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.
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.
Nominating Process
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
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 2021 book awards must have an on-sale date between 5/1/21 and 4/30/22
- GLIBA submissions: Submit books by authors from the following states or books with content that pertains specifically to these states:, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Oho, Indiana and Kentucky
- MIBA submissions: Submit books by authors from the following states or books with content that pertains specifically to these states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin
- Publisher deadline to submit titles end 5/31/22.
- Bookseller Deadline to submit titles ends 6/18/22
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.
2019 Awards Ceremony
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 2018 Awards Ceremony
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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.
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.
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.