Elva Resa Publishing and W. Brand Publishing Earn Gold IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards for Excellence in Publishing, Collaborate to Increase Military Family Books Distribution
St Paul, MN (May 2023) — Elva Resa Publishing and W. Brand Publishing, two military-friendly independent publishers, each won a prestigious national award for excellence in publishing. Both companies were recognized by their trade association, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), in the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards at a May 5, 2023, ceremony in Coronado Island, California.
Elva Resa won GOLD for best Teen Nonfiction (13-18 years) and SILVER for best Business and Career book for A Girl’s Guide to Military Service by Air Force veteran and Space Force military spouse Amanda Huffman. W. Brand Publishing won GOLD for best Memoir for Dispatches from the Cowgirl by Navy foreign area officer spouse Julie Tully.
Both publishers invited their authors to join them at the in-person awards celebration.
About the Awards
While there are many book award programs, according to IBPA’s Chief Operations Officer Terry Nathan, who has managed IBPA’s award program for 35 years, the Benjamin Franklin Award is considered one of the highest national honors for independent publishers.
“Independent publishers from around the world enter their best books,” says Nathan. “Book publishing professionals, including librarians, bookstore owners, editors, and designers grade each book according to how well publishers exceed industry standards to produce editorial and design excellence. These awards really showcase the exceptional work behind the scenes of our publishers and their professional teams.”
One gold and two silver awards for each category are presented by association leadership to the winning publishers. IBPA has more than 4000 members and this year named 168 finalists from nearly 1800 book nominations across 56 categories.
About the Publishers
Founded by former Marine Corps spouse Karen Pavlicin in 1997, Elva Resa specializes in quality resources by, for, and about military families. Best known for its deployment resources, Elva Resa has signed more than 100 authors and artists, including several bestselling professional authors, and has earned numerous national awards for excellence in publishing.
An innovative business leader, Pavlicin was dubbed “the godmother of the milspouse book movement” by Military Spouse magazine in 2019 for her work paving the way for military spouse authors over more than two decades, advocating for a military families BISAC code (FAM055000) to categorize military family books in the publishing industry, and establishing a distribution outlet for military family support organizations to obtain resources from multiple publishers (Military Family Books distribution).
Elva Resa follows a traditional publishing model, paying competitive royalties and artist advances. Due to the large number of submissions received, the company accepts manuscript proposals only during a call for manuscripts (next open submission period is July 1-August 15; ElvaResa.com/Submissions).
“There are so many more stories and great military family book ideas than we can publish,” says Pavlicin. “I’m thrilled to collaborate with W. Brand Publishing to expand options for our authors beyond traditional and author publishing.”
Founded by JuLee Brand in 2018, W. Brand Publishing will publish its third book by a military spouse author this fall. Under its hybrid publishing model, both author and publisher invest financially in the creation of the book, share in the revenues, and work as partners to promote the book. W. Brand meets all IBPA Hybrid Publisher Criteria, and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis.
“JuLee has a heart for military families,” says Pavlicin. “We have already been collaborating together on new projects, and our Military Family Books distribution will be carrying W. Brand’s books by military spouse authors. This relationship will strengthen access to quality resources both from the creative side, with additional publishing options for military-connected authors, and in getting those books to their intended readers.”
About the Distribution
Military Family Books is a preferred distributor of military family resources, specializing in case and bulk sales to military, education, and healthcare organizations that support military families. Any book from any publisher can be ordered from the program, with featured titles available online at MilitaryFamilyBooks.com, at popup stores in military communities, through a VIP purchasing catalog (contact orders[@]militaryfamilybooks.com), and beginning June 1, in person at a featured Military Family Books display in Strive Bookstore, 901 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. Owned by Elva Resa, Military Family Books hosts a variety of community events, and a portion of all sales supports military family programs.
About the Books
A Girl’s Guide to Military Service: Selecting Your Specialty, Preparing for Success, Thriving in Military Life (Elva Resa, Sept 2022) by Amanda Huffman helps young women considering a military job or career to discern if military service is the right choice for them, evaluate enlisting or commissioning as an officer, select a service branch and career field, prepare for training, and navigate unique challenges as a woman in the military.
Dispatches from the Cowgirl: Through the Looking Glass with a Navy Diplomat’s Wife by Julie Tully (W. Brand, Sept 2022) is part travelogue, part midlife coming-of-age memoir, unveiling the little-known world of an American military spouse serving amongst the world’s diplomatic corps, taking readers to the Africa Tully fell in love with and found hard to leave.
Recent military-connected titles from Elva Resa include:
- 100 Days Smart: A kindergarten teacher shares lessons on life, learning, and community during the COVID-19 outbreak in bella Italia(memoir) by military spouse Karin Tramm (February 2023)
- A Girl’s Guide to Military Service: Selecting Your Specialty, Preparing for Success, Thriving in Military Life by veteran and military spouse Amanda Huffman (September 2022)
- Remote Work for Military Spouses: Find and Grow Your Meaningful Mobile Career by military spouse Laura Briggs (August 2022)
- Semper Parents: Supporting Your Marine and Sharing the Journey by military spouse and Marine mom Mary Regner (July 2022)
- Milspouse Strength: Changing the Way You See and Respond to Military Life Stress by veteran and military spouse Kendra Lowe (January 2022)
Recent military-connected titles from W. Brand Publishing include:
- A Stroke of Magic: The Dinosaur Woman by military spouse Brunella Costagliola (February 2023)
- Dispatches from the Cowgirl: Through the Looking Glass with a Navy Diplomat’s Wife by military spouse Julie Tully (September 2022)
Both publishers will be announcing new titles for fall 2023 and 2024 publication. For more information, visit ElvaResa.com and WBrandPub.com. All military-connected books from both publishers are available from MilitaryFamilyBooks.com.
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INDEPENDENT BOOK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION (IBPA), founded in 1983, leads and serves the independent publishing community through advocacy, education, and tools for success. With over 4,000 members, IBPA is the largest publishing association in the United States. Its vision is a world where every independent publisher has the access, knowledge, and tools needed to professionally engage in all aspects of an inclusive publishing industry. A list of all award winners can be found on the IBPA website. IBPA-online.org
ELVA RESA PUBLISHING LLC is an award-winning, mission-driven, traditional independent publisher based in St. Paul, Minnesota, specializing in quality resources by, for, and about military families. Elva Resa’s mission is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. ElvaResa.com
W. BRAND PUBLISHING is an award-winning, independent boutique hybrid publisher based in Nashville, Tennessee, on a mission to facilitate, publish, and promote positive stories of triumph, survival, diversity, and compassion. WBrandPub.com
MILITARY FAMILY BOOKS is a preferred supplier of quality military-connected resources, specializing in case and bulk sales to military, education, and healthcare organizations that support military families. MilitaryFamilyBooks.com
PHOTO CAPTION:
Author Amanda Huffman (A Girl’s Guide to Military Service), Publisher Karen Pavlicin (Elva Resa Publishing), Publisher JuLee Brand (W. Brand Publishing), and Author Julie Tully (Dispatches from a Cowgirl) celebrate together the publishers receiving GOLD IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards at a May 5, 2023 ceremony in Coronado Island, California. This award honors excellence in editorial and design by independent publishers. Military-connected books from both publishers are available through Military Family Books distribution.
Media Contact: 651-357-8770, pr[@]elvaresa.com
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