FOREWORD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

ForeWord is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 Book of the Year Awards, a program established in 1998 to recognize quality books published by independent and university presses. This year more than 1,500 titles were submitted in 55 fiction and nonfiction categories. Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards were given in each category at a special ceremony today at BookExpo America in Washington, D.C.

Editor’s Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction were also awarded $1,500. First-time author Fay Freimuth received the fiction prize for A Multitude of Mercies (0595349692), published by print-on-demand company, iUniverse. Her book is the story of a girl’s struggle with sudden-onset schizophrenia and her family’s efforts to deal with the tragic implications of the disease.

“This is the first time a print-on-demand title has been awarded the top prize for fiction,” relates Victoria Sutherland, ForeWord Publisher. “This is a story with wide audience appeal: poignant and revealing about an uncomfortable subject matter.”

The Orientalists: Western Artists In Arabia, The Sahara, Persia & India (0975978306) by Kristian Davies is the Editor’s Choice Nonfiction Prizewinner for his book of artwork by 19th century Western artists, depicting their travels through the East.

“I was immediately struck by the beauty of this book and the author’s engaging personal commentary,” Managing Editor Alex Moore said. This is the author’s second book, published by Laynfaroh.

Librarians and booksellers across the U.S. selected winners from 613 finalists.

“The books were all wonderful,” said librarian Angela O’Kane. “It was hard to narrow it down.” The entries were judged on criteria including originality, writing and production quality, and patron/customer interest in the subject matter.