Jennifer Baum named new chair of Midwest Book Awards
Jennifer Baum, founder and publisher of Scribe Publishing Company, has been named chair of the 30th Annual Midwest Book Awards.
The awards program, which began in 1989, is organized by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA).
Baum’s first order of business, taking place over the next several weeks, will be to assemble a team of approximately 100 judges who are subject matter experts in their categories and experienced in publishing. Judges will hail from throughout MIPA’s 12-state region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
2019 award categories are currently being finalized. Past program years have attracted more than 200 entries in over 30 categories.
Baum hopes to grow the awards program by at least 25 percent this year.
“Having worked with Jennifer during the past two years, I’ve learned that she is a go-getter with great ideas. The board is pleased to have her take the lead in promoting this important recognition for authors and publishers in the region,” said Dr. Suzzanne Kelley, president of MIPA and publisher at North Dakota State University Press.
Prior to establishing Scribe Publishing Company in 2011, Baum, 38, held communications roles within chambers of commerce and other membership-based organizations. She is eager to apply expertise from past experience directly to current challenges at MIPA.
From 2015-2018, Baum served on MIPA’s executive board, and from 2017-2018 she served as interim treasurer and updated the organization’s accounting procedures.
“When I joined MIPA, I hoped to help grow the association’s presence in Michigan,” Baum said. “My new role as chair of the Midwest Book Awards gives me the chance to work with the board to grow the association across the entire 12-state region.”
Deadline for entries is December 31, 2019. More information will be released in the coming weeks regarding judge selection and updated entry categories. Check mipa.org for entry details.
About the Midwest Book Awards
Independent publishers in the Midwest are invited to submit entries for books published in 2019. All entries must have a 2019 copyright and an ISBN. Eligible publishers must be located in MIPA’s 12-state area: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.mipa.org.