2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award Winners
In addition to the grand prize, the Eric Hoffer Award identifies a winner, a runner-up, and honorable mentions within eighteen all-inclusive categories. Additional honors go to academic, small, micro, and self-published presses. The category finalists and the grand prize short list are further noted. Use the links below to discover great award-winning books. The current judges' commentary is published in the US Review of Books. See the previous Eric Hoffer Book Award winners.
GRAND PRIZE
2025 Winner:
* The Braille Encyclopedia, Naomi Cohn, Rose Metal Press
previous grand prize winners
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ACADEMIC PRESS
2025 Winner:
* Homefront, Victoria Kelly, University of Nevada Press
previous academic press winners
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SMALL PRESS
2025 Winner:
* Prompting Originality, Norty Cohen and Delaney Ehrhardt, Ideapress Publishing
previous small press winners
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MICRO PRESS
2025 Winner:
* No One is on the Line, Mohsen Mohamed, Sherine Elbanhawy (translator), Laertes Press
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SELF-PUBLISHED
2025 Winner:
* Me, the Dodo?, Anders Roseberg, Alex Preyzner (illustrator), Babooky
previous self-published winners
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ART
2025
Winner:
* Radical Paper, Lynn Sures, Michelle Samour, The Legacy Press
1st Runner-Up:
* A Dream Begun So Long Ago, Jacqueline Annette Sue, Khedcanron Publishing
Honorable Mentions:
* The Endless Sphere of Time, Geir Jordahl, Rolf Jacobson (poetry), True North Editions
* This Visible Speaking, Kathryn Winograd, Humble Essayist Press
previous category winners
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CHAPBOOK
2025
Winner:
* Scavenger, Jessica Lynn Suchon, YesYes Books
1st Runner-Up:
* This is My Body, Jonathan Fletcher, Northwestern University Press
Honorable Mentions:
* Confession of a Heliophiliac, Rochelle Germond, Choeofpleirn Press
* Dropping Sunrises in a Jar, Melinda Thomsen, Finishing Line Press
previous category winners
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CHILDREN’S
2025
Winner:
* Love Sounds Like, Hannah Jessen Conway, Remesh Ram (illustrator), HJC Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Jazmyne's Big Emotions, Tom Tracy, Scoochie & Skiddles
Honorable Mentions:
* Dino Style, Rob Ambrose, Bunbury's Books
* Do You Know the Value of You?, Isabelle Hall, Joyful Page Press
* I Love You, More, Gabriele McCracken, Christina Morrison (illustrator), Archway Publishing
* Mister Deedle's Tree House, Margaret Morrison Roeth, Morgan Pierce Media & Publishing
* Mother Forest and Her Gifts, Alexander M. Leaman, Cara Bevan (illustrator), Hominoid Press
* You Can Throw A Party!, Jan Gniffke, Brown Books Publishing Group
previous category winners
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MIDDLE READER
2025
Winner:
* Coal Dust and Dreams, M.J. Evans, Dancing Horse Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Constellation Clues, Lee Reed, River Grove Books
Honorable Mentions:
* Rusty and Emma's Big Shock!, Annie Wilde, Beebe Hargrove (illustrator), , Lucid House Publishing
* Berticus, Brian Silbert, Strong Learning
* The Three Stones of Ebon, David and Keiko Mello, Strive Publishing
previous category winners
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POETRY
2025
Winner:
* Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms, Joan Kwon Glass, Perugia Press
1st Runner-Up:
* The Frog Poem Project, Nicolette Costanzo, Alice Lam (Illustrator)
Honorable Mentions:
* Flight Songs, Stacey C. Johnson, Finishing Line Press
* Flood Plain, Lisa Sewell, Grid Books
* Four Fields, Dorinda Wegener, Trio House Press
* How to Abandon Ship, Sasha West, Four Way Books
* I Say the Sky, Nadia Colburn, University Press of Kentucky
* In a Field of Hallowed Be, Timothy Geiger, Terrapin Books
* Otherlight, Jill Mceldowney, YesYes Books
* Rise Above the River, Kelly Rowe, Able Muse Press
* Slaughterhouse for Old Wives' Tales, Hannah V Warren, Sundress Publications
* Songs for the Land-Bound, Violeta Garcia-Mendoza, June Road Press
* Theophanies, Sarah Ghazal Ali, Alice James Books
* The Sky Was Once a Dark Blanket, Kinsale Drake, University of Georgia Press
* Us From Nothing, Geoff Bouvier, Black Lawrence Press
previous category winners
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YOUNG ADULT
2025
Winner:
* Three Colors of Courage, Taryn R. Hutchison, TRH Books
1st Runner-Up:
* The Ayeee to Z Adulting Guide, E. Z. Grace, Chrissy Holder and Allison Janicki (illustrators), EZ Does It Publications
Honorable Mentions:
* Star-Locked, K.L. Harris, Make-Believe Press
* The Great and the Small, A.T. Balsara, Common Deer Press
* The Titanic Test, Ann K. Simpson, Framing Hill Media
previous category winners
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COMMERCIAL FICTION
2025
Winner:
* Dry Lands, Elizabeth Anne Martins, Flame Tree Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Wonderland, Kimberly Wheelock
Honorable Mentions:
* Armageddon 2029, Martin Elsant
* Children of Saturn, John Neeleman, Open Books
previous category winners
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GENERAL FICTION
2025
Winner:
* Mrs. McPhealy’s American, Claire R. McDougall, Sibylline Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Autumn, Marc MacDonald, FriesenPress
Honorable Mentions:
* Beware the Tall Grass, Ellen Birkett Morris, Columbus State University
* Bones of Dead Man's Bluff, Robb Grindstaff, Evolved Publishing
* Hive, DL Orton, Rocky Mountain Press
* Not Yours To Keep, Zelly Ruskin, She Writes Press
* The Blue Trunk, Ann E. Lowry, Koehler Books
* Water Finds a Way, Meghan Perry, Delphinium Books
* West Falls Revisited, D.H. Schleicher, West Falls Publishing
previous category winners
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HISTORICAL FICTION
2025
Winner:
* The Ways of Water, Teresa H. Janssen, She Writes Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Our Desperate Hour, John F. Andrews, 46 North Publications
Honorable Mentions:
* After We Drowned, Jill Yonit Goldberg, Anvil Press
* From Tickhill, 1348, Pamela Taylor, Black Rose Writing
* The Last Whaler, Cynthia Reeves, Regal House Publishing
* The Seaforth Heiress, Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, Black Rose Writing
previous category winners
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MYSTERY/CRIME
2025
Winner:
* My Darlings, Marie Still, Rising Action Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* The Shutdown List, Sharon Dukett, SharKen Publishing
Honorable Mentions:
* The Malachi Covenant, Dee Kelly Jr., Forefront Books
* The Younger Girl, Georgia Jeffries, Mission Point Press
previous category winners
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ROMANCE
2025
Winner:
* Finally Forever, Karin Beery, Elk Lake Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Road Trip to Miracles, Sueann Pugh, Green Writers Press
Honorable Mentions:
* A Change of Location, Margaret Porter, Gallica Press
* Wife by the Hour, Gail Treasure, RE: Books
previous category winners
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SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY
2025
Winner:
* Ghastly and Ghoulish Tales from the ER, Mitch Goldman, New Book Authors Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Forgotten Realm of Secrets, Rose M. Delorane, Loulee Max Publishers
Honorable Mentions:
* First Contact, Albert Zhang, Civitas Press
* Sword of the Godless, Matthew C. Lucas, Montag Press
* The Underground Chameleon, Lynn Tharp Hesse
previous category winners
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SHORT STORY/ANTHOLOGY
2025
Winner:
* Table for Two, Eliot Parker, Colorful Crow Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Best Microfiction 2024, Meg Pokrass, Gary Fincke, Grant Faulkner, Pelekinesis
Honorable Mentions:
* Falling Through the New World, Cynthia Reeves, Gold Wake Press
* Signs of the Imminent Apocalypse and Other Stories, Heidi Bell, Cornerstone Press
* Monarch, Emily Jon Tobias, Black Lawrence Press
* Quiet Desperation, Rodney Nelsestuen, Atmosphere Press
previous category winners
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SPIRITUAL FICTION
2025
Winner:
* Goode Vibrations of the Wresting Place, Amy Safford, Saco River Books
1st Runner-Up:
* The Puppy Prophet, David Cary Lane, Patrick Atkins (illustrator)
Honorable Mentions:
* The Scent of Bright Light, Jean K. Dudek, Wipf and Stock
* When Jesus Calls, Martha Gayle, Faith Is Believing
previous category winners
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BUSINESS
2025
Winner:
* The Non-Obvious Guide to Drawing Your Future, Patti Dobrowolski, Ideapress Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Leadership is Worthless... But Leading is Priceless, Thom Mayer, MD, Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Honorable Mentions:
* The Illusion of Innovation, Elliott Parker, Ideapress Publishing
* Master Your Career, Gugu Khazi, Talent Intel Publishing
previous category winners
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CULTURE
2025
Winner:
* Holocaust Heroines, Beverley Chalmers and Dana Solomon, Grosvenor House Publishers
1st Runner-Up:
* Tap Dancing on Everest, Mimi Zieman, MD, Rowman & Littlefield
Honorable Mentions:
* Killing Shore, K. A. Nelson, Brookline Books
* Mountain Time, Renata Golden, CSU Press
* Nola Face, Brooke Champagne, University of Georgia Press
previous category winners
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HEALTH
2025
Winner:
* Parkinson's, Kristine Meldrum
1st Runner-Up:
* Dancing In A Disabled World, Maureen McCue, Ice Cube Press
Honorable Mentions:
* Highway to Your Happy Place, Gary Sprouse M.D., New Outcomes Publishing
* Victory in Every Fall, Kurt Warner, Kallisti Publishing
* Your Creator Matrix, Cathleen Beerkens, World Changers Media
previous category winners
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HOME
2025
Winner:
* Anxious Children in an Anxious World, Dr. Mary O'Kane
1st Runner-Up:
* Nurturing Little Readers, Karen Fernandez, Trace and Say
Honorable Mentions:
* The Iberian Table, Robin Keuneke, Bay of Roses Books
* The Taste of Ambiance, Al Fuentes, Brown Books Publishing Group
previous category winners
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MEMOIR
2025
Winner:
* Sky Ranch, Linda M. Lockwood, She Writes Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Glitter Saints, Robin Brown with Jess Brasher, Aether Bunny Productions
Honorable Mentions:
* Beyond Fear, Karen Chrappa, Mango Moon Media
* Dear Arlo, Olga Campbell
* Disconnected, Eleanor Vincent, Vine Leaves Press
* From Healing to Hell, William Henry Wall, Jr., ArchwayPublishing
* Here, Where Death Delights, Mary Jumbelic, M.D., Final Words Publishing
* The Housekeeper’s Secret, Sandra Schnakenburg, She Writes Press
* Underwater Daughter, Antonia Deignan, She Writes Press
* Unstill, Lenny Gallo, L.R. Fin Media & Publications
previous category winners
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REFERENCE
2025
Winner:
* The One Week Writing Workshop, Karin Adams, Indigo Rose
1st Runner-Up:
* The Sugar King of California, Sandra E. Bonura, University of Nebraska Press
Honorable Mentions:
* Eversharp, Jonathan A. Veley,
* The Oratory Project, Matt Eventoff, Speak with Style Books
previous category winners
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SELF-HELP
2025
Winner:
* Your Grass is Greener, Jason Silver, Ideapress Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* Mental Freedom, Kim Olver, InsideOut Press
Honorable Mentions:
* The Feminine Way, Amy Natalie Pamensky, World Changers Media
* Wrangling the Doubt Monster, Amy L. Bernstein, Bancroft Press
previous category winners
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SPIRITUAL
2025
Winner:
* Acts of Max, Garry Olson, WestBow Press
1st Runner-Up:
* Drawn To Feel, Irish A.D., Balboa Press
Honorable Mentions:
* Focused, Cecilia Tetteh, Xlibris
* Reality Unbound, E. Hughes, Love-Love Publishing
* The Magic of Yes, Lori Pappas, Koehler Books
previous category winners
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E-BOOK FICTION
2025
Winner:
* Chasing Courage, Karin Jensen, ReadtpDiscover
1st Runner-Up:
* Naked Girl, Janna Brooke Wallack
Honorable Mentions:
* Alisha in Washerland, Marian Flores, Citi of Books
* Breaking Silence, Alan Brenham, Brenham Publishing
* Eldryan Elders, S.G. Blaise, Lilac Grove Entertainment
* July and Everything After, Allie Nava, DartFrog Books
* Secrets of Ash, Josh Green, The Sager Group
* Tab's Terrible Third Eye, Isaac Thorne, Lost Hollow Books
* The Lion Hunt, Richard Zappa, Alkira Publishing
* The Pandora's Box, L.S. Franco, The Hero Press
* The Treachery of Sisters, Gail Combs Oglesby, MotownGirl Publishing
* The Unfinished Line, Jen Lyon, Doss About Publishing
* War of the Dragon, Mary Jay, Urlink Print & Media
previous category winners
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E-BOOK NONFICTION
2025
Winner:
* Beyond Everest, Corinne Richardson With Pem Dorjee Sherpa, DartFrog Books
1st Runner-Up:
* The Merchant of Venus, Nancy Thornton Navarro, Adriana Thornton-Cornejo, Tile House Publishing
Honorable Mentions:
* Circumcision, Kenneth S. Lipman, Akiva Press
* Cooling Our Environment, Kalpana Sutaria, Atmosphere Press
* Influencing Death, Penny Hawkins Smith, RN, Girl Friday Productions
* On Healing, Amitha Kalaichandran, Heliotrope Books
* Onward Forward, Brian Jeansonne, DartFrog Books
* Priceless, John C. Goodman , Independent Institute
* Prodigals, Richard Taylor, Urlink Print & Media
* The Naked Sailor, Norman Coutts, Atmosphere Press
previous category winners
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LEGACY FICTION
2025
Winner:
* Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal, Ryan Cowan, For the Northern Star Publishing
1st Runner-Up:
* The House of Ilya, Richard Leslie Brock
Honorable Mentions:
* Not Just a Game, Doug Zipes, iUniverse
* The Fascination, Bob Renterson, AuthorHouse
* The Invisible Bag, Melanie B. Solar, Holly Stone-Barker (illustrator), Solar Publishing
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LEGACY NONFICTION
2025
Winner:
* Cooking Coach, Jan Plummer, iUniverse
1st Runner-Up:
* When Light Shifts, Jennifer L Freed, Kelsay Books
Honorable Mentions:
* The Closed Door, Robert Oman, Outskirts Press
previous category winners
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