Eric Hoffer Award Category Finalist 2025

The Eric Hoffer Book Award was founded at the start of the 21st century to honor freethinking writers and independent books of exceptional merit, and since its inception, the Hoffer Award has grown to become one of the premiere international independent book awards.

The “Hoffer” honored books are from small, academic, and micro presses, including self-published offerings. The Hoffer will continue to be a platform for and the champion of the independent voice.

From Publisher's Weekly:

Jason’s three-boy grunge band and their high hopes for fame form the backdrop of Hartje’s debut, making this edgy romance a paradise for music fans. Musical references pop throughout, from the newly discovered Stone Temple Pilots to Guns N’ Roses tracks buoying up a party scene awash with tension and coke lines. There’s an unpretentious innocence to the plot and dialogue that aptly mirrors a teenager’s way of thinking, periodically scattered with idiosyncratic outbursts that are all part of growing up. Hartje bounces the narrative between Jason and his mother, Leah, a jarring change initially, but one that soon makes sense, as readers glimpse how a concerned mother sees things very differently from her troubled 17-year-old.

Pipeliner (2018) is experiencing a resurgence, fueled by a new cover, an upgraded detail page, and aggressive digital marketing. This raw and divisive coming-of-age novel delivers potent '90s nostalgia and a gritty across-the-tracks romance, but its true power lies in its unflinching and honest portrayal of male puberty.

As I prepare to launch my second novel, I am seeking honest reviews for this back title from brave readers—readers who appreciate character-driven literary fiction and aren't shy about edgy, provocative, and challenging material.