Announcing the Winners of the 31st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Congratulations to all the winners of the 31st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards! Read an interview with the grand prize-winning author Claire Fraise in the March/April 2024 issue.

Congratulations to all the winners of the 31st Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published Book Awards! Read an interview with the grand prize-winning author Claire Fraise in the March/April 2024 issue.

Grand Prize

They Stay by Claire Fraise

Mainstream/Literary Fiction

Little Bird & The Tiger by Ellis Amdur

Honorable Mentions

  • A Portion of Malice: Ages of Malice, Book I by Lloyd Jeffries 
  • House on Fire by D. Liebhart 
  • Mask of Dreams by Leigh Grant 
  • The Hoffman Affairs by Beth Schorr Jaffe 
  • Willow's Run by Robert Bockstael

Genre Fiction

Home News: A Novel of 1928 by JD Solomon

Honorable Mentions

  • Beneath the Maize by Stephen Goldhahn
  • Coup de Grâce by Paul Centeno
  • Crew of Exiles by Neal Holtschulte
  • Dragon Seer: Deathborne by S. Kay Lanphear
  • I Fail at the Afterlife by Anni Sezate
  • In the Shadow of a Hoax by Maci Aurora
  • Sins of the Lines by Sharhonda Exantus
  • Swimming in the Rainbow by Rebecca Lochlann
  • The Long Road Back to You by Buck Turner 

Nonfiction/Reference

The Sustainability Revolutionists: Heroes and Hope for Our Planet's Future by Lucia Athens

Honorable Mentions

  • Cannabis Lullaby by David Sharp
  • Rehabit Your Life: A Doctor's Notebook to Navigating Health & Wellbeing by PL Bandy
  • The Borinqueneers: A Visual History of the 65th Infantry Regiment by Noemi Figueroa Soulet

Inspirational/Self-Help

Small Talk Rules: 65 Lessons I Learned From the Greatest Communicators by Gregory Peart

Honorable Mentions

  • Heavenly Headbutts: Reflections of Hope About Cats and Eternity by Allia Zobel Nolan
  • Your Body Is Your Weapon: The Little Self-Defense Handbook by I. Buenaventura

Memoirs/Life Stories 

Travels With My Grief by Susan Bloch

Honorable Mentions

  • Days of Wonder by Bill Vossler
  • Down on Court Five: Lessons Late in Life by Vivian Witkind
  • Melissa Come Back by Patrice Keet & Melissa LaHommedieu
  • Mom's Search for Meaning: Grief and Growth After Child Loss by Melissa M. Monroe
  • Standing in the Wings: My Life on (and Mostly Just Off) Stage by Fred Krohn

Early Readers/Children’s Picture Books

Read Island by Nicole Magistro

Honorable Mentions

  • Forever Home by Cathy Stenquist
  • Mrs. R. Snugglesworth, Attorney-at-Law by Amy Flanagan
  • Nature Parade by Nikki Samuels
  • Siege of Herons: Collective Nouns Alphabetically by Ramona Wildeman
  • The Three Little Pigs and the Rocket Project by Lynne Marie

Middle-Grade/Young Adult

@nervesofsteel by Lyn Fairchild Hawks

Honorable Mentions

  • The Red Rebel Extravaganza by Angela Kay

Poetry Collections

Canon Fodder by Jay Sizemore

Honorable Mentions

  • Greatness in It All by Lauren Carden

Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. 

Learn more about Moriah on her personal website.