2025 Award-Winning Non-Fiction Books – Reader Views Literary Awards
Each year, the Reader Views Literary Awards recognize outstanding independent authors and small presses whose work rises above the competition. These books are selected through a rigorous editorial review process by our team of professional reviewers — not algorithms, not sales numbers. Just careful, thoughtful reading.
Below are the 2025 award winners in our non-fiction categories. Every book on this list is independently published or from a small press, and every one has earned its place here.
Arts
GOLD: The Power of Magical Women – Connie Boyd, Vanish Press
SILVER: Saul of Tarsus A Rock Opera – Mark W Dean, Columbus Book Publishers
BRONZE: Behind the Star – Chad R Gregory, Independently Published
BRONZE: 50 Secrets Nobody Tells You in Hollywood – Mike Kimmel, Ben Rose Creative Arts
Body, Mind & Spirit
GOLD: Soul Can You – Lisa Gilbert, MD, Archangel Ink
SILVER: Kinship Medicine – Wendy Johnson, North Atlantic Books
BRONZE: Spiritual Intelligence – Dawson Church, Energy Psychology Press
FINALIST: Mātrikā’s Muse: A Journey to Awakening Through the Senses – Lara Sanderson, Seva Press
FINALIST: Must: Becoming the Person You Are Meant to Be – Stephen Rue, Houndstooth Press
FINALIST: So Much to Drool About: Lessons for Living Large – Barbara Stone, Wildebeest Publishing Co
Business, Sales & Economics
GOLD: PopEnomics – Jesse Hurst, Spur Circle Publishing
SILVER: Your Business Growth Playbook – Jeremy B. Shapiro, Asandia Press
BRONZE: Tech Confidential: The Insider Playbook for Daring Entrepreneurs – Denise Koessler Gosnell & Kathryn Erickson, Ideapress Publishing
FINALIST: You Are a Strategist: Use No-BS OKRs To Get Big Things Done – Sara Lobkovich, Red Currant Collective LLC
FINALIST: Sell Without Selling Out – Kal Jurdi, Authority Publishing
Crafts, Hobbies, Cooking & How-To
GOLD: T08I Puzzle Book – Christopher Tobin, Green Hill Publishing
SILVER: Armchair Iceland: A Puzzle Game-Inspired Travel Adventure Book for Grown-Ups – Vegout Voyage, Katharina Huang
BRONZE: Wedding Planning: Five Easy Steps & the Secret to Pull it Together – Kathy Forbes, Tellwell
Health & Fitness
GOLD: The Doctor’s Future – Dr. Pietro Emanuele Garbelli, Balboa Press
SILVER: The Human Beneath the Hero – Jenna Hardcastle, Independently Published
BRONZE: Kinship Medicine: Cultivating Interdependence to Heal the Earth and Ourselves – Wendy Johnson MD MPH, North Atlantic Books
FINALIST: America’s Lifeline for Better Health – Bala Kumar, Independently Published
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude – Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire, LLC
FINALIST: Fabulous Health: A Simple Plan to Get Well and Stay Well – Terri Chrisman, Fabulous Health
History
GOLD: The Great Christmas Boycott of 1906 – Scott D. Seligman, Potomac Books / University of Nebraska Press
SILVER: Kalman & Leopold: Surviving Mengele’s Auschwitz – Richard K. Lowy, Tellwell Publishing
BRONZE: 100 Objects from the Collections of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research – Stefanie Halpern, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
FINALIST: Expositions & World’s Fairs: In the Beginning – Bob McGlincy, Monponsett Press
FINALIST: Founding Courage – Kirk Ward Robinson, HighlandHome
Humanities
GOLD: Blackinese: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity from a Biracial Millennial – Patricia Bradby Moore, 804 Press
SILVER: Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins – Amy Shea, Rutgers University Press
BRONZE: How the Hell Did I Not Know That? My Midlife Year from Couch to Curiosity – Lucie Frost, Trinity University Press
FINALIST: TOTEMS 6 Pillars Every Young Man Must Carry – Jerome Brown, Independently Published
FINALIST: Such a Pretty Picture – Andrea Leeb, She Writes Press
Humor
GOLD: The Ding Dong Altar Boy – Donald Osborn and Anna Henkens Schmidt, Independently Published
SILVER: Sometimes Orange is Almost Gold – Jim Antonini, Pump Fake Press
Memoir, Autobiography & Biography
GOLD: Out of Gaza: A Tale of Love, Exile, and Friendship – Katharina Galor, Potomac Books / University of Nebraska Press
SILVER: The Factory of Maladies: Seven Days On A San Francisco Psych Ward – Debbie Hartung, Independently Published
SILVER: Lost My Mind Here Someplace – Arune Savage, Black Spring Press Group
BRONZE: From Roses to Terror – Di McDonald, The Grammar Factory
BRONZE: A Legacy of Strength – Sandi Young, Outskirts Press
BRONZE: Every Mile Matters – Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D, Causation, LLC
FINALIST: Family Treasures Lost and Found – Karen A. Frenkel, Post Hill Press
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude – Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire, LLC
FINALIST: The Road to Belonging: My Journey to Punta Gorda, Belize – Francis Mandewah, Telemachus Press LLC
FINALIST: No Woman Left Behind: A Journey of Hope to Heal Every Woman Injured in Childbirth – Kate Grant, She Writes Press
FINALIST: And Now, Back to Me – Rita Lussier, She Writes Press
Parenting, Family & Relationships
GOLD: Raising Future Adults – David Krasky, American Publisher’s Inc.
SILVER: First-Time Parent, Expecting Better – Dr. Myrna Saadeh White, Authority Publishing
BRONZE: Guide to Lasting Love: A Therapist’s 21-Day Program to a Fulfilling Relationship – Reta Faye Walker, Brown Books Publishing Group
FINALIST: Wisest Learners: Guiding Your Child’s Athletic Journey – Alex Compton & Kevin Dalafu, Independently Published
FINALIST: And Now, Back to Me – Rita Lussier, She Writes Press
Religion, Spirituality & Inspiration
GOLD: Hope When It’s Heavy – Amy Eaton, Independently Published
SILVER: Across Borders, Beyond Beliefs – Mary Thomas, Independently Published
BRONZE: Blessings Abound: Awaken to the Gifts at Hand – Katherine Scherer and Eileen Bodoh, K & E Innovations LLP
FINALIST: Whole, Not Perfect – Laura G. Patac, Authority Publishing
FINALIST: Questions God Asks – Bryan Dunham, Independence Press
FINALIST: Run, Mommy, Run: Fighting Breast Cancer with a Victor’s Attitude – Gwyn Elizabeth Miller, Runspire, LLC
Science
GOLD: Biosphere Collapse: Causes and Solutions – Garry Rogers, Coldwater Press
SILVER: The Coming Disruption: How AI First Will Force Organizations to Change Everything or Face Destruction – Fred Voccola, Atlas Elite Publishing Partners
BRONZE: Spiritual Intelligence – Dawson Church, Energy Psychology Press
Self-Help
GOLD: JOYBeing: Connecting With Your Essence and the Rhythm of Life to Thrive and Inspire – Ann Van Eron & Gila Ancel Seritcioglu, Open View Press
SILVER: Deeply Human: The Science and Soul of Emotional Healing – Dr James P. Manning, Ridgeman Mental Health Books
SILVER: Common Sixth Sense: Unleash Your Most Authentic Connected Life – Rachael Schmidt, Expansion House
BRONZE: The Golden Nuggets for Success and Happiness – Sree Prathap, Notion Press
BRONZE: So Much to Drool About: Lessons for Living Large – Barbara Stone, Wildebeest Publishing Co
FINALIST: The Human Beneath The Hero – Jenna Hardcastle, Independently Published
FINALIST: Every Mile Matters – Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Causation, LLC
FINALIST: Whole, Not Perfect – Laura G. Patac, Authority Publishing
Societal Issues
GOLD: Out of Gaza: A Tale of Love, Exile, and Friendship – Katharina Galor, Potomac Books / University of Nebraska Press
SILVER: Too Poor to Die: The Hidden Realities of Dying in the Margins – Amy Shea, Rutgers University Press
BRONZE: Brave: Story of a Trans Woman – K.K., Independently Published
FINALIST: Your Guide to Climate Action – Ryan Hagen, Climate Action Press
FINALIST: What the Fire Left Behind – Malcolm K Rowe, Independently Published
Travel
GOLD: First Pub on the Right: A Wife-Changing Motorcycle Adventure from Cork to Cape Town – David Irish Anderson, Pure Ink Press
SILVER: True Nature: Hidden in the High Sierra – Lisa Michelle, Barking Raven Press
BRONZE: Adventures in Penn’s Woods – Joseph F. Brosky, Independently Published
FINALIST: The Master Chief’s Sea Stories – Johnny J Moye, Buffalo Junction Press
FINALIST: Armchair Iceland: A Puzzle Game-Inspired Travel Adventure Book for Grown-Ups – Vegout Voyage, Katharina Huang
Writing & Publishing
GOLD: Email Marketing for Authors: Grow an Email List that Actually Sells Books – Dale L. Roberts, One Jacked Monkey LLC
SILVER: Escape the Writer’s Web – Colleen M. Story, Midchannel Press
BRONZE: The Profitable Author: 1,001 Ways to Build a Business You Love Around Your Books – Sharon Woodhouse, Everything Goes Media, LLC
About the Reader Views Literary Awards
The Reader Views Literary Awards are an annual program recognizing excellence in independent and small press publishing across fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and poetry categories. Every entered book receives a professional editorial review, and winners are selected by our team of experienced reviewers.
Awards are presented annually. To enter your book in the next cycle, visit our Literary Awards page.
All books link to their full Reader Views editorial review. Click any title to read the complete review.