Trophies and certificates were awarded to a winner and two finalists in 49 different categories, ranging from non-fiction categories like Architecture and Religion to fiction categories like Multicultural and Horror. Of course this characterizes independent publishing in general, but I think it's especially appropriate this year. We saw an emergence of publishing regions other than the East and West coasts, such as Fiction category winners and finalists like Coffee House Press in Minneapolis, Sarabande Books in Louisville, Crane Hill in Birmingham, and John F. Blair in Winston-Salem. On-Demand finalists, one each from iUniverse and 1st Books Library, in the Romance and Humor categories. This year we had entries from all 50 United States, the Virgin Islands, and four Canadian provinces.
Independent publishing is a vital part of our culture that deserves greater recognition.
Visit the Independent Publisher Online website for complete Awards results, photos, and updates. Before he was able to begin fulfilling his lifetime ambition of writing on a full time basis, Terry Sheils devoted himself to thirty-five years of teaching drama and English at the high school level. Terry was born in Toronto, Canada in 1935 and still resides there with his wife of 43 years. They have two mostly grown daughters. Finally, his outstanding physical attribute, he says, is his left ear, which is much admired in concentric circles.