IP Award

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Independent Publishers' Annual Report: Economy is Down -- Books and Reading are Up

May 21, 2009 -- New York, NY -- Organizers of the 13th annual Independent Publisher Book Awards, conducted to honor the year's best independently published books, have announced the results for the 2009 competition. While much of the world economy is in a slump, books and reading are gaining ground on more expensive forms of entertainment, and the annual list of "IPPY" award winners represents the kind of alternative viewpoints today's readers crave.

This year's awards attracted 4,090 entries from throughout the U.S. and Canada, plus most English-speaking countries worldwide. Medal-winning books came from 44 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia, eight Canadian provinces, and six countries overseas. Launched in 1996 as the first unaffiliated awards program open exclusively to independent, university, and self-published titles, the 2009 IPPY Awards will be presented to winners at a gala celebration during BookExpo America in New York on Friday, May 29th. Winners receive gold, silver and bronze medals and can place foil seals of the medal image on their book covers.

"Today's readers are seeking diverse perspectives on hot-button issues," said awards director Jim Barnes. "This year's list represents a mix of established independents and bold new voices, and their messages echo the call for change and a straightforward approach to dealing with the world's social, political and economic problems."

Yale University Press led the medal count with five, and Indiana University Press and Kent State University Press followed with four and three medals. New Society Publishers of British Columbia received four medals, as did Illinois-based fiction house Medallion Press, Down East Books of Maine, Creative Homeowner of New Jersey, and Abbeville Press of New York. More than thirty of the 410 total medals went to books from print-on-demand publishers.

The awards annually name the Outstanding Books of the Year, recognizing titles that "take chances and break new ground" in categories such as Most Likely to Save the Planet and Storyteller of the Year. This year's 20 recipients in 12 categories represent some of the English-speaking world's most daring and distinctive writing and publishing.

See the 2009 Outstanding Books of the Year: http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1297
See the complete results for the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards:http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1298

The IPPY Awards are presented by IndependentPublisher.com, the online "voice of independent publishing" operated by publishing services firm Jenkins Group of Traverse City, Michigan. The annual IPPY Awards celebration on Friday night during BookExpo America is a highlight of the weekend and publishing media are welcome to attend.

For more details about the Awards, to attend the event, or to interview recipients, please contact:

Jim Barnes, Managing Editor & Awards Director
Independent Publisher Online/Jenkins Group
www.IndependentPublisher.com
Ph: 1.231.933.4954 x1011
jimb@bookpublishing.com