Madison-based author’s first book earns ‘most inspirational’ award 

Madison-based, first-time author Amber Swenor has earned a top spot for the most inspirational book of 2023, according to a recent press release. Her book, Unleashed: A Been-There, Rocked-That Guide to Radical Authenticity in Life and Business, won the Gold Medal IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in that category. 

An annual book award competition, the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award program recognizes excellence in independent book publishing across 56 categories. This year’s awards competition, for books with a copyright date of 2022, garnered over 1,800 individual entries. 

Swenor’s book was released in May 2022 and quickly earned the top spot as a No. 1 bestseller on The Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list. 

The debut book also held the No. 1 bestseller spot for eight consecutive days on Amazon in the Finance and Money and Personal Success in Business categories. 

Swenor is the founder, brand strategist, and coach behind Soul Seed, a brand ecosystem that includes several businesses. One of these is Soul Seed Strategy, a Wisconsin-based coaching and consulting firm that provides brand strategy consulting, business coaching, and team and culture development training.