The American Booksellers Association has revealed the shortlists for the 2026 Indies Choice Book Awards, honoring the best books of 2025 selected by independent booksellers. The awards return after a hiatus since 2019, with voting open until March 25 and winners to be announced on April 8. Categories include adult fiction, young adult, and debuts, with each winner receiving $2,000.
The Indies Choice Book Awards, organized by the American Booksellers Association (ABA), are back for the first time since 2019. These awards celebrate titles championed by independent booksellers, drawing from the ABA’s Indie Next List, Kids’ Indie Next List, and Indies Introduce lists from 2025. Nominations and selections come from over 3,000 independent bookstores nationwide, highlighting the vital role of indie booksellers in the literary world.
Shortlists were announced on March 11, 2026, covering seven categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Picture Book, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Debut Adult, and Debut Children’s. Most categories feature the top five titles as voted by booksellers, while the Picture Book category includes the top six. Winners in each category will receive $2,000 for their authors or illustrators.
In Adult Fiction, the shortlisted titles are Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Heart the Lover by Lily King, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, and Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. For Young Adult, the nominees include Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, The Last Bookstore on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold, Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley, They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran, and Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen. Awards will also recognize adult nonfiction, picture books, middle grade, and debut works in adult and children’s categories.
ABA CEO Allison K. Hill stated, “The Indies Choice Book Awards are a celebration of what makes independent bookstores so vital to the literary ecosystem. These awards are voted on entirely by independent booksellers—people who read widely, recommend passionately, and engage with readers and authors every day.” Voting by ABA member booksellers opened on March 11 and closes on March 25. The announcement was made from Harrison, New York.
