Celebrate Indie Authors on November 14

Tune In for Indie Author Day

Celebrate the stories that connect us — and the indie authors and libraries who make it happen! On Friday, Nov. 14, Indie Author Project (IAP) hosted a free, virtual event connecting indie authors, libraries, and readers across North America. Among other things, they announced the winners of this year's Indie Author Project Annual Contest. Fun fact: Around 35 indie authors from Jacksonville submitted 58 titles! Tune in to see who won!

Watch the recording

Also recorded...

• Indie Author Project 101 » How to get your book into libraries
• Book Marketing Demystified » Tips from award-winning author Irene Te
• Lightning Round » Past winners share insights and inspiration

Self-Publish with Help from Your Library

Have more questions about your self-publishing options? Do you have an e-book you want to share with the Library? Learn more about free tools for indie authors, available to Jacksonville Public Library cardholders:

• Have a manuscript? Create your e-book or print ready files with the Pressbooks Public
• Gain a wider readership when you share your e-book to the Indie Author Project
• Get discovered on BiblioBoard Library and use free author tools to promote your work

You can find instructions, frequently asked questions, and more on our website. Note: The Indie Author Project Annual Contest accepts submissions from April 1 - May 31 but you can submit your e-books to the Indie Florida Collection at any time.

Submit your e-book to Indie Author Project

Indie Staff Picks

Want to celebrate indie authors and indie publishers? Check out a few of these titles:

Children's Books

• Flap Your Hands: A Celebration of Stimming by Steve Asbell
• I Didn't Ask to be Creative by Dontavious Pittman
• Under Siege! by Robyn Gioia
• Bella the Scientist Goes to Outer Space by Silvana Spence
• How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico
• The Adventures of Princess Jellibean by Cindi Handley Goodeaux
• Exploring the River with Captain Carter by Sonila Durollari
• Brave by Kathleen Davis
• All the Ways Mommy Loves Me by Jeanette Bonfiglio
• Zion's Trip to Jamaica by Ellis Brianna
• Zoe's Day With Dr. J! By Letisha Jefferson

Teen Reads

• The Girl Who Swam to Atlantis by Elle Thornton
• Blood on Fire by Monica P DePaul
• Joy in Sorrow, Hope for Tomorrow: Homecoming by Vonnetta Mayo
• This Thing of Ours by Frederick Joseph
• Sandwich by Catherine Newman
• Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up by Jenn Bishop
• The Extraordinary Life of Same Hell by Robert Dugoni
• Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
• I Know an Old Lady by Margaret Standafer
• Topping the Willow by Lori J. Ms Closter
• The Influencers by Kassandra Garrison

Books for Adults

• The Bootlegger’s Mistress: A Novel by Marc Curtis Little
• These Stange Worlds: Fourteen Dark Tales by Daniel Powell
• A Mother's Love, a Mother's Pain by Latricia N Taylor
• The Bonnie, Bonnie Bone by Leslie Talley
• Adamsville by Michael Regina
• When A Stranger Comes by Karen Bell
• If You Tell a True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen
• Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
• The David Murder by Daniel Dundon
• Unforeseen Riot by Karen Renee
• Disposable by Nicole Saunders
• Girl With No Name by Archer Grid

BiblioBoard Library: No Waiting, Just Reading

Want to support indie authors from right here in Jacksonville and throughout the state? Then, be sure to check out the Indie Florida Collection on BiblioBoard Library. There, you'll find work submitted through the Indie Author Project and Annual Contest, including When a Stranger Comes, by Karen Bell, Jacksonville author and 2019 Indie Florida contest winner. 

Pro Tip: Look for titles marked "Indie Author Project Select Award" to discover the top indie books from around the country, carefully selected by Library Journal (and other publishing partners).

IAP Select features:

• New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors
• Numerous award winners
• Talented emerging authors

You can start reading right away, with no holds or waitlists on the BiblioBoard website. To read on the go, download the BiblioBoard Library app on the Apple Store or Google Play. Note: If you have an Amazon Kindle Fire, follow these instructions to side load BiblioBoard Library on to your device.

For more, including how to download e-books for offline reading, visit our BiblioBoard Library page.

More Ways to #ReadLocal

Don't forget to check out our Local Author Collection! While it is physically housed at the Main Library, titles in this collection can also be placed on hold through the Library's catalog and then picked up at your preferred library branch.