The Independent Book Publishers Association sees a bias against indie voices in book award contests, media reviews and inclusion on bookstore shelves. To ensure that books are judged on merit and quality rather than on the size of the publisher or the author’s business model, IBPA has made available an industry standards checklist for a professionally published book.

We should all know not to judge book by its cover, but is it any better if we judge the same volume by its business model?

In a market where competition for readers is fierce, indie author and publishers deserve a level playing field, says the nation’s largest association of independent publishers and self-published authors. The Independent Book Publishers Association sees a bias against indie voices in book award contests, media reviews and inclusion on bookstore shelves. To ensure that books are judged on merit and quality rather than on the size of the publisher or the author’s business model, IBPA has made available an industry standards checklist for a professionally published book.

“We know that there’s a great deal of quality coming out of these small presses and coming from self-published authors, and we want to help the industry find a way to see that,” says IBPA CEO Angela Bole.

“You’re seeing great content coming out of this space. You’re seeing voices that can’t be heard elsewhere. Let’s not put them on the sideline just because we don’t understand their business model or we have some kind of a bias against author-subsidized work – paying for your work to get published,” she tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.