Press Release: San Diego State University Graduate, Davinder Kaur, Award Winning Author – Honored in 2023 Indie Book Awards
“Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It” by San Diego resident Davinder Kaur has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of the best indie books of 2023.
Davinder’s book is a memoir in which she describes how in the1980s, she was forced to marry a man she didn’t know. When she was only fourteen years old, the marriage was arranged and set to occur when she turned eighteen. After four long years of internal turmoil and despair, she had two choices: adhere to the customs and traditions of her family, or risk bringing dishonor to their home. Davinder didn’t like either option, so she made a plan—a plan to survive.
In Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It, Kaur tells of the pain, lies, and betrayal she suffered at the hands of those who were meant to protect her the most. But her story doesn’t end there. Davinder’s willingness to speak out and fight not only saved her life but the lives of many other women and young girls over the years. She offers courage and strength to those who can’t advocate for themselves, and she works with organizations all over the world to help end child marriages and forced marriages. Kaur gives a voice to the voiceless as she breaks down walls to eradicate cultural and traditional abuse. The book is available on Amazon in paperback, e-book and audiobook at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MCG6TGG
Davinder first told her story at SDSU back in 2009 when she was studying for her Bachelor’s in Business Administration. When a professor asked why all the kids in the class were at college that time in their lives it was natural for the younger kids in the class to say that they were there to hopefully get their degree so they could become a lawyer, doctor, educator, etc., but when it was Davinder’s turn, it was natural for her to say that she was there at age 40 trying to get her degree because she wasn’t allowed to go to college right after high school! Her mother said she had to get married and there was no need to go to college! All the students in the class were apparently shocked and the professor asked her to expand more on this in the next class. This made Davinder see that what she had gone through was not what others go through and was completely foreign to all these students at SDSU. This prompted her to start speaking up more about what happened to her and she embarked on a journey to break the silence, but it would take a while before she could do this without feeling tremendous fear.
Davinder Kaur’s book is a finalist in the Women’s Issues – Non-Fiction category in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world’s largest book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored June 23 at a gala event at the Newberry Library in Chicago, IL, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.
Organizers of this year’s gala hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook, commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time at https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards. Videos of the 2021 and 2022 events have been viewed more than 100,000 times.
2023 is the 16th year of the largest international book awards program. This year’s Platinum Sponsor is FabJob, a leading publisher of dream career guides with over half a million satisfied customers over 6 continents. IAP Career College, which offers online certificate courses in more than 100 career fields including book editing and book publishing, returns as a Gold Sponsor of this year’s awards.
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many with long careers at major publishing houses. Their love of a great read and experience in the publishing arena identify books deserving a wider audience.
In an article at CNN.com titled If it’s cool, creative, and different, it’s indie, journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: “The term ‘indie’ traditionally refers to independent art – music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture – created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.” That definition remains true for book publishing.
Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates dominating the book publishing industry. Indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
According to Catherine Goulet, Founder and Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, “Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don’t experience. The indies have to work much harder to get their best books into readers’ hands.”
“Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books,” adds Goulet. “They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print.”
According to recent statistics collected by Zippia.com, the U.S. book industry made $29.33 billion in revenue in 2021. Over 4 million new books were published in 2022 alone, with 2.1 million of those being self published. Romance is the most popular genre of books sold in the U.S., achieving over 32 million print copies sold in 2022.
To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 80+ books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency), or one of Ms. Allen’s co-agents, for possible representation in areas such as: distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights.
Other prize-winning books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards include:
Top Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Out Killing Indians, by Rick Steber (Bonanza Publishing, LLC)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
A Sacred Duty: An FBI Yellowstone Adventure, by Rhona Weaver (Two Oaks Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
The Tea Drinker’s Guide to Adventure, by Andrée Jannette (Andrée Jannette)
Top Non-Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Art of Astonishment: Reflections on Gifts and Grace, by Alice Brittan (Bloomsbury)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, by Lynne Heasley, Illustrated by Glenn Wolff (Michigan State University Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias, and I’ll Show You Our Connection, by Kimberlee Yolanda Williams (Elephant Room Press)
Honorable Mention ($250 Prize)
The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life, by Joyce Marter (Sounds True)
Other Winners
Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 80 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.
A complete list of 2023 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at indiebookawards.com.
Where to Watch the 2023 Book Awards Event
We hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time on Friday, June 23. Visit https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards.
About the Literary Agent
Marilyn Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.
About IBPPG
The aim of the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group is to promote professional standards in independent book publishing (also known as “indie” book publishing) and provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession.
2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Entries are now being accepted for the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2022, 2023, or 2024 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at https://www.indiebookawards.com for more information.
Next Generation Indie Film Awards
Next Generation Indie Book Awards is proudly affiliated with Next Generation Indie Film Awards – a not-for-profit awards program for film, devoted to supporting filmmakers around the globe by recognizing excellence in filmmaking. To learn more and enter a film in the 2024 awards, visit https://indiefilmawards.co.
MEDIA CONTACT: Davinder Kaur, email: davinderkaur634@gmail.com
Press Release: San Diego Author, Davinder Kaur, Honored in 2023 Indie Book Awards
“Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It” by San Diego resident Davinder Kaur has been named by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group as one of the best indie books of 2023.
Davinder’s book is a memoir in which she describes how in the 1980s, she was forced to marry a man she didn’t know. When she was only fourteen years old, the marriage was arranged and set to occur when she turned eighteen. After four long years of internal turmoil and despair, she had two choices: adhere to the customs and traditions of her family, or risk bringing dishonor to their home. Davinder didn’t like either option, so she made a plan—a plan to survive.
In Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It, Kaur tells of the pain, lies, and betrayal she suffered at the hands of those who were meant to protect her the most. But her story doesn’t end there. Davinder’s willingness to speak out and fight not only saved her life but the lives of many other women and young girls over the years. She offers courage and strength to those who can’t advocate for themselves, and she works with organizations all over the world to help end child marriages and forced marriages. Kaur gives a voice to the voiceless as she breaks down walls to eradicate cultural and traditional abuse. The book is available on Amazon in paperback, e-book and audiobook at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MCG6TGG
Davinder Kaur’s book is a finalist in the Women’s Issues – Non-Fiction category in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the world’s largest book awards program for independent publishers and self-published authors. The winners and finalists will be honored June 23 at a gala event at the Newberry Library in Chicago, IL, coinciding with the American Library Association Annual Conference.
Organizers of this year’s gala hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook, commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time at https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards. Videos of the 2021 and 2022 events have been viewed more than 100,000 times.
2023 is the 16th year of the largest international book awards program. This year’s Platinum Sponsor is FabJob, a leading publisher of dream career guides with over half a million satisfied customers over 6 continents. IAP Career College, which offers online certificate courses in more than 100 career fields including book editing and book publishing, returns as a Gold Sponsor of this year’s awards.
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many with long careers at major publishing houses. Their love of a great read and experience in the publishing arena identify books deserving a wider audience.
In an article at CNN.com titled If it’s cool, creative, and different, it’s indie, journalist Catherine Andrews wrote: “The term ‘indie’ traditionally refers to independent art – music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture – created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.” That definition remains true for book publishing.
Independent book publishing companies are independent of the major conglomerates dominating the book publishing industry. Indies include small presses, larger independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors.
According to Catherine Goulet, Founder and Co-Chair of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, “Like other independent artists, many indie book publishers face challenges that the industry giants don’t experience. The indies have to work much harder to get their best books into readers’ hands.”
“Authors and publishers who compete in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards are serious about promoting their books,” adds Goulet. “They aim to stand out from the crowd of millions of books in print.”
According to recent statistics collected by Zippia.com, the U.S. book industry made $29.33 billion in revenue in 2021. Over 4 million new books were published in 2022 alone, with 2.1 million of those being self published. Romance is the most popular genre of books sold in the U.S., achieving over 32 million print copies sold in 2022.
To help indie authors and publishers reach a wider audience, the top 80+ books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards will be reviewed by New York literary agent Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency (formerly the Allen O’Shea Literary Agency), or one of Ms. Allen’s co-agents, for possible representation in areas such as: distribution, foreign rights, film rights, and other rights.
Other prize-winning books in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards include:
Top Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
Out Killing Indians, by Rick Steber (Bonanza Publishing, LLC)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
A Sacred Duty: An FBI Yellowstone Adventure, by Rhona Weaver (Two Oaks Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
The Tea Drinker’s Guide to Adventure, by Andrée Jannette (Andrée Jannette)
Top Non-Fiction Books
First Place Winner ($1,500 Prize)
The Art of Astonishment: Reflections on Gifts and Grace, by Alice Brittan (Bloomsbury)
Second Place Winner ($750 Prize)
The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes, by Lynne Heasley, Illustrated by Glenn Wolff (Michigan State University Press)
Third Place Winner ($500 Prize)
Dear White Woman, Please Come Home: Hand Me Your Bias, and I’ll Show You Our Connection, by Kimberlee Yolanda Williams (Elephant Room Press)
Honorable Mention ($250 Prize)
The Financial Mindset Fix: A Mental Fitness Program for an Abundant Life, by Joyce Marter (Sounds True)
Other Winners
Top books were named as winners and finalists in over 80 publishing categories ranging from Action/Adventure to Young Author.
A complete list of 2023 winners and finalists is available at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at indiebookawards.com.
Where to Watch the 2023 Book Awards Event
We hope to livestream the awards presentation on Facebook commencing at approximately 5:00 pm Central Time on Friday, June 23. Visit https://www.facebook.com/NextGenerationIndieBookAwards.
About the Literary Agent
Marilyn Allen has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, including serving as Senior Vice President, Associate Publisher, and Director of Marketing for Harper Collins and directing sales and marketing teams for Simon & Schuster, Penguin Books and Avon Books. Ms. Allen has worked with many best-selling authors including Stephen King, Ken Follett, Barbara Kingsolver, John Gray, Mary Higgins Clark, and many more.
About IBPPG
The aim of the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group is to promote professional standards in independent book publishing (also known as “indie” book publishing) and provide support and recognition for the independent book publishing profession.
2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Entries are now being accepted for the 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. The awards are open to books released in 2022, 2023, or 2024 from independent authors and publishers worldwide. Visit the Next Generation Indie Book Awards website at https://www.indiebookawards.com for more information.
Next Generation Indie Film Awards
Next Generation Indie Book Awards is proudly affiliated with Next Generation Indie Film Awards – a not-for-profit awards program for film, devoted to supporting filmmakers around the globe by recognizing excellence in filmmaking. To learn more and enter a film in the 2024 awards, visit https://indiefilmawards.co.
MEDIA CONTACT: Davinder Kaur, email: davinderkaur634@gmail.com
“Forced to Marry Him” by Davinder Kaur, is an Award Winning Book
I’m so thrilled to share that “Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime Of Tradition and the Will to Break It” has made it as one of the five finalists in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the category of Women’s Issues – Non Fiction.
The Next Generation Indie Book Awards (or NGIBA for short) was established to recognize the most exceptional independently published books in 80+ different categories for the year and is presented by Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group (www.IBPPG.com) in cooperation with Marilyn Allen of Allen Literary Agency. It is said that only the “cream of the crop” are selected from thousands of entries, so I am indeed very proud of this recognition. I’m just so over the moon to know my book is now an award winning book. I just had to share the news with you!
“Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It” made it as Finalist in the Category of Women’s Issues -Non Fiction
2023 Award Winner of Next Generation Indie Book Awards as a Finalist!
I’m so very proud of my book as it’s like my little baby. I’ve put so much into it and hope it turns out to be what it was meant to be – a great way to spread awareness of the atrocities inflicted on many girls and women all over the world. We have to help end the human rights abuse of forced marriage and child marriage. It’s only through awareness that we can bring about much needed change.
Audiobook available for “Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It”
The audiobook for “Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It” is now available on Amazon. It was released on April 14th, 2022 and I haven’t even had the time to blog about it after announcing back in March that it was in production.
It deserves to be listened to. If you don’t have the time to pick up a book and read it, you will surely have the time to listen to it while you are driving or traveling on a plane. It’s just so easy to listen to it in an audiobook format and the book can be listened to in 4 hours and 15 minutes. The narrator Gill Mills did an excellent job. She did justice to my story since she is British, and as you may know I was born and raised in the UK and that’s where my story began. Gill also did great with the Punjabi words.
My story can be related to by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. Unfortunately, there are so many girls who have been in a forced marriage, have experienced domestic violence, and been attacked violently. There are many girls who have experienced a denial of their right to education, and who have been thrown into basic slavery while growing up. It is for these survivors of the aforementioned abuse that I have written my story, to give hope that strength of will can triumph over fear; that there is hope even after a terrible start to life that no girl should ever have to experience. I hope you will listen to the audiobook or read the book in its entirety.
The book is also available in paperback and eBook as well as audiobook format.
Retail Sample of Audiobook “Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It”
I’m so excited to announce that my book is going to be made into an audiobook. In fact, it is currently in production and my narrator will be Gill Mills from the UK. I thought it was essential to have someone with a British accent to tell my story. After all, my story began in the UK where I was born and raised. I lived there for 22 years before I moved to the USA.
Currently, it’s available on Amazon and other retailers in eBook and paperback formats at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MCG6TGG
I just uploaded the video of the retail sample of the audiobook. Here it is.
Contact Me
Please feel free to contact me using the email on my business card. I hope to hear from you. If you would like to get a copy of my book, please look it up on Amazon, or scan the QR code below.
Flyer – Forced to Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will to Break It
I haven’t shared my new flyer yet! I hope you like it! I made it all myself using Photoshop!
Forced To Marry Him by Davinder Kaur
I have exciting news to share with you all. My book Forced To Marry Him: A Lifetime of Tradition and the Will To Break It was finally published on October 31, 2021! This is super exciting for me, and a really big accomplishment. It’s my first book, and I’m hoping my true story will be an eye opener for many as I discuss forced marriage, child marriage, honor abuse, honor killings, tradition and culture.
Please support me by spreading awareness and purchasing this book, and sharing it with all your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and on social media. I would really appreciate it. It is available in e-book and paperback. My hope is that what happened to me does not happen to any other girl, or boy, for that matter. I’m including all the hashtags below that perhaps you can use when sharing the link to my book. All the links are also below. I really appreciate your support very much in advance. Lots of love to you all.
Amazon Link for the USA
Apple Books
https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1592974733
Tolino:
https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1062498526
Kobo:
Scribd:
Vivlio:
https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9798201648497_9798201648497_10020
Barnes And Noble:
#EndForcedMarriage #EndChildMarriage #forcedmarriage #childmarriage #honorabuse #honorkillings #domesticviolence #VAW #humanrightsabuse #tradition #culture #newbook #author #truestory #realstory #memoir #nonfiction
My New Book – Forced to Marry Him
I am so excited! I have finally got my memoir published and this is a huge achievement for me. It took me almost two years! The frustrating thing is that I almost finished writing the book after just four months, however, that’s when I started to get into public speaking and then my focus shifted. It took a while to get back to my book. I then decided that I needed to have it edited professionally, and even though it’s self-published, I can’t claim that I know how to do everything – we all need some help from professionals.
Hopefully, now more awareness can be spread about forced marriage and child marriage. Everyone needs to understand that education first, then marriage is the way it should happen ideally, and not the other way around. Forcing someone to marry against their will is a human rights violation, and should not be tolerated.
The book just got published yesterday October 31st – a Halloween treat to myself! It’s available on Amazon, as well as a whole range of other places online such as Barnes and Noble, GoodReads, Kobo, BorrowBox, Scribd, Vilio, and Tolino. Here is the link to purchase the e-book from Amazon in the USA. The good news is that you can purchase it from Amazon if you live in the UK, Canada, India and a whole range of other countries too!
I hope you will all check out my book, purchase it and possibly write a review if you feel inclined. Please spread the word. I would really appreciate it.
United Against Harmful Practices Video – Featuring Survivors of Child Marriage and Forced Marriage
I’m so happy to announce that the video for the June 13th United Against Harmful Practices is now on YouTube. Why am I happy? I’m happy because the awareness can be spread about the human rights abuses discussed during the Zoom meeting. No one should suffer child marriage or forced marriage.
Some individuals tried to stop our meeting by zoom bombing it. They tried to share inappropriate images, and tried to silence us, but we will not be silenced. It’s important to speak up about this and not be intimidated. The zoom recording would have been available a lot earlier had these horrible individuals not interfered. However, our recording is mostly unaffected except in one place where unfortunately one part was shorter than it should have been for one of the speakers. That speaker was amazing! She dealt with the interruption so magnificently, I was amazed.
Please do watch the video, as I believe it is enlightening, empowering and even educational. Where else have so many survivors all been under one roof so to speak (even if it was the Zoom roof) and told their very real and personal stories? We are doing this to spread awareness so that no other child should suffer what we went through. Thanks in advance for watching.
luchanik 