On May 10, 2016, authors from as far away as all coasts of the USA, Australia, France, and beyond, converged in Chicago for the 20th Annual Independent Book Awards, an international contest commonly known as the IPPYs.

The celebration took place high above the city skyline on the 99th floor of the Willis Tower, the tallest building in Chicago. Cindy Safronoff was among them.

A lively group of authors, publishers, literary agents, along with their friends and family were treated to drinks and a buffet of hors d’oeuvres before the ceremony began. There was time to mingle and meet while enjoying the spectacular 360-degree panoramic view of the Chicago downtown skyline. 

Just as the sun began to set, the awards ceremony began. Jim Barnes, the IPPY Awards Director, played host, announcing each award category and inviting the award winners to come up to receive their awards.

The award recipients included an unusually high number of women. As the press release for the 2016 IPPY Awards announcement stated, “The role of women in book publishing has grown steadily over the decades, and this year the woman’s ‘roar’ is heard loudly in the work of many female authors and publishers.” One new publishing company, She Writes Press, had 17 award-winning books.  

Cindy Safronoff received an award in the category of “Women’s Issues” for her comparative historical biography on the role of two nineteenth-century trailblazing women in the early women’s rights movement.  Her 2015 book Crossing Swords: Mary Baker Eddy vs. Victoria Claflin Woodhull and the Battle for the Soul of Marriage received a second-place silver metal.  

As Jim Barnes announced Safronoff’s award, he noted that several books on Victoria Woodhull had been entered into the contest this year. Another book on Victoria Woodhull, Outrageous: The Victoria Woodhull Saga, Volume 1, Rise to Riches, by Neal Katz, won a first-place gold metal in the category of “Historical Fiction.”

Woodhull authors Cindy Safronoff and Neal Katz connected after the ceremony. Both plan to write sequels to their award-winning books on Victoria Woodhull. Both plan to read each others’ books, and may even include each others’ books in the bibliographies for their next book.

The IPPY awards ceremony was a fun event that gave everyone involved recognition of their accomplishment for producing a high-quality book. It brought together authors who might never otherwise have the opportunity to connect with each other.  It also created an inspiring sense of community among this special group of authors. Cheers to all the award winners!

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