FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carolyn McBride, [email protected]
Hypoluxo, FL, February 17, 2025—The INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD, one of the most prestigious book award programs globally for independent authors, publishers, and illustrators, recognized The Cicada Spring as a distinguished favorite in the Women’s Fiction category.
The competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters. Selected IPA Award Winners and Distinguished Favorites are based on overall excellence.
McBride’s heartwarming debut novel takes readers on a poignant journey of second chances and resilience through the eyes of a female boat captain as she navigates a crossroads in midlife, finding solace and strength on the shores of the Potomac. The Cicada Spring is the first in the Potomac Shores series. The Cicada Spring: A Potomac Shores Novel, by Carolyn McBride, is available everywhere books are sold online in paperback (ISBN: 979-8-9902958-0-3), ebook (ISBN: 979-8-9902958-1-0), and audiobook (Retail ISBN: 979-8-8751262-4-6).
In 2025, the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD saw participation from journalists, well established authors, and small, medium and large publishers across the globe, including those residing in Australia, Canada, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Winners were chosen from publishers such as Amplify Publishing Group, Black Rose Writing, Blackstone Publishing, BookBaby, Calumet Editions, Globe Pequot, Finishing Line Press, Gatekeepers Press, Hachette Go (Blanco of Grand Central Publishing), HarperCollins Leadership, Ideapress Publishing, IVP Kids, Koehler Books, Mad Cave Studios, North Dakota State University Press, Oceanview Publishing, Old Stone Press, Pegasus Books, Post Hill Press, Red T Kid’s Media, Rowman & Littlefield, She Writes Press, University of California Press, and University of Georgia Press.
“The 2025 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD awardees included the excellence and diversity of global independent publishing,” said Gabrielle Olczak, IPA President and Award Sponsor. “There is no stopping independent publishing. It provides unparalleled content and quality to consumers worldwide and we are excited to showcase this year’s honorees to the world.”
For more information, please visit independentpressaward.com; and to see this year’s list of IPA Winners and Distinguished Favorites, please visit the website pages:
- 2025 WINNERS: https://www.independentpressaward.com/2025winners
- 2025 DISTINGUISHED FAVORITES: https://www.independentpressaward.com/2025favorites
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The Independent Press Award is announced every spring and is open to independent authors and publishers.
The fall book competition, NYC Big Book Award, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/ allows all authors, publishers, and includes submissions from the big five publishers.
Join us for the Awards Dinner on May 3rd, and at the BookCAMP event, May 2 – 4, 2025, https://www.independentpressaward.com/ipabookcamp