Latino Literacy Now’s International Latino Book Awards
The Largest Awards in the USA Celebrating Achievements in Latino Literature
2014 is an amazing year for books for Latinos
By Kirk Whisler
2014 is an amazing year for books for Latinos – and the market’s rapid growth is merely one reflection of how solid the market is. Latinos in the USA will purchase over $500 million in books in both English and Spanish. The bottom line is that books targeting Latinos are a growing segment because of the rapid growth of the market and the current gaps in relevant topics being presented.
The 2014 Finalists for the 16th Annual Int’l Latino Book Awards are another reflection of the growing quality of books by and about Latinos. This year’s number of entries was 41% more than the previous record year. In order to handle this large number of books, the Awards had 123 judges, nearly double the number from 2013. The vast majority of the judges glowed about the quality of the entries. The Awards celebrates books in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Amongst the 231 finalists are well known writers like Isabel Allende, Alma Flor Ada, Edna Iturralde, and Rick Najera. Other honorees include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and celebrities like TV chef Pati Jinich, the late singer and actress Jenni Rivera, singer Linda Ronstadt and TV personality Lilliana Vasquez. Finalists are from across the USA and from 18 countries outside the USA.
In recognition of the quality and variety of books now available, Latino Literacy Now, the organization that oversees the Awards, is carrying out the 2014 Award Winning Author Tour. Displays of the Finalists books and Award Winning Authors will be presented at events like American Library Association Convention; CABE, the largest Latino teacher conference in the USA; the Chicago Latino Book & Family Festival; the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books; the NCLR Annual Conference; the San Bernardino Latino Book & Family Festival; and other key events.
The Awards themselves will be held June 28th in Las Vegas as part of the ALA Conference. The Awards are produced by Latino Literacy Now, an organization co-founded by Edward James Olmos and Kirk Whisler, and co-presented by Las Comadres de las Americas and Reforma, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos.
For more information, please contact Kirk Whisler, Latino Print Network, 760-434-1223, kirk@whisler.com