IBPA Rebrands Annual Book Award; Adds DEI Categories

IBPA rebrands annual book awards, adding DEI categories for inclusive recognition. Learn about the changes at Publishing University 2024.

on May 02, 2024

IBPA Rebrands Annual Book Award; Adds DEI Categories | Frontlist

The Independent Book Publishers Association stated at Publishing University 2024 in Denver that the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Book Awards, which honor titles in 57 categories, will be renamed the IBPA Book Awards and will include seven new, identity-inclusive categories. IBPA also launched a new Jan Nathan Lifetime Achievement Award in remembrance of the late Publishers Marketing Association/IBPA founder to celebrate individuals and companies' contributions to independent publishing. IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet provided members with these details on April 27, and a town hall meeting will be scheduled on May 9 to consider the rebranding.

Because the IBPA decided to alter the name of the Franklin award last August, when the awards committee was well underway and plans were being finalized for PubU, this year's awards were held as scheduled under the Franklin name. This year's winners will be able to apply the new branding to their books, and IBPA COO Terry Nathan will supply IBPA Book Award branding materials, including stickers, "in the coming months," Fleck-Nisbet said. She went on to say: "We still honor everything that came before and would be proud to have the recent winners continue with the Ben Franklin branding if they choose."

IBPA has granted book prizes for 36 years, so deciding how and when to alter the name was difficult. "The timing is always tricky, especially with an award that has built up so much brand equity," she said. "I asked the board to set aside special resources to making the rollout professional and in keeping with the spirit of independent publishing."

The revisions took several years, as the IBPA board, staff, and DEI committee "discussed the need to develop categories that recognize the contributions of underrepresented communities" and recall executive director Nathan, according to Fleck-Nisbet.

IBPA leadership wanted the annual award to reflect diversity in indie publishing, so they created seven new categories to recognize works from the Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black/African American, disabled, First Nations/Indigenous, Latina/o/e, LGBTQIA2+, and neurodivergent communities. "To be considered for an award in these categories, at least one key member (author, editor, publisher or book designer) of the publishing team must be part of the respective community," the company said in a statement.

"By expanding the award categories, we create an environment in which every independent publisher has an equal opportunity to have their outstanding work recognized," stated Karen Pavlicin, current IBPA board chair and publisher of Elva Resa Publishing.

However, while adding categories, Fleck-Nisbet stated that IBPA recognized that the Franklin "branding was outdated" and could not ignore the reality that the historical Franklin "participated, inadvertently or otherwise," in human enslavement. "It felt incongruous to add categories representing marginalized groups and maintain the name." One gold and two silver winners will be picked from the 57 previous and seven new IBPA Book Award categories, and the results will be announced during the 37th annual PubU in 2025.

Fleck-Nisbet stated that, while she was "confident there will be naysayers and those who are unhappy with the change," the decision reflects the IBPA's "commitment to creating a more inclusive industry," according to its strategic plan."When I announced the change at PubU on Saturday morning, there were cheers and a standing ovation," she went on to say. "So I think that's a good indicator that we are on the right track."