Heartland booksellers award

Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association
  • About
    • Join GLIBA
    • Bookstore Members
    • Board of Directors >
      • Past Board Members
    • Our By-Laws
    • Publisher Members
  • Catalogs
    • Holiday Catalog >
      • Holiday Catalog for Publishers
    • Summer Catalog >
      • Summer Catalog for Publishers
  • Events
    • Spring Forum 2023
    • Rep Night 2023
    • Past Events >
      • George Saunders
      • Spring Forum >
        • Spring Forum 2022
        • Spring Forum 2021
        • Spring Forum 2020
        • Spring Forum 2019
        • Spring Forum 2018
      • The Lit Show >
        • The Lit Show: Chapter 3
        • The Lit Show: Chapter 2
        • The Lit Show: Chapter 1
      • Heartland
      • Group Bookstore Events
      • Rep Night >
        • Rep Night 2019
        • Rep Night 2018
      • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl >
        • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl 2022
        • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl 2018
  • Bestsellers
  • Heartland
  • Awards
    • Heartland Booksellers Award
    • Voice of the Heartland >
      • Past Winners
  • News
  • Publisher Promotions
  • Publishers, Authors and Industry Affiliates Info
    • Advertise with GLIBA
    • MIPA
    • Bookseller ARC Requests and Preferred Reading Genres
    • For Authors
  • YouTube Channel
  • Past Holiday Catalogs
    • Holiday Catalog 2021
    • Holiday Catalog 2020
    • Holiday Catalog 2019
  • Bookseller Resources
    • Publisher Imprint Graphics
    • Rep List
    • Publisher Social Media
    • Reporting Your Sales
    • New York Trip
    • CHILOVEBOOKS
    • Tools of the Trade
    • Anti-Racism Resources
    • Covid-19 Resources
    • The Independent Bookseller
    • On-Line Links
    • Advocacy
  • Board Information
Picture
The Heartland Booksellers Award is a reflection of handselling at its best, as all the books are selected directly by independent booksellers, and celebrate literature in the Great Lakes and Midwest, with content either about the region, or an author from our region. ​

Celebrating our book awards as one industry force will amplify the impact of the award for booksellers, publishers, authors, and consumers, as 12 states and 300 bookstores throughout the Greater Midwest will celebrate the same set of exemplary titles. ​We release jacket stickers for all winners and finalists and encourage our stores to create digital marketing and in-store displays. Our award-winning titles often remain on our bestseller lists for weeks, months, and even years to come.

2023 Heartland Booksellers Award

To support the titles germane to each of our regions, both GLIBA and MIBA are conducting separate submission processes with publishers, allowing books that have been popular in each of our regions to receive the attention they deserve. Please submit your titles as follows to each association for our booksellers’ consideration. We will celebrate the winners at a wonderful awards ceremony this October.

Please nominate any titles that you feel recognize excellence in writing for books about or written by authors with ties to the Great Lakes region. The awards given this October are for Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, YA/Middle Grade and Children's Picture Book.

​​Criteria
  • A book's relationship to the Great Lakes region may consist of either the content of the book, the author's hometown, or the author's current residence
  • Books must be classifiable in one of five awarded genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, YA/Middle Grade, or Children's Picture Book
  • Books submitted for the 2023 book awards must have an on-sale date between 5/1/22 and 4/30/23
    ​ 
​Instructions
  • GLIBA submissions: Submit books by authors from the following states or books with content that pertains specifically to these states:, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Oho, and Wisconsin 
  • ​Publisher deadline to submit titles end 5/31/23.
  • Bookseller Deadline to submit titles ends 6/18/23​​

​Step 1: Publisher submissions
To support the titles germane to each of our regions, each association will conduct separate submission processes with publishers, allowing books that have been popular in each of our regions to receive the attention they deserve. Publishers are asked to submit their titles to each association for our booksellers’ consideration. 

Step 2: Each region nominates titles individually
Our two regions of booksellers review the separate publisher-generated lists alongside whatever books they’ve enjoyed the previous year and nominate their top three choices to be included on the voting ballot.  
 
Step 3: Heartland booksellers vote jointly
Next, we gather the nominations generated by each association and rank them according to popular vote, determining the top three titles in each of our categories to go on to be included in the voting ballot. One joint voting ballot is distributed to all Heartland booksellers (GLIBA and MIBA) to generate both the finalists and the winners in each of our five categories (Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, YA/Middle Grade, or Children's Picture Book). The winners are invited to our annual awards celebration at Heartland Fall Forum. 


​The deadline to submit titles ends 5/31/23. Publisher Submission form coming soon.

Picture
2019 Awards Ceremony
Picture2018 Awards Ceremony



    Past Heartland Booksellers Award Winners

    In 2020 GLIBA merged its annual awards ceremony with MIBA. Celebrating our book awards as one industry force will amplify the impact of the award for booksellers, publishers, authors, and consumers, as 12 states and 300 bookstores throughout the Greater Midwest will celebrate the same set of exemplary titles. ​

    ​Our awards are a reflection of handselling at its best, as all the books are selected directly by independent booksellers, and celebrate literature in the Great Lakes and Midwest, with content either about the region, or an author from our region. 
    ​
    2022 | 2021  |  2020

    Past Great Lakes Great Reads Award Winners

    Prior to 2020 GLIBA celebrated its regional authors and books through the Great Lakes Great Reads Award. ​The Great Lakes Great Reads award was an annual program to recognize excellence in writing for books about or written by authors with ties to the Great Lakes region. The awards given annually were for Adult and Children's Books. Past winners have remained on the weekly GLIBA Bestsellers List for weeks, months and even years! It is a great opportunity to shine a light on those books you are passionate about.
    2019  |  2018  |  2017  |  2016  |  ​2015

    GLIBA Office
    ​
    3123 Andrea Ct,
    Woodridge, IL 60517

    Contact Us
    (630) 841-8129
    larry@gliba.org

      Join the GLIBA Email List!

    Submit
    • About
      • Join GLIBA
      • Bookstore Members
      • Board of Directors >
        • Past Board Members
      • Our By-Laws
      • Publisher Members
    • Catalogs
      • Holiday Catalog >
        • Holiday Catalog for Publishers
      • Summer Catalog >
        • Summer Catalog for Publishers
    • Events
      • Spring Forum 2023
      • Rep Night 2023
      • Past Events >
        • George Saunders
        • Spring Forum >
          • Spring Forum 2022
          • Spring Forum 2021
          • Spring Forum 2020
          • Spring Forum 2019
          • Spring Forum 2018
        • The Lit Show >
          • The Lit Show: Chapter 3
          • The Lit Show: Chapter 2
          • The Lit Show: Chapter 1
        • Heartland
        • Group Bookstore Events
        • Rep Night >
          • Rep Night 2019
          • Rep Night 2018
        • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl >
          • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl 2022
          • Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl 2018
    • Bestsellers
    • Heartland
    • Awards
      • Heartland Booksellers Award
      • Voice of the Heartland >
        • Past Winners
    • News
    • Publisher Promotions
    • Publishers, Authors and Industry Affiliates Info
      • Advertise with GLIBA
      • MIPA
      • Bookseller ARC Requests and Preferred Reading Genres
      • For Authors
    • YouTube Channel
    • Past Holiday Catalogs
      • Holiday Catalog 2021
      • Holiday Catalog 2020
      • Holiday Catalog 2019
    • Bookseller Resources
      • Publisher Imprint Graphics
      • Rep List
      • Publisher Social Media
      • Reporting Your Sales
      • New York Trip
      • CHILOVEBOOKS
      • Tools of the Trade
      • Anti-Racism Resources
      • Covid-19 Resources
      • The Independent Bookseller
      • On-Line Links
      • Advocacy
    • Board Information