Congratulations to the winners of the 2018 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards!

A few notes about the awards for those of you just discovering us:

Each year, we accept nomination ballots from members of the publishing community. Ballots are completed by authors, editors, publishers, librarians, and book critics. Authors and publishers are not permitted to nominate their own works.

The full list of nominees was announced on May 15th.

Our team of volunteers then review all of the ballots and narrow each category down to five to seven finalists. Our volunteers read available excerpts from the book, book reviews, and related promotional materials, as well as visit author or publisher websites and social media.

The full list of finalists was announced on July 15th.

Once the finalists were announced, open voting began. During open voting, we invite the reading community to cast their votes. Voting was conducted using Google Forms and voters were limited to one ballot per voter.

We are thrilled to bring you this year’s winners. This year, we are including information on the total number of votes cast in a category as well as the total percentage cast for the winning books. This was our most competitive year ever, with many categories decided by only a couple of votes and several ties.

Best Children’s Book

76 votes
WINNER 44.7%
The Popcorn Tree by Catherine Green and Syrena Seale

RUNNER UP 28.9%
Tic Tac and the Raven by Luthie M. West and Pier Giuseppe Giunta

Best Fantasy (Contemporary/Urban Fantasy)

303 Votes
WINNER 42.6%
Chameleon’s Death Dance by BR Kingsolver

RUNNER UP TIE with 15.8% each
In the Eye of the Beholder by Kelly A. Harmon
The Last Coven by Rick Gualtieri

Best Fantasy (High Fantasy/Sword & Sorcery)

220 votes
WINNER 21.8%
The Summoner and the Seer by C. Gold

RUNNER UP 18.2
The River Witch by Helena Rookwood

This category was extremely competitive this year with no book getting less than 14% of the vote.

Best Historical Fiction

144 votes
WINNER 40.3%
Under a Dark Star by Anna Faversham

RUNNER UP 25%
A King Imperiled by J.R. Tomlin

Best Horror

200 votes
WINNER 34%
Infestation by William Meikle

RUNNER UP 32%
Emma’s Rose by Eric A. Shelman

Best Literary Fiction

42 Votes
WINNER 35.7%
The Heretics of St. Possenti by Rolf Nelson

RUNNER UP 21.4%
Beyond the Carousel by Bette Lee Cosby

Best Middle Grade Book

38 Votes
WINNER 36.8%
Diary of a Snoopy Cat by R.F. Kristi

RUNNER UP 34.2%
Lilac Blue by Christine Doran

Best Mystery/Suspense

102 Votes
WINNER 35.3%
Zukie’s Ghost by Cynthia E. Hurst
RUNNER UP 25.5%
Maggie Goes Medieval by Kate Danley

Best Romance (Contemporary)

360 Votes
WINNER TIE! With 24.4% each
Any Other Love by Elizabeth Barone
A Tempting Proposal by Dara Girard

RUNNER UP 22.2%
Her Big Fat Fake Billionaire Boyfriend by Victorine E. Lieske

Another extremely competitive category where the final results came down to the wire.

Best Romance (Historical)

231 Votes
WINNER 66.2%
A Match of Honour by Margaret Brazear

RUNNER UP 11.7%
Twilight Empress by Faith L. Justice

Best Romance (Paranormal)

176 Votes
WINNER36.4%
Soul Marked by C. Gockel

RUNNER UP 25%
Immortal Blood by Elena Bryce

Best Science Fiction (Hard Science Fiction)

360 Votes
WINNER TIE 24.4%
Heretic: Archangel Project by C. Gockel
War of the Worlds: Retaliation by Mark Gardner and John Rust

RUNNER UP 20%
The Frequency of Aliens by Gene Doucette

Best Science Fiction (Soft Science Fiction/Space Adventure)

252 Votes
WINNER 28.6%
Star Nomad by Lindsay Buroker

RUNNER UP 21.4%
Isolation by M.P. McDonald

Best Thriller

135 Votes
WINNER 42.2%
The Judas Cypher by Greg Dragon

RUNNER UP 24.4%
Ryan Kaine: On the Run by Kerry J Donovan

Best Young Adult

52 Votes
WINNER 38.5%
The Watchmaker’s Daughter by C.J. Archer

RUNNER UP 23.1%
The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons by Virlyce

Best Western

120 Votes
WINNER 27.5%
The Righteous Revenge of Lucy Moon by Bill Brooks

RUNNER UP TIE with 20% each
Outlaw Havens by Robert J. Tomas
Shadow of Devil’s Tower by Peter Leavell

Best General Fiction

126 Votes
WINNER 40.5%
Still Waters by Patricia Haley-Glass

RUNNER UP 21.4%
Loch by David Wood

Best Non-Fiction

82 Votes
WINNER 26.8%
Memories Are Made of These… by Jack Dawes

RUNNER UP 24.4%
In Three Generations: A Story About Family, Wealth, and Beating the Odds by Kristen Heaney

Best Poetry

42 Votes
WINNER 33.3
My Journey From Warrior to Gypsy by Tom Yeager

RUNNER UP 21.4%
The Colors We Render by Sam DeLoach

Best Anthology

177 Votes
WINNER 42.4%
Still Waters: A Noblebright Fantasy Anthology. C.J. Brightley and Robert McCowen, editors.

RUNNER UP TIE with 20.3% each
Once Upon A Kiss Fiddlehead Press
The Guardian: Eleven science fiction short stories edited by Alasdair Shaw

Best Short Story

180 Votes
WINNER 31.7%
“Follow the Yellow Glyph Road” by Scott T. Goudsward from Twice Upon an Apocalypse: Lovecraftian Fairy Tales

RUNNER UP TIE with 25% each
“The Bakers Grimm” by Hailey Edwards from Once Upon A Kiss, Fiddlehead Press
“Baptism of Fire” by Cora Buhlert from The Guardian: Eleven science fiction short stories

Best Short Story Collection

288 Votes
WINNER 52.8%
Owl Light by Vonnie Winslow Crist

RUNNER UP 18.1%
Twelve Tales of Christmas by Cathleen Townsend

Best Novella

255 Votes
WINNER 35.3%
Pentacle by William Meikle

RUNNER UP 33.3%
The Vampire’s Raven by C. Gold

Best Novel

240 Votes
WINNER 30%
War of the Worlds: Retaliation by Mark Gardner and John Rust

RUNNER UP 27.5%
Little Lost Girl by Graham Wilson