Albert Russo has written about 30 books in French and in English, the latter, published by Domhan Books and Xlibris, namely The Age of the Pearl, Beyond the Great Water, Oh Zaperetta!, The Benevolent American in the Heart of Darkness and The Crowded World of Solitude, volume 1, the collected stories, (which just won an award in the United States with Writer's Digest), and 2, the collected poems. His fi ction and his poetry appear in English and in French around the world; his work has been translated into a dozen languages and has garnered a number of awards on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as in India and Africa.His literary website: www.albertrusso.com Other artbooks, completing the series, published with Xlibris: ROMAdiva, Chinese puzzle, AfricaSoul, In France, Mexicana, Sri Lanka, Saint-Malo with love, Albert Russo: a poetic biography, volumes 1 & 2, Brussels ride, Italia Nostra, Sardinia, Pasión de España, Israel at heart / au coeur, Body Glorious / Corps à Corps, Granada / Ronda / Costa del Sol, Quirks / Eclats, New York at heart. Welcome to THE NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE 2008 BOOK AWARDS "The Indie Excellence Book Awards are dedicated to celebrating and promoting the outstanding work of independent publishers and authors." -Dan Poynter, author of The Self Publishing Manual and 100 other books The Indie Excellence Awards are sponsored by Smarketing, LLC. President & CEO Ellen Reid has been a respected executive in the publishing industry for over ten years. For more information about Ellen, visit http: //www.bookshep.com. The Indie Excellence Awards competition is judged by an independent panel of experts from all aspects-editing, marketing, publicity, and design-of the publishing industry. The National Indie Excellence 2008 Book Awards competition presents a wonderful opportunity for all independent, small press and self publishers seeking more recognition within the publishing industry. Winners and finalists will receive national media & industry exposure! We will issue a news release announcing the results to our list of national media, print and radio contacts. We also will promote the results within the publishing industry and have a presence at Book Expo America in Los Angeles in 2008. Address Info: 269 South Beverly Drive, Suite #1065 - Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Toll Free: 866-406-4352 - 805-569-7077 Fax: 805-569-7677 Email: support@indieexcellence.com - www.indieexcellence.com PHOTOGRAPHY Winner: Historic Photos of the Opry: Ryman Auditorium 1974 by Jim McGuire www.turnerpublishing.com - Turner Publishing - 978-1-59652-373-9 Finalist: City of Lovers- City of Wonder by Albert Russo www.albertrusso.com - www.xlibris.com - 978-1-4257-4357-4 Finalist: Body Glorious/Corps á corps by Albert Russo www.albertrusso.com - www.xlibris.com - 1-4257-2515-5 Finalist: New York at Heart/New York au Coeur by Albert Russo www.albertrusso.com - www.xlibris.com - 978-1-4257-4359-8