gather & Make: Plant-Based Projects For All Seasons
Category: Crafts/Hobby
Contact: genevievebriery@gmail.com

CATEGORY WINNERS

Best First Book (Fiction) - Christopher Pickert / Year of the Amphibian
Best First Book (Non-Fiction) - Diana Thomas & Stacey Boyle / Be More Strategic In Business
Best Book Cover (Fiction) – Ted Neill/ Jamhuri, Njambi & Fighting Zombies
Best Book Cover (Non-Fiction) - Ted Neill/ Two Years of Wonder

Action/Adventure - Sharon CassanoLochman/ Stranded on Thin Ice
Biography - Celia Belt/ Remarkably Intact: Angels are No Strangers to Chains
Business - Tim Calkins/ How To Wash A Chicken: Mastering the Business Presentation
Chick Lit - Samantha Connor / Elevation
Children's (Early to intermediate readers) - David Bernstein / The King of Pawleys
Fantasy - Joel Manners/ The Thief's Tale
Fantasy - L.J. Engelmeier/ A Shard of Sea & Bone
Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Fiction - Brad Graber/ After the Fall
Gift/Holiday/Specialty - Karen A. Anderson/ The Amazing Afterlife of Animals
Health/Medicine/Nutrition - Amy Byer Shainman/ Resurrection Lily
Historical Fiction - Mike H. Mizrahi/ The Unnamed Girl
History - Rick St John/ Tiger Bravo's War
Horror - Ty Tracey/ Three Days in Ashford
How-To - Hilary Jane Grosskopf/ Awake Ethics
Humor – Daisy Pettles/ Ghost Busting Mystery
Inspirational/Spiritual - Nicole Taylor/ A Joyful Pause
Literary Fiction - Deborah Gaal/ The Dream Stitcher
Memoir - Robert DeBard/ The Gift of Significance
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller - William Ian Grubman / The Storm Over Paris
New Adult - Eichin Chang-Lim/ The LoveLock
Paranormal - Zachary R. Cormier/ They Are Only Men
Parenting (Child Care/Family) - Tracie Frank Mayer/ Incompatible with Nature
Poetry - Ginger Tran / Tourmaline
Popular Fiction - Lee Carl / The Choker
Psychology/Mental Health - Christine Marie Frey / Brain XP: Living with Mental Illness
Religion - Dick Johnson / The Unspoken TRUTH About Religion
Romance - Kitty Cook / Sleeping Together
Science Fiction - Chris Yee / Metal Chest
Science Fiction - Mark L . Lloyd/ A Place to Stay Forever
Self-Help - Kimberly Faith / Your Lion Inside
Short Stories - T. Stores / Frost Heaves
Sports/Fitness/Recreation - Bob Alonzi/ I Stretch & Strengthen
Travel - David Wienir/ Amsterdam Exposed
True Crime - Nicholas Fillmore/ Smuggler
Women's Fiction - Jacquelyn Middleton / London, Can You Wait?
Writing/Publishing - Thom Kudla / How We Are Different
YA – Tanya Lee / The Wolf and the Rain

2019 PANEL OF JUDGES

The top 6 winning titles will be submitted to Dystal, Goderich & Bourret for representation consideration

Joel Friedlander, THE BOOK DESIGNER
Maria D'Marco, REEDSY
Penny Sansevieri, CEO, AUTHOR MARKETING EXPERTS
Mercy Pilkington, Senior Editor, GOODeREADER
Phil Leo, PM IMAGES
Sandra Smith, President, SMITH PUBLICITY
Karen Schechner, Senior Indie Editor, KIRKUS REVIEWS
Myra Forsberg, Indie Editor, KIRKUS REVIEWS

Thanks to our 2019 SPONSORS

Amazon CreateSpace/KDP
IngramSpark
Kirkus Indie

SOURCE IndieReader