Recently, we announced the three finalists in this year’s Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year awards. All three finalists were winners in last month’s CIPA EVVY Awards sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) and the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF); the annual awards recognize the finest works of independent authors in dozens of book categories.
Now it is time to determine which of these talented authors possess the author platform and promotional muscle to take top honors in a head-to-head-to-head marketing competition — a live public poll to determine the ultimate Grand Prize winner and the $1,500 Grand Prize for Best Book of the Year.
So, refresh your memory of these finalists: Re-watch their videos, download their ebooks, buy the paperbacks, and then scroll down to the poll to place your vote for the 2017 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year!
Finalist: Gramma Darling by Lissa Schroeder
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
Finalist: When a Woman Is in Love with God by Darnelle Wilson
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
Finalist: The Thundering Herd by John E. Peltier
Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.
Cast Your Vote
The public poll for Best Book of the Year ends at 12:00 PM Noon Mountain Time on Friday, September 15th.
Congratulations to Darnelle Wilson, author of When a Woman Is in Love with God, who is one of three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year Award. The third and last finalist will be announced tomorrow on this blog – and you’ll take it from there!
Public voting will determine which of the three finalists should be awarded the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Voting is open to everyone and will take place on this blog from Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 15 (noon Mountain time).
Darnelle’s spiritual book, When a Woman Is in Love with God, was published August 2016 and won a 1st Place EVVY Award in the Religion and Spirituality category just a couple of weeks ago. The book guides women through forming a loving relationship with God, thus reaping the spiritual rewards of unconditional love and salvation.
When a Woman Is in Love with God
When a woman loves God, she tries to please Him and do His will through daily studies of the Bible. When times are difficult, she stands on His Word and promises. Her love for Him gives her the strength to weather the storms of life. She has a safe place in the Word of God. When a woman loves God, her position in Him is anointed and appointed by God. She is bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. She is neither proud nor envious in her position, and pleases God as she walks in humility. God has placed her in a position to love others, even her enemies. He has given her everything she needs. Are YOU a woman who loves God? In times of trials and tribulations, when even friends and relatives have turned on you, your love for Him will sustain you. This inspirational book will encourage you to give God your unconditional love so that He will love you right into His Kingdom.
About Author Darnelle Wilson
Dr. Darnelle Wilson has worked in the women ministry for more than 30 years and has taught many workshops on the work women have in the ministry for God. As a pastor’s wife and church leader, Dr. Wilson has been doing God’s work for many years. She is a woman who loves and puts God first in her life.
Every year, Outskirts Press recognizes the best book they publish with their annual Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year award, which must not only win an EVVY Award from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association but must be recognized as the best book among three finalists in a public opinion poll.
As finalists, Lissa Schroeder, author of Gramma Darling, and Darnelle Wilson, author of When a Woman Is in Love with God, will be competing head-to-head-to-head with the third finalist in a public poll on this blog starting on Monday. The winning author will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Outskirts Press Publishing Center, plus an exclusive 2017 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of their book.
Tomorrow we’ll announce the final competitor. Then we need you! Come back on Monday, Sept. 11, to cast your vote for the book you believe to be the best of the three.
Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award?
Finally, we have it – our three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year Award: Gramma Darling by Lissa Schroeder, When a Woman Is in Love with God by Darnelle Wilson, and The Thundering Herd by John Peltier. All three took home wins in the annual EVVY Awards, qualifying them for Outskirts Press’ top annual honors.
The rest is up to you! Public voting will determine which of the three finalists should be named the Outskirts Press 2017 Best Book of the Year award and receive the $1,500 Grand Prize that comes with it. Voting is open to everyone and will take place on this blog from Monday, Sept. 11 through Friday, Sept. 15 at noon Mountain time.
So, study your choices, order their books, visit their webpages and social media – then cast your vote September 11-15 for the book you feel deserves the honor. Here’s a recap of the finalists:
Gramma Darling
Beautifully written and stunningly illustrated, this delightful book for children, parents, and grandparents paints a nostalgic picture of unhurried summer days at a dear grandmother’s house. Seen and felt through the eyes of a child, every discovery is full of innocence and wonder; from an attic brimming with treasures to running through the fields at twilight catching fireflies. You will laugh and remember your own childhood and feel as though you are there sharing in all the small adventures of her little world; the baby birds, the gardening, the stormy days, and bedtime baths. And through it all, in the background, is Gramma Darling and her laughter. You sense the atmosphere of nurturing, protection, and worth that she provides; and far more importantly, you get a glimpse into the wisdom of a woman whose genuine genius for simply loving, inspires wholehearted lifetime devotion. It will leave you uplifted and looking for ways to spend quality time with the little ones in your own life.
About Author Lissa Schroeder
Lissa Schroeder is a gifted teacher, an engaging public speaker, and a licensed minister. She has taught all over Alaska at youth conferences, ladies’ retreats, home school workshops, and more. A born storyteller, she paints vivid emotional pictures that are inspiring and hopeful, that make your heart soar and leave you smiling. Mostly, she has raised three awesome kids, homeschooling from preschool to med school. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with her husband and youngest son, where she owns and runs a curriculum supply store.
Doron Ben-Ami is a freelance illustrator, photographer, and musician, living and working in Brookfield Connecticut. He has illustrated hundreds of book covers, advertisements, posters, children’s books, and calendars. He also creates illustrations for storyboards and animatics, assisting in the production of nationally broadcast TV commercials. Most recently he has expanded his professional offerings to video and animation. When not creating visual imagery, he performs in the western Connecticut area with his jazz band, and in a duo with his daughter. He has two grown children, and lives with his wife in Brookfield, Connecticut.
When a woman loves God, she tries to please Him and do His will through daily studies of the Bible. When times are difficult, she stands on His Word and promises. Her love for Him gives her the strength to weather the storms of life. She has a safe place in the Word of God. When a woman loves God, her position in Him is anointed and appointed by God. She is bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. She is neither proud nor envious in her position, and pleases God as she walks in humility. God has placed her in a position to love others, even her enemies. He has given her everything she needs. Are YOU a woman who loves God? In times of trials and tribulations, when even friends and relatives have turned on you, your love for Him will sustain you. This inspirational book will encourage you to give God your unconditional love so that He will love you right into His Kingdom.
About Author Darnelle Wilson
Dr. Darnelle Wilson has worked in the women ministry for more than 30 years and has taught many workshops on the work women have in the ministry for God. As a pastor’s wife and church leader, Dr. Wilson has been doing God’s work for many years. She is a woman who loves and puts God first in her life.
These stories begin with brief family histories that bring the Peltier and the Scottish Keillor families together. John was the fifth of the twelve children that Wilburn and Barbara Peltier raised on the flat salt grass prairie of Southeast Texas. The life they created for their family on their rice farm and cattle ranch provided a fertile field for the life experiences that are shared in these settings. At the age of nineteen, naïve and fresh from the farm, John was drafted into the U.S. Army. After surviving boot camp and medical corpsman training, he found himself in Vietnam. John used his time in the military and its experiences as the backdrop to describe life growing up.
Writing this book intensified the realization of the valuable life lessons that John’s family and the farm and ranch taught him. After mustering out of the Army in January of 1969, he settled back into civilian life and finished his education. Disaster struck in August 1969 when his father suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 54, leaving five of his siblings still at home and all without a father. He discovered the two earthy loves of his life – his wife, Janie, and the vocation of construction – at the same time and place. As a result, Janie and John have a beautiful family and a thriving business, Peltier Brothers Construction, which has provided a great livelihood not only for him and four of his brothers, but for nephews down into the next generation. Both Janie and the company taught him lessons he never expected to learn. Those stories, plus an incident with the fangs of a deadly rattlesnake and a light essay on grass and water, are included in this book.
About Author John Peltier
John E. Peltier is now retired from a successful career in construction and lives in Tomball, Texas, with his wife, Janie. He is the father of three and grandfather to eight. He still raises cattle and gives much back to his community. Sam Houston State University recognized him as one of their 2015 distinguished alumni.
Gramma Darling by Lissa Schroeder, When a Woman Is in Love with God by Darnelle Wilson, and The Thundering Herd by John Peltier are sure to give us a tight race for the ultimate win. The winning author will receive a $1,500 credit to his or her Outskirts Press Publishing Center, plus an exclusive 2017 Best Book of the Year award seal to apply to the cover of their book.
So, come back on Monday, Sept. 11, to cast your vote!
Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award?
Winners of the 2017 CIPA EVVY Awards were announced August 19 in Denver, and we couldn’t be prouder: Outskirts Press self-publishing authors took home a total of 15 impressive 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-place awards. Now in their 23rd year, the CIPA EVVY Awards are sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) and the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF), and recognize the finest works of independent authors in dozens of book categories. Way to go, authors, for making a great showing in 2017!
Outskirts Press hand-selects only the highest quality books for nomination each year. In fact, we generally nominate only 2 to 5 percent of the books we publish in any given year so your EVVY wins represent an incredible showing in a year where we were able to send 47 nominees then 21 finalists to the judging committee. These winners will now be eligible to compete in the annual Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award — but more on that in a bit.
Alas, here are the self-published books that earned top honors in the 2017 EVVY Awards:
1st Place Winners
Interior Layout/Design
Family & Relationships
Religion & Spirituality
2nd Place Winners
Fiction: Fantasy
Fiction: Romance
History
Inspirational
Juvenile Non-Fiction
Motivational
Performing Arts
3rd Place Winners
Cooking
Fiction: Fantasy
Fiction: Literary & Comtemporary
Fiction: Mystery & Detective
Fiction: Romance
Politics/Political Science
Merit Recognitions
So, what’s next? Well, the EVVY Awards are also the first step toward nomination for the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. Three EVVY-winning books will be selected as finalists and will receive promotion in our newsletters and on our social networks, including links to the respective author webpages, book video trailers (if any), ebook or Kindle editions (if any), and any other marketing efforts the three authors have put into place.
The Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award will be determined by the readers of SelfPublishingNews.com blog in an open, public vote. The voting will determine the most talented writer with the best author platform. The winner of the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award will receive a $1,500 Grand Prize.
Have you published a book this year, or are you getting ready to? Let Outskirts Press show you how to produce an award-worthy work! Follow the link below to learn more about our book publishing and marketing services.
This year, we have a brand-new batch of quality EVVY Award nominees to brag about! The EVVYs are an acclaimed annual award program sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers’ Association, or CIPA, which recognize and raise the profile of excellent independently published books. The EVVYs are judged by a panel of professionals on a qualitative scale of merit in a set of categories which broadens each year. As of 2017, there are fifty-one of these categories!
Each year, Outskirts Press officially nominates a small percentage of the books published during the year for submission to the EVVY Awards. Since a nomination is the first step toward receiving the Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award, the standards are exceedingly high; we nominate, on average, just 2% of the books we publish each year-and these nominations represent the very best of our publications as determined by our executives and members of our production teams.
Outskirts Press official nominees and winners receive additional exposure of their books in featured Outskirts Press marketing channels, including our blog, social media networks, and in our email newsletters. The winners are announced during an awards ceremony hosted by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association in May.
Congratulations to this year’s Official Outskirts Press EVVY Award nominees, presented alphabetically below:
There’s more!
As a result of being nominated for the EVVY Awards, these Outskirts Press authors have taken the first step toward winning the coveted Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Award. Three of the nominees above who subsequently win an EVVY Award during the CIPA banquet this coming May will be selected as Semi-Finalists for our annual Best Book of the Year Award and its $1,500 Grand Prize. Stay tuned.
All of these books, along with other Outskirts Press titles, are available from the major online book retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, Books-A-Million and others, plus conveniently from the Outskirts Press bookstore. To learn more about our products and services, as well as upcoming and current promotions, visit us online at www.outskirtspress.com or call us at 1-888-672-6657 to speak with a Publishing Consultant.
Dr. Darnelle Wilson has worked in the women ministry for more than 30 years and has taught many workshops on the work women have in the ministry for God. As a pastor’s wife and church leader, Dr. Wilson has been doing God’s work for many years. She is a woman who loves and puts God first in her life.
Lissa Schroeder is a gifted teacher, an engaging public speaker, and a licensed minister. She has taught all over Alaska at youth conferences, ladies’ retreats, home school workshops, and more. A born storyteller, she paints vivid emotional pictures that are inspiring and hopeful, that make your heart soar and leave you smiling. Mostly, she has raised three awesome kids, homeschooling from preschool to med school. She lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, with her husband and youngest son, where she owns and runs a curriculum supply store.
Dr. Darnelle Wilson has worked in the women ministry for more than 30 years and has taught many workshops on the work women have in the ministry for God. As a pastor’s wife and church leader, Dr. Wilson has been doing God’s work for many years. She is a woman who loves and puts God first in her life.
John E. Peltier is now retired from a successful career in construction and lives in Tomball, Texas, with his wife, Janie. He is the father of three and grandfather to eight. He still raises cattle and gives much back to his community. Sam Houston State University recognized him as one of their 2015 distinguished alumni.
