Paid-entry recognition
Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards
The Independent Author Network (IAN)
In short
A paid-entry annual contest from an independent-author community, open to self-published and small-press English-language books with no publication-date limit, in 75 categories with gold, silver, bronze, and finalist placements and modest cash prizes for the six overall winners. Digital seals are free to winners and finalists. The Alliance of Independent Authors rates it a pass and notes it does not upsell. The cycle runs nearly a year, so check the close date before you plan around it.
Deadline August 15, 2027Checked September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Every label is a fact from the official rules, never a judgment about whether the award is worth entering. How we describe awards.
The IAN Book of the Year Awards are a paid-entry annual contest run by the Independent Author Network, an online community for independent authors that has operated since 2010. It is open to self-published authors, small and mid-size independent presses, and university presses, for any English-language print book or ebook that is for sale or on preorder, with no publication-date limit. Books written by artificial intelligence are not eligible.
There are 75 categories. Each names gold, silver, and bronze winners plus finalists, and six overall Books of the Year are chosen across all categories. The overall winners receive cash: $1,500, $750, and $500 for fiction, and $1,250, $750, and $500 for nonfiction. Every winner and finalist gets a set of digital award seals at no charge.
Entry is $59 for the first category and $35 for each additional one, with a lower rate for IAN members. The cycle is long: the 2027 contest opened September 1, 2026, closes August 15, 2027, and announces results in late November 2027.
Why it may matter
Among paid-entry contests this one is comparatively well regarded by the Alliance of Independent Authors, which notes the cash prizes and the absence of upselling. The seals are free and usable on a cover, a listing, or a media kit, and the categories are specific enough that a book in a small genre can place. Its audience is independent authors and their readers rather than booksellers or review editors, so treat a placement as a marketing asset and a morale boost rather than a trade credential.
2027 cycle: 14th annual, 2027
- Entries open
- September 1, 2026Checked September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Final deadline
- August 15, 2027Checked September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Deadline note
- Opens September 1, 2026 and closes August 15, 2027; no publication-date limit
- Entry fee
- $59 for the first category and $35 for each additional one; $49 and $30 for IAN members; not refundableChecked September 14, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
- Results
- Results announced November 27, 2027
| Tier | Deadline | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| First category | August 15, 2027 | $59 |
| Each additional category | August 15, 2027 | $35 |
| First category, IAN member | August 15, 2027 | $49 |
| Each additional category, IAN member | August 15, 2027 | $30 |
Worth knowing
Our reading, not a rule the organization published. We judge an award on the rubric in how we describe awards.
Fees are not refundable. The 2026 contest closed in August 2026 with results announced in late November 2026; the 2027 contest is the one open now. Audiobooks are not mentioned in the rules.
Rules and deadlines change. We last checked this information on September 14, 2026. If you see something that needs updating, please tell us.
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