OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
The Via Advent is awarded the Silver Medal in the 2011 Independent Publishers Book Awards
DALLAS, TX (May 9, 2011) – The Via Advent took home the Silver medal in the Inspirational/Spiritual category at the fifteenth annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. The Independent Publisher Book Awards, also known as the “IPPY” Awards, recognize authors who exhibit the courage, innovation and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing. Medalists will be honored at a gala awards ceremony in New York on May 23rd. The IPPY Awards, launched in 1996, are designed to bring recognition to the deserving but often-unsung titles put forth by independent authors and publishers. The largest writing contest in the world, the IPPYs was established as the first awards program open exclusively to independents worldwide. There is one winner and two finalists in sixty-nine different categories, which include Science Fiction, History and Biography. This year, over 4000 titles were entered from some 2,000 authors and publishers from across the U.S. and a number of foreign publishers who market their books in North America. The Inspirational/Spiritual category was the largest of the categories with over 200 nominations. Any religious writing can be considered for the award. “Winning the Bronze for The Via Crucis [the first book in the series] in 2009 was very exciting,” said Shawn Small, who is also the Executive Director of Wonder Voyage Missions in Dallas, TX. “But to be recognized by my peers and win the Silver two years later? I’m flabbergasted. To be honored in this way for doing something you’re passionate about is very cool.” The other winners in the Inspirational/Spiritual category were: Gold (tie): If Darwin Prayed: Prayers for Evolutionary Mystics, by Bruce Sanguin (Evans and Sanguin Publishing) and The Thirteenth Gift, by Charlene Costanzo (Featherfew); Silver (tie): The Courage Companion: How to Live Life with True Power, by Nina Lesowitz and Mary Beth Sammons (Viva Editions); Bronze (tie): The Unexpected Visitor, by N.B. Baroody, M.D. and M.H. Baroody (Joggling Board Press) and Bhagavad-gītā: A Photographic Essay, by Visakha (Torchlight Publishing). Contact Information: shawn@wondervoyage.com or ShawnSmallStories.com
