Getting By Named Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards

CHICAGO - July 1, 2021 - PRLog -- PenPower Book Marketing Services and Chicago-area author Jaire Sims are pleased to announce that Sims' debut young adult novel, Getting By, was named a finalist in the AFRICAN AMERICAN (Fiction) category in the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards.

"I'm pleased that my debut novel was awarded with this achievement," says Sims. "The Next Generation Indie Book Awards celebrate the best in independent and small press publishing, and there are some incredible works among the winners and finalists."

Getting By introduces readers to Carver Goodman, a high school junior living in Chicago whose main goal for the year is studying for and getting a good score on the ACT exam. However, his path to fulfilling his objective is filled with the trials of life: bullies, a recent autism diagnosis, first romance, and the desire to determine his own sexuality.

Sims' inspiration for the book came from his struggles to find protagonists whom he could relate to during his youth. "During my teen years I noticed that finding books with Black, gay or autistic protagonists was difficult and mostly non-existent. My goal with this novel was to give today's readers an option that better reflects who they uniquely are, and hopefully show them that they too can write and add their own voices to these underserved communities."

Jaire concludes: "[T]his award indicates that my style of writing and storytelling made an impact on readers. That's all I could hope for and being awarded a finalist makes me even more assured that my story was worth sharing in the end."

Jaire Sims was born and raised in Chicago and Getting By is his first book. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome during his college years. For more information on Jaire and his book, please visit http://www.jairesims.com for additional information.

Getting By is available through BookBaby.com and online booksellers.

The Next Generation Indie Book Awards is the largest International awards program for indie authors and independent publishers. The award was established to recognize and honor the most exceptional independently published books in over 70 different categories. Learn more by visiting https://indiebookawards.com/.