2025 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist: Apostasies

Press Release

Florence, MA, April, 2026—Perugia Press is pleased to announce that Holli Carrell’s debut Apostasies has been recognized as a finalist in the 28th annual Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards.

As part of its mission to discover, review, and share the best books from university and independent publishers, Foreword Magazine, Inc. hosts an annual awards program each year. Out of the thousands of titles received, the Finalists represent the best books published in 2025. The fourteen books named Finalists for Poetry can be found here.

“This year’s finalist judging process leaves us buoyant about the health of independent publishing,” says Executive Editor Matt Sutherland. “From Self-Help titles to Business, Poetry to Juvenile Nonfiction, we have never seen such a remarkable collection of submissions. With the competition so tight, the 2025 finalists should feel immensely proud.”

Over 100 librarians and booksellers take part in the judging process, narrowing down a group of finalists in 55 categories to Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners that truly represent the best in independent publishing. Winners in each genre, along with Editor’s Choice Prize winners and Foreword’s Indie Publisher of the Year, will be announced in June 2026.

Since 1998, Foreword Reviews has provided trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses. In print and online, its FOLIO award-winning design and editorial content make the magazine a favorite among librarians, booksellers, and readers—an excellent resource when it comes to purchasing books. Foreword INDIES and the Foreword Clarion Review service complement our online content and print magazine, helping to showcase independent authors and publishers. Cheers, Holli Carrell and Apostasies!