2014 International Latino Book Awards Finalists Announced

LAS VEGAS - March 26, 2014 - PRLog -- The finalists this year are well known writers like Isabel Allende, Edna Iturralde, Rick Najera, Roseanne Greenfield Thong, Jorge Majfud, and Alfredo Corchado Jimenez. Other honourees include Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and a number of   celebrities who include the TV chef Pati Jinich, the late singer and actress Jenni Rivera, singer Linda Ronstadt and TV personality Lilliana Vasquez. The finalists are drawn across the USA and as well as other eighteen countries.

"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." Kirk Whisler (Awards Chair)

The 2014 Finalists for the 16th Annual International 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.

The Awards will be held on June 28th in Las Vegas as part of the ALA Conference. The Awards are organized 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.