Book Award 2023: What Has Been Awarded – and Why?
The getAbstract International Book Award has been a feature of the international literary calendar since 2001. The overall purpose of the award is to increase the visibility and impact of the selected titles amongst professionals worldwide. Now in its twenty-third year, the award continues to select the most outstanding business-relevant books of the year. All nominated titles are available as summaries in the getAbstract library.
Selection Criteria
getAbstract’s editorial team is responsible for narrowing down tens of thousands of new releases to a longlist of just ten titles per award category and language, considering the following questions:
- How original is the book?
- How reliable is its content?
- How focused is the author’s approach?
- How reader-friendly is the book?
- How actionable is the book?
The jury further discusses these questions and contributes their opinions and experience to create the shortlist and decide on the winning title.
The selection criteria have remained consistent over time, resulting in a shortlist that captures the most relevant, readable and actionable books of the year.
Award Categories and Languages
In 2023, the getAbstract International Book Award was presented in four different categories:
Books selected for our “Business Impact” category (International & German) offer must-have, actionable knowledge for business leaders – as encapsulated in our slogan, “Know better. Do better.”
The winners of the Business Impact Award were announced on October 19, 2023, at our joint award ceremony with our media partner brand eins in Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
Thank You for Voting!
Since 2020, getAbstract has invited readers to vote for their favorite book longlisted in the “Business Impact” category. The “Business Impact Readers’ Choice” award (International & German) goes to the work with the most votes.
Public voting for the Readers’ Choice award was open from September 5 to October 1, 2023. The winners were announced on October 19.
Our special award category, “Learning Impact” (International), recognizes original contributions in the L&D and HR space. All nominated titles are must-reads for L&D leaders!
The winners of the Learning Impact Award were announced on October 25, 2023, at our DevLearn award ceremony in Las Vegas, USA.
Thank You for Voting!
New in 2023, getAbstract invited readers to vote for their favorite book longlisted in the “Learning Impact” category. The Learning Impact Readers’ Choice award (International) won the work with the most votes.
Public voting for the Learning Impact Readers’ Choice award was open from September 5 to October 1, 2023. The winner was announced on October 25.
Meet the Juries
The jury composition varies slightly each year to encourage polyphony and diversity. In 2023, there were two different juries for getAbstract’s main book award categories composed as follows:
Business Impact Award
- Peter Lau
Peter Lau is a journalist and has worked at brand eins for as long as he can remember. But he was also a music journalist, film journalist, food journalist and whatever else came his way. He lives in Hamburg, is interested in and writes about everything that promises progress, and has a daughter who is 13 years smarter than he is. - Laura Lesum
Joining getAbstract in 2021, Senior Rights Manager Laura Lesum oversees US and UK publishing partners. Before her role at getAbstract, she developed in-depth knowledge of the publishing industry during her studies of book sciences at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz and gained valuable experience in German guidebook publishing houses. - Belén Haefely (German language category)
Belén Haefely, BA in Philosophy and German Studies, started working at getAbstract in 2017 while still a student. As Managing Editor, she is responsible for topics such as personal and professional development of the German getAbstract library. In addition, she is also a writer, contributing the column “Ninas Welt” to the getAbstract Journal (German edition). - Erica Rauzin (International category)
Senior managing editor Erica Meyer Rauzin has been with getAbstract for 22 years. She is the former editor of Miami: South Florida Magazine. A graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, she has experience as a newspaper reporter, state senate staffer, columnist and book editor. She lives in Miami Beach with her husband, attorney Alan Rauzin, and they have three children and three grandsons. Her areas of editorial responsibility at getAbstract include leadership, management, sales, manufacturing, history, society, media and women’s issues.
Learning Impact Award
- Brandon Carson
Brandon Carson is Starbucks’s Vice President of Learning, Development, and Partner Experiences. He has authored two books, Learning in the Age of Immediacy and L&D’s Playbook for the Digital Age, both from ATD Press. In 2020, he founded L&D Cares (www.ldcares.org), a nonprofit that provides no-cost mentoring, coaching and resources for talent professionals. Learn more about Brandon at www.brandonwcarson.com.
- Deirdre Cody
Deirdre Cody has worked on the English editorial team at getAbstract since 2007. She is the managing editor of getAbstract’s workplace skills and social skills libraries. She works out of Timoleague, Ireland.
- Dr. Hendrik Dietrich
Learning expert Hendrik Dietrich is passionate about supporting learners and learning organizations in applying neuroscientific insights. At getAbstract, he is also responsible for science and technology content.
- Danielle Goodrum
Danielle Goodrum is VP Client Services at getAbstract. She shares frequently asked questions from the corporate world and the best answers from getAbstract’s library in her “Customer Insights” column.
- Karl M. Kapp, Ed.D.
Karl M. Kapp is a scholar, writer, and expert on the convergence of learning, technology and business, focusing on game-thinking, games and gamification for learning. Karl is an award-winning professor at Commonwealth University in Bloomsburg, PA and author or co-author of eight books, including The Gamification of Learning and Instruction. He has served as Co-Principle Investigator on two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants related to games and simulations.
- Christopher Lind
First and foremost, Christopher is a devoted husband and father of seven children twelve and under. Professionally, Christopher is a bold, digital-first talent leader who’s spent most of his career embedded in the businesses he served. He is the Chief Learning Officer for ChenMed and hosts the industry livestream Learning Tech Talks.
- Donald H. Taylor
Donald H. Taylor is a veteran in learning and development and learning technologies. He has chaired the Learning Technologies Conference in London, and his annual L&D Global Sentiment Survey, started in 2014, provides a unique perspective on L&D trends from over 100 countries.
About the getAbstract International Book Award
The getAbstract International Book Award is among the world’s oldest, continuously presented non-fiction book awards. Since 2001, it has been awarded to authors whose work has significantly impacted contemporary social, political and economic understanding.
In alignment with our mission to provide actionable, business-relevant knowledge, the getAbstract International Book Award focuses on works that encourage critical thinking, promote mutual understanding and offer innovative approaches to leadership and business. Our book award candidates help people make better decisions in their personal and professional lives – as encapsulated in our slogan, “Know Better. Do Better.”
The “Learning Impact” award (since 2022) recognizes original contributions in the L&D and HR space, focusing on future-proofing organizations and developing thriving organizational learning cultures. Brandon Carson, Global Head of Learning, Development, and Partner Experiences at Starbucks and a member of this year’s jury, says:
From the onset, it was clear that getAbstract’s dedication to recognizing and uplifting noteworthy achievements in our industry was unparalleled. Their professional team showcased an impressive blend of commitment, expertise, and passion, ensuring that every decision we made was anchored in fairness, transparency, and recognition of true talent. This experience provided me with invaluable insights into the benchmarks of excellence in our field – and I am confident that getAbstract’s annual book awards will continue to set the gold standard for recognizing excellence for years to come.
Brandon Carson
