February 2026 Indie Titles for College and Academic Collections
Hello Librarian Friends,

We hope you and yours are well. In the face of ongoing global crises, we continue to believe that books and libraries are essential, and we're grateful for all you do. We trust you'll find new stories that will feel essential for your patrons in this selection from our publisher members. It's a variety-pack of fascinating reading. Thank you for your time!

All of us at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA)

Table of Contents:
Arts & Photography | Biography & Memoir | Business & Career

Arts & Photography
 
ART & LOVE
My Life Illuminated in Egg Tempera
by Lora Arbrador
Sycamore Press

“Balancing raw honesty with technical mastery, Arbrador shares her impassioned expertise in a jargon-free style.” 
— Kirkus Reviews
 
From the counterculture of the '60s to the AIDS epidemic and sex underground of the '80s, Arbrador weaves intimate paintings with the stories behind them, while struggling to master egg tempera painting and find lasting love. 
 
“An absorbing, intimate account of one woman’s dogged pursuit of artistic excellence.”
—  BlueInk Review

ISBN : 9798990946910 (Paperback) 9798990946903 (Hardcover) 9798990946927 (Ebook)
9798990946934 (Audiobook)
Ordering info : Pathway Book Service, Ingram Wholesale, Amazon


Biography & Memoir
 
DISPLACED
A Memoir of Survival and Starting Over After Hurricane Katrina
by Jocelyn Kerr
Live Write Publish

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans. The ensuing flood upended lives and erased neighborhoods.
 
Displaced delivers an unflinching account of what it means to lose a city, and the life you built within it, overnight.

ISBN : 9781732762381 (Paperback)
9781732762398 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, Amazon


GRAPPLING WITH GHOSTS
Childhood Memories of Postwar Ireland and London
by James Harvey

Harvey, delivered by his grandmother in a thatched Irish cottage and raised in a London scarred by alcoholism and violence, recreates the harsh realities of postwar rural Ireland—barely emerged from the 19th century—and bomb-shattered London with “armless and legless veterans everywhere you turned.”
 
BlueInk Review hails his “storytelling prowess.”
 
Foreword Reviews praises a “mature, professional voice” that is “poignant” and “fascinating.”

ISBN : 9781300960829 (Paperback) 9798295315244 (Audiobook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale


WARRIOR NURSE
PTSD and Healing
by Sarah L. Blum
Black Rose Writing

This memoir/self-help book takes readers into the operating room at the 12th Evacuation Hospital in Cu Chi, Vietnam, in 1967, during the height of fighting in the Iron Triangle.
 
As mass casualties arrive amid mortar attacks, monsoons, and artillery fire, Warrior Nurse Sarah and the surgeons save wounded soldiers' lives.
 
Follow Sarah through her harrowing return home, learn how PTSD affects the mind and body, and find hope and guidance for healing.

ISBN : 9781685135690 (Paperback) (Available as an Ebook)
(Available as an Audiobook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale


Business & Career
 
ALIGN YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE REAL YOU
Connect with Yourself, Create What Matters Most, and Define Your Success
by Jennifer Musser
PenRock Press
 
“Optimistic, well-ordered guide to building business success.”
—  BookLife/Publishers Weekly,
Editor’s Pick 
 
In award-winning Align Your Business with the Real You , you will reconnect with yourself, take charge of your business, and create the success you want using a holistic, human-centered business approach.
 
With relatable stories, actionable insights, 29 discussion questions, and 13 exercises, this strategic tool guides you to achieve what matters most. 

ISBN : 9798991544214 (Paperback) 9798991544221 (Hardcover) 9798991544207 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale


THE APPLE SAUCE
A Former Apple Engineer Reveals Silicon Valley’s Secret Sauce to Innovation
by Paul A. Martinez
Franklin Publishers

An Apple engineer explains why innovation is not about ideas, but relief. The Apple Sauce reveals the logic behind products that feel inevitable.
 
Paul A. Martinez introduces the Law of Perpetual Innovation, where every benefit creates a burden. Readers learn to detect burden early, trade it intelligently, and build systems that resist entropy.
 
A practical handbook for founders, PMs, engineers, designers, and leaders building resilient products.

ISBN : 9798893249903 (Paperback)
9798893248128 (Hardcover) 9798893248135 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, Amazon


FUTURE RELIC
Failures, Disasters, Detours, and How I Made a Career as an Artist
by Daniel Arsham
Authors Equity

Inspiration is for amateurs. I’m a professional artist: I wake up every day and go to work.
 
This isn't a romanticized memoir. It’s a master class—a practical handbook for anyone pursuing an artistic career.
 
As we follow Daniel Arsham’s path through breakthroughs and rejections, we also learn the art of the grind: how to get a gallery, why you need a great lawyer, and why surrounding yourself with ambitious, successful people is non-negotiable.

ISBN : 9798893310900 (Hardcover) 9798893310979 (Ebook)
9781668136034 (Audiobook)
Ordering info :
Simon & Schuster Distribution,
Ingram Wholesale


GETTING STARTED WITH ENTITY EVENT-DRIVEN EMBEDDED SYSTEMS
Volume 1: GPIO and Asynchronous Programming with Microdot
by Byron Mattingly
Cassandra STEAM Press

Boost Your STEM Section: A Hands-On Guide for Roboticists, Makers, and Hobbyists.
 
Unlock the world of affordable robotics with Getting Started with Entity Event-Driven Embedded Systems .
 
This beginner-friendly series for the Raspberry Pi Pico guides students from basic GPIO to responsive AI-agent-ready Microdot servers.
 
Featuring clear MicroPython examples and open-source GitHub projects, it is an essential resource for STEM education collections.

ISBN : 9798898609344 (Paperback) 9798900467849 (Hardcover) 9798898609351 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, Amazon


THE MARKET ENTRY STRATEGY
Charting Your Course to Early Stage Venture Success
by Jacques Benkoski
Blue Sails Publishing

Based on a successful seminar attended by thousands, The Market Entry Strategy equips entrepreneurs to stand out in today's competitive landscape.
 
From positioning and messaging to crafting a sales methodology, each chapter offers practical exercises to create an actionable plan.
 
The book has served as instruction or reference material in accelerators, college entrepreneurship classes, and MBA projects at Cornell Tech, INSEAD, Stanford and others.

ISBN : 9798991774505 (Paperback) 9798991774512 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, Amazon


Health & Fitness

VACCINES AND THE DISEASES THEY TARGET
An Analysis of Vaccine Safety and Epidemiology
by Physicians for Informed Consent
Physicians for Informed Consent

Vaccines and the Diseases They Target (the Silver Booklet) presents clear, side-by-side comparisons of childhood diseases and their vaccines in a concise hardcover guide.
 
With simple, clear graphics and over 400 citations, it is an indispensable resource for parents, students, and professionals. 
 
“The most comprehensive and research-based analysis of the CDC-recommended vaccine schedule,” says pediatrician
Dr. Bob Sears.

ISBN : 9798998784514 (Hardcover) 9798998784507 (Paperback) 9798998784521 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale (Hardcover), Amazon (Paperback & Ebook)


Historical Fiction

THE RABBI'S SUITCASE
A Novel
by Robert Kehlmann
Köehlerbooks

A sweeping 50-year multigenerational saga involving forbidden love.
 
Set against a backdrop of Ottoman rule, Mandatory Palestine, and Depression Era America, the novel delves into the intersection of history and desire, illuminating the challenges women face in forging their identities.
 
“Emotionally compelling, skillfully narrated, impressively original…. unreservedly recommended for…library Historical Fiction collections.” — Midwest Book Review

ISBN : 9798888246979 (Paperback) 9798888246993 (Hardcover) 9798888246986 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, OverDrive


History

CAPTAIN'S DINNER
A Shipwreck, An Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
by Adam Cohen
Authors Equity

“Highly recommended for all libraries.” 
Library Journal,  Starred Review
 
Barnes & Noble Best History Book of 2025
 
In Captain's Dinner, acclaimed journalist, Pulitzer Prize juror, and New York Times bestselling author Adam Cohen masterfully depicts the harrowing weeks at sea and the sensational trial that followed.
 
Four men in a lifeboat. Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder.

ISBN : 9798893310597 (Hardcover) 9798893310603 (Ebook)
9781668135990 (Audiobook)
Ordering info :
Simon & Schuster Distribution,
Ingram Wholesale


Multicultural

AMERICA’S FUTURE
Poetry & Prose in Response to Tomorrow
Edited by Caroline Bock & Jona Colson
Washington Writers' Publishing House

America's Future: Poetry & Prose in Response to Tomorrow  features a world of works from a mosaic of poets, fiction writers, and essayists on what’s next.
 
America’s Future is a heartfelt affirmation of a powerful spirit in this country.” 
Washington Independent Review of Books
 
With a national focus by writers from Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, this 526-page landmark anthology is a thought-provoking addition to any library.

ISBN : 9781941551523 (Paperback) 9781941551530 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale


BLUE SKIES, TROUBLED WATERS
An American Twin's WWII Odyssey in Minahasa, Indonesia
by Martha Walandouw Lohn and
Brian Kimmel
Together Mapalus Press

Winner of the 2026 Independent Press Award (Cultural Heritage)
 
This “powerful WWII narrative” ( Publishers Weekly ) and “eye-opening historical memoir” ( Foreword Reviews ) unveil the “harrowing” true story of a civilian American family in occupied Indonesia.
 
Weaving unclassified maps with intimate memory, it is “… a compelling tale of lost innocence and survival updated for a new generation.” — Kirkus Reviews

ISBN : 9798218286767 (Paperback) 9798218537548 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale


Popular Fiction

BETWEEN MEMORY AND OBLIVION
A Novel
by Peter Briscoe
Palo Verde Press

Finally, a serious novel about the conflict between print and digital culture.
 
“Asks whether the soul of a library, or a life, can survive if reduced to mere data. Gorgeous, exquisite prose, elaborately developed characters, and a conflict that hits home powerfully.” 
— John Grossman, The Book Commentary (5/5)
 
“This is a story of protecting the written word against a digital world threatening to destroy it.”
— BookLife/Publishers Weekly

ISBN : 9780963489869 (Paperback) 9780963489838 (Ebook)
Ordering info : Ingram Wholesale, OverDrive

IBPA's core values include Independence and Inclusivity. As a nonprofit association, we are committed to independent points of view and a publishing industry where everyone can tell their story and find themselves in the content they read.

Please note that inclusion in this IBPA program does not constitute an endorsement of these or any particular book, author, or publisher by IBPA, its employees, or board members. Learn more about IBPA and our advocacy, education, and tools for success at ibpa-online.org .
This message was sent to kathleen@libraryworks.com by kathleen@libraryworks.com
7823 Stratford Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814


Unsubscribe from all mailings Unsubscribe | Manage Subscription