The Independent Publisher Book Award for Fiction
The Independent Publisher Book Awards were established in 1996 to bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers.
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2010
The Patience Stone: Sang-E Saboor by Atiq Rahimi
Appassionata by Eva Hoffman
2009
Adam the King by Jeffrey Lewis
2008
The Folded World by Amity Gaige
Review
"Exquisitely written... The bitterness and disillusion of marriage have been thoroughly plumbed in contemporary fiction; Gaige is one of the rare novelists who is more interested in its potential for happiness and grace." Entertainment Weekly (read more)
2007
What Is the What by Dave Eggers
Review
"A startling act of literary ventriloquism that...remind[s] us just how eloquently the author can write about loss and mortality and sorrow. A devastating and humane account of one man's survival against terrible odds..." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times (read more)
2006
Rocks That Float by Kathy B. Steele
Synopsis
In the tradition of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, Steele's debut novel populates an entire community within the page of a book, telling the story of a recently divorced man--and the choices his new neighbors force him to make. (read more)
2005
Meritocracy: A Love Story by Jeffrey Lewis
Publisher Comments
A tragic coming of age story as a group of recent Yale graduates deal with the repercussions of the Vietnam War. (read more)
2004
The Sleeping Father by Matthew Sharpe
Review
"Sharpe's arch tone is charmingly at odds with the sprawling, inclusive structure of The Sleeping Father....He's a rare find: an ironist who actually seems to like other people." Claire Dederer, New York Times Book Review (read more)
2003
The God File by Frank Turner Hollon
Powells.com Staff Pick
A quest for God while sleeping in the devil's bed? Gabriel Black is a man who made a choice that cost him his physical freedom for the rest of his life. Charming anger, as beautiful as it is horrific. Recommended by Donna (read more)
2002
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Powells.com Staff Pick
"A lean and lovingly told story, drawn from Midwestern life, sparked with moments of the miraculous." Recommended by Mark Ingraham (read more)
2001
The Beast God Forgot to Invent by Jim Harrison
Review
"Rich and exuberant...extraordinary...Reading Jim Harrison is about as close as one can come in contemporary fiction to experiencing the abundant pleasures of living." Boston Globe (read more)
2000
Between the Flowers by Harriette Simpson Arnow
Synopsis
Written in the 1930s but unpublished until now, Between the Flowers is the second novel by the renowned author of Hunter's Horn and The Dollmaker. (read more)
1999
Lucky Man, Lucky Woman by Jack Driscoll
Synopsis
When his marriage starts to fail, a probation officer becomes recklessly infatuated with the pretty, beleaguered wife of a parolee who has a young child. His own confusion endangers them, as well as a nephew under his care, in this novel of a man's headlong — and just possibly redemptive — leap into chaos. (read more)
1998
The Last Jewish Shortstop in America by Lowell B. Komie
About the Author
Lowell B. Komie is a Chicago attorney and writer. He received his B.A. from the University of Michigan in 1951 and his J.D. from Northwestern University in 1954. (read more)
1997
Winona's Web by Priscilla Cogan
Publisher Comments
To the surprise of her family, Winona Pathfinder, an elderly Lakota Sioux medicine woman, announces she intends to die in two months. For counseling, Winona is referred to psychologist Dr. Meggie O'Connor — Caucasian, middle-aged, and divorced. A reluctant client, the feisty Winona decides to turn the tables and teach Dr. O'Connor a thing or two about life, while steadfastly refusing to renounce her plans to die. (read more)
