Local Publisher Wins National Award
Contributed by Sharon Aubrey
Relevant Publishers LLC is a small publishing house located in Sutton earning national attention. Salmon Survivor by Christian A. Shane recently won first place in the PenCraft Book Awards for Children’s Preteen Fiction. It also won the Bronze Moonbeam Children’s Book Award earlier in 2022 and has received many five-star reviews including “Readers’ Favorite” recognition in December.
With all the positive attention surrounding Salmon Survivor’s recent success, one might think this award is simply good luck. However, the PenCraft Book Award is the fourth national award earned from a children’s book published by Relevant Publishers LLC in the last three years. In fact, the house has won a book award for children’s literature consistently since 2020, when Me-Now, The Adventures of Mickey the Mushing Cat by Leon Mensch earned the Gold Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, followed by Jared the Giant: The Secret earning a Purple Dragonfly in 2021.
Sharon Aubrey, the company’s founder, is thrilled with the latest recognition. She’s excited in a rural community like Sutton, her business could win so many national book awards. Ms. Aubrey began her company believing, “Alaskans have great potential to prosper if we’re willing to be innovative, connect with others, and put in the hard work.” With four awards under her belt, Ms. Aubrey’s company is producing quality creative works that have set them apart as an award-winning publishing house.
Relevant Publishers LLC began with two local Alaskan authors in-house. Over the last five years, it has grown exponentially and includes seventeen authors. The majority of authors now reside outside of Alaska, however, Ms. Aubrey has not lost her love for supporting local authors and hopes more will eventually join her team. Until then, she has over a dozen new projects in the queue for the next two years. Submissions are accepted on their website on an ongoing basis: www.relevantpublishers.com
