Winners
Best New Voice: Nonfiction
2024 WINNERS - BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION
See below for the list of 2024 finalists in the BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION category, for books with a copyright date of 2023.
In My DNA: My Career Investigating Your Worst Nightmares
2024 Finalist
Author: Lindsey Wade
Publisher: One Idea Press
ISBN: 9781944134594
Lindsey Wade always knew she wanted to be a detective. Seared into her memory was the 1986 murder of a young girl in her hometown. The case stuck with her and then in 2018, dogged determination and DNA led Detective Wade and her team to solve the thirty-two-year-old mystery.
No Crying in the Operating Room: My Life as an International Relief Doctor, from Haiti, to South Sudan, to the Syrian Civil War
2024 Finalist
Author: Cecily Wang, M.D.
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
ISBN: 9781662936852
"A compelling story of a life transformed by the experience of medical mission work." — Kirkus Reviews
Time Served: Humanizing women doing a dangerous job, taking care of their families, and hoping to make it out alive
2024 Finalist
Author: T.L. Cromwell
Publisher: KP Publishing
ISBN: 9781960001207
Time Served is a memoir written by a retired Correctional Captain who worked 21+ years for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She worked in two of the toughest male-only prisons, starting as a Correctional Officer and retiring as a Correctional Captain. She shares her experiences as an African American woman working in a dangerous environment that was often mundane, mixed with incidents of extreme violence and terror.
2023 WINNERS - BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION
See below for the list of 2023 winners in the BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION category, for books with a copyright date of 2022.
Tailspin
2023 Gold Winner
Author: John Armbruster
Publisher: Ten16 Press
ISBN: 978-1-64538-314-7
During World War II, tail gunner Gene Moran fell four miles through the sky without a parachute and lived. Captured by the Germans, he survived a harrowing eighteen months as a prisoner of war, including a six-hundred-mile death march across Central Europe.
Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia
2023 Silver Winner
Author: Natasha Lance Rogoff
Publisher: Rowan and Littlefield
ISBN: 9781538161289
"In this thrilling debut, TV producer Rogoff recounts her mission to bring Sesame Street to Russian audiences.” She faced bombings, assassinations and an office takeover. “The resulting tale is one of perseverance and creativity that illuminates how even the most disparate cultures and perspectives can find common ground." — Publishers Weekly
Write a Must-Read: Craft a Book That Changes Lives—Including Your Own
2023 Silver Winner
Author: AJ Harper
Publisher: Page Two
ISBN: 978-1-989603-69-7
In these pages, Harper reveals the proven methods she has used for nearly two decades to write and edit perennial bestsellers. It's not the easy way or the fast way; it's the effective way. The payoff is a must-read book and a massive readership who serve as ambassadors for your message and your brand.
2022 WINNERS - BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION
See below for the list of 2022 winners in the BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION category, for books with a copyright date of 2021.
Type One Determination: Transforming type 1 diabetes through personal experience, scientific evidence, and a dash of disobedience
2022 Gold Winner
Author: Lauren Plunkett
Publisher: Wise Ink Creative Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-63489-473-9
Part memoir, part knowledge-boosting scientific adventure in nutrition & exercise, Type One Determination tells the story of the author's life with T1D, and how she became a fiery example of drawing strength from disease. Educational, inspirational, and a pointed message to all those invested in the lives of people with diabetes.
Blue Yonder
2022 Silver Winner
Author: Susan L. Gemmill
Publisher: Merry Dissonance Press
ISBN: 978-1-939919-63-2
It was the crash of a ferried bomber behind Bill Gemmill’s frat house that spurred him on to war. Bill was reluctant to tell his story, but later in life he opened up to his daughter. Blue Yonder is Bill’s story of becoming a man in the midst of defending his country.
Stewards of Humanity: Lighting the Darkness in Humanitarian Crisis
2022 Silver Winner
Author: Robert Séamus Macpherson
Publisher: Torchflame Books
ISBN: 978-1-61153-414-6
When the world turns away from the horrors of war, genocide, famine, and natural disasters, the stewards of humanity run toward the suffering. With an unflinching view into some of the worst humanitarian crises of our lifetime, Robert Macpherson tells the stories of those who courageously confronted evil and injustice.
2021 WINNERS - BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION
See below for the list of 2021 winners in the BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION category, for books with a copyright date of 2020. Click here to watch the Gold and Silver winner speeches.
The World Looks Different Now: A Memoir of Suicide, Faith, and Family
2021 Gold Winner
Author: Margaret Thomson
Publisher: She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-693-0
On August 28, 2010, Margaret Thomson’s world was shattered by the devastating news that her son Kieran, a twenty-two-year-old medic in the army, had taken his life. The World Looks Different Now tells the story of a family’s journey toward healing in the aftermath of unspeakable loss.
Fatherless, Fearless, Female: A Memoir
2021 Silver Winner
Author: Mary Charity Kruger Stein
Publisher: She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-755-5
In this #MeToo tale of single mothers and fatherless children, a Rust Belt farmgirl escapes poverty, weds, has a son, is widowed, then falls in love with a young man whose Jewish mother opposes their relationship. Follow their adventures as they move from Brooklyn to Greece, Israel, and Iran.
The Truth: Real Stories and the Risk of Losing a Free Press in America
2021 Silver Winner
Author: Bob Gabordi
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 978-1-7283-6604-3
The Truth shows how the press protects citizens from corruption and incompetence. It began as a simple memoir that changed one night after midnight when I was awoken by a Tweet from the president attacking the media as the enemy of the people. Finally, a book that defends local journalism.
2020 WINNERS - BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION
See below for the list of 2020 winners in the BEST NEW VOICE: NONFICTION category, for books with a copyright date of 2019.
Among the Maasai: A Memoir
2020 Gold Winner
Author: Juliet Cutler
Publisher: She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-672-5
Set in Tanzania, this memoir bears witness to the life-changing impact of education for girls and the transformative power of engaging across culture.
Baghdaddy: How Sadam Hussein Taught Me to Be a Better Father
2020 Silver Winner
Author: Lt. Col. Bill Riley (ret.)
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
ISBN: 978-1-61254-292-8
"Baghdaddy" is Lt. Col. Riley's raw and vivid story about love, loss, and friendship—a humanizing insight into the individuals who fight wars.
Headstrong: Surviving a Traumatic Brain Injury
2020 Silver Winner
Author: JoAnne Silver Jones
Publisher: She Writes Press
ISBN: 978-1-63152-612-1
Headstrong brings the reader from a sudden, violent assault, through the hurdles of living with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD) to finding a way to move forward with hope.
Not Another Breastfeeding Book
2020 Silver Winner
Author: Chelsie Knight
Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press
ISBN: 978-1-64343-912-9
Not Another Breastfeeding Book cuts out the extra “fluff” and offers tangible tips, tricks, and motivation to help women start and sustain successful breastfeeding journeys.
About the
Independent Book Publishers Association
Founded to support independent publishers nationwide, the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. With over 3,200 members, IBPA is the largest independent publishing association in the U.S. Its vision is a world where every independent publisher has the access, knowledge, and tools needed to professionally engage in all aspects of an inclusive publishing industry.
For more information, visit www.ibpa-online.org.
