May, 29, 2025 – On Thursday, May 29th, IndieReader, one of the original review services for self, hybrid and independently published authors, announced the winners of the 15th annual IR Discovery Awards (IRDAs) for 2025. THE NEXT ROUND by EVA FRANCES won in the ROMANCE category.

IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers.

Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.”

Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).

THE NEXT ROUND received the verdict of WINNER – ROMANCE CATEGORY from IndieReader’s reviewers, with the judges saying, "Eva Frances’ THE NEXT ROUND is romantic chick lit that lives up to its category. Based in Australia, Andie Herrera and Chris Vaughn hook up again and again over seven years, presented through flashbacks. Real people inhabit this love story; the dialogue sparkles, the situations are down to earth, and the characters, easily relatable. A quick read that calls for more."