American Book Fest announced the awards for the 2023 Best Book Awards. Five YMAA books placed as “Finalists”. They are Keppan: The Blood Oath, A Connor Burke Martial Arts Thriller, by John Donohue in the “Fiction: Thriller/Adventure” category, Spotting Danger: Build Situation Awareness to keep Safe while Traveling by Gary Quesenberry, Federal Air Marshal (Ret) in the “Travel: Guides and Essays” category. Two books received “Sports” recognition, Analysis of General Karate 2: Sociocultural Development, Commercialization, and Loss of Essential Knowledge by Hermann Bayer, Ph.D. and Wing Chun In-Depth: Skills for Combat, Strategies for Life by Munawar Ali Karim and Loukas Kastrounis.

Taijiquan Theory of Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, The Root of Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) Second Edition by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, received two finalist awards, Spirituality: General and Best Cover Design/Non-Fiction. Kudos to Axie Breen for the cover design. This award was based on visual appeal and communication of the book cover.
American Book Fest covers books from all sections of the publishing industry—mainstream, independent, and self-published. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 100 categories. Full results for the 20th Annual Best Book Awards can be found at the American Book Fest website.