2012 BOTYA Winners Announced

June 28, 2013—Foreword Reviews’ 15th annual Book of the Year Awards, judged by a select group of librarians and booksellers from around the country, were announced this evening at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago. The winners exemplify the best work coming from today’s independent, university, and small press communities.

With 1,300 entries from more than 600 publishers, 248 winners were selected in 62 categories. Two books were also named Editor’s Choice Prize winners, an honor that comes with a $1,500 cash prize. The Editor’s Choice Prize for Fiction was given to WordFarm for their novel Glorybound, by Jessie van Eerden. “Lyrical, heartbreaking, and dazzling in its unobtrusive authenticity, Van Eerden’s first novel is an affecting delight,” remarked Foreword reviewer Michelle Anne Schingler

Greystone Books was presented with the Editor’s Choice Prize for Nonfiction for their book Eating Dirt: Deep Forests, Big Timber, and Life with the Tree-Planting Tribe by Charlotte Gill. “This is not only fine writing, but it is storytelling at its best—one where you forget you are reading at all because the words are not getting in the way. Not too many writers can sustain this, especially in a book about planting trees,” commented Howard Lovy, Foreword’s executive editor.

The remaining winners were selected by dozens of librarians and booksellers who are experts in the genres they judged, and who make purchasing decisions daily for their collections or bookstores.

Rana DiOrio and her team at Little Pickle Press were honored as Foreword Reviews’ Independent Publisher of the Year. Foreword‘s Publisher, Victoria Sutherland, notes, “Little Pickle Press is the epitome of who we try to distinguish with this award. In a short time and against all odds, Rana has built an award-winning, environmentally-conscious children’s media company creating enhanced ebooks, apps, music, and educational resources that spur meaningful conversations between parents, teachers, and children. She sets a terrific example for new publishers entering the market place.”

###

Since 1998, Foreword Reviews has provided trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses. In print, and online, its FOLIO: award-winning design and editorial content makes the magazine a favorite among librarians, booksellers, and readers—an excellent resource when it comes to purchasing books. Foreword INDIES and the fee-for-review Clarion service complement our online content and print magazine, helping to showcase diverse independent presses and their authors for over 26 years.
###