Summer Reading FAQ

• How do I sign up?

  • Technically, no sign up required, though you do need to be a member of Indie Fantasy Addicts! Just start reading books on June 21, and post your reviews in IFA, and start logging points. You MAY sign up for a team to double your fun. Team signups can be found here.

• How long does it go for?

  • IFA's 2026 Summer Reading Challenge goes from June 21-August 31!

• How do I find indie fantasy books?

  • There are so many ways! First, you can lurk in Indie Fantasy Addicts and watch all the fabulous book reviews rolling in, and see what other people have read and recommend. If you're looking for something specific, you can also ask the group for recommendations! And then, there's the Indie Book Database, which is maintained by two generous volunteers and updated every year.

• What genres are allowed?

  • These are the subgenres we welcome at IFA:

    • High/Epic Fantasy

    • Sword and Sorcery

    • Dark/Grimdark

    • Portal (second-world settings)

    • Historical

    • Romantic Fantasy/Fantasy Romance (second-world)

    • Modern/Urban (no Paranormal Romance or "man-chest" covers!)

    • Cozy/Low Fantasy

    • Science Fantasy, Progression and LitRPG (as long as there is still a fantasy element)

• How do I know if a book is indie?

  •  We've started up a "Is it Indie" megathread, so you can go here and check the comments to see if anyone has asked about that same book, or leave a comment asking if the book you're looking at is indie and one of our admins will answer. You can also find a handy flowchart at the bottom of this page!

• What do I do after I finish reading?

  • Two things: 

1. Post a review in Indie Fantasy Addicts using the hashtag #SRC2026 

2. Log your points using the Record Book Points form on the SRC page. Oh, and then of course, celebrate!

• What happens if I DNF a book?

  • You can still submit the book for points, based on the number of pages you actually read. You do not have to post a review. 

• How do I post my reviews?

  • Head over to Indie Fantasy Addicts and share your thoughts! Not sure what to write? Check out our review guidelines here.

• What else is involved in the SRC?

  • So much! Besides reading and reviewing, you can join a team for more camaraderie. You can participate in twice-weekly games hosted by our authors (which enters you in a draw to win special prizes). You can play our team game each week (not for points, but for glory!). You can watch fun videos to learn more about our authors. You can get weekly updates on how the challenge is going by our stick-figure-drawing-master, Janice.

• Who are the admins?

  • The IFA admins run Indie Fantasy Addicts in their not-so-spare time! Many of us are authors in the community (plus one dedicated indie fantasy reader!), and we all pour our love right back into the group. You can read more about us here. Oh, and to thank the admins for their tireless work, if you read their books during the SRC, you get an additional 10 points per book!

• What is the Adventure Wheel?

  • The adventure wheel is a way to expand your reading horizons, and get a chance to win extremely cool prizes. It's also a huge achievement to complete one, and you can read more about it below.

• What is the Team Game?

  • A new activity for 2026 is the Battle of the BookWyrms where your bookshop will compete against the other bookshops for fame and glory. Each week there will be fun questions posted in your team. You will come up with your best answer, which will be pitted against the other team's answers so all of IFA can vote on the very best!

• What are Featured Reads?

  • Each month we highlight 4 books which are worth an extra 50 points! (And still 10 more on top of that if they're an admin!) This year we're releasing them all at once for your TBR planning purposes. They can be read at any time during the challenge, or even BEFORE the SRC starts. You can see them all here.

•  What if I've already read a Featured Read before SRC starts? Do I miss out on bonus points?

  • You do not miss out on bonus points! Featured Reads are a super special exception. Simply re-post your old review (or write a new review if you never posted one), after June 21, and log the points in the form to claim those bonus points!

• Do I HAVE to read Featured Reads?

  • Nope! If you don't want to read them, you don't have to. If any of them have triggers you do not wish to read, please skip them.

• What are the categories this year?

  • Sword & Sorcery

  • Grimdark/Dark

  • High/Epic

  • Contemporary/Urban

  • Medieval/Historical

  • Coming of Age/YA

  • Science Fantasy & Progression

  • Low Fantasy/Magical Realism

  • Cozy Fantasy

  • Diverse/BIPOC

  • Romantic Fantasy

  • Debut Author

• How do I know if a book falls into one of those categories?

  • Check out our Adventure Wheel page for definitions.

• Can I read multiple books by the same author in different categories on my wheel?

  • No more than 2 books by the same author per wheel.

• How many wheels can I complete?

  • As many as you want! Each will earn you an entry into a drawing from the Adventure Prize Hoard.

• Are they worth points?

  • Nope. Just glory and more chances at winning fancy prizes!

• What are the prizes?'

  • Our generous authors have donated deluxe goodies to the Adventure Prize Hoard, which will include things like special editions, books with swag, book boxes, and more.

• How do I log my Adventure Wheels?

  • Go to the Record Adventure Wheel form on the main SRC page.

• How many winners will be chosen to pick from the pool?

  • We will decide once we close down donations for the prize pool; a small percentage of the total prizes, so that each person who wins gets a good selection to choose from.

• Do short stories and novellas count?

  • No. Books have to be over 160 pages to count

• Do rereads count?

  • Yes, because sometimes you just need a good reread. But for the SRC, they only count for half the points of a new read.

  • Rereads do not count for the Adventure Wheel, because that is an adventure in new books.

• How many points do I get?

  • One for every 10 pages. A 120 page book is 12 points!

• Where do I log points?

  • The Point form, which you can find on the main page of the Summer Reading Challenge along with all the other forms you'll need. 

• I've done the SRC before, do I really have to read the description on the forms?

  • YES! Things change a little every year.

• Does Capitalization matter when I put in my name, etc.?

  • No! It does not. 

• What if I spell my name wrong?

  • Please don't, or you will become split and become two people, and then you will have an evil doppelganger to worry about. Oh, and your points won't be together.

• How do I figure out how many pages a book is?

  • Amazon will list the paperback page count, which is preferred, no matter what format you read it in.

• Does it HAVE to be the paperback version?

  • Ideally, yes. Please try to use the paperback page count visible on Amazon.

• What if I can't find it on Amazon? 

  • If you can find the author and ask about word count, you can assume 350 words per page. 

• What if it's an Audiobook, and I can't find the paperback page count?

  • You can calculate it as 40 pages per hour.

• Can I reread books?

  • Yes, as long as the reread happens during the SRC.

• Will I get points for rereads?

  • Half points! We want to encourage you to try new things, but we know that sometimes you need a refresher or want a comfort read!

• Do rereads count toward the adventure wheel?

  • Alas, they do not. Adventure awaits in the unknown this year.

• Can I just edit my previous review or add an extra line? 

  • No. A reread requires a completely new review (or a whole new review-length section) if you want to score points. We always notice something new on a reread, so tell us all about it!

• What if I've already read the featured reads? Do I need to write a new review?

  • This is the one exception. If you already read the Featured Reads, even if it wasn't during the SRC, you can post your old review and claim all the juicy points!

• What if I'm rereading an admin book?

  • You still get half points, but you still get the full 10 bonus points!

• Do I get bonus points for playing games?

  • Not this year. This year playing a game enters you into a raffle for an amazing prize. The more games you play, the more changes you get!

• Where can I find the form?

  • The Bonus Point form is on the main page of the Summer Reading Challenge along with all the other forms you'll need. 

• Is the form editable? 

  • No, but you can submit one each week! 

• How do I do that? 

  • You simply enter your personal details and choose today's date. If there were games that week, they will appear and you can check them off! 

• Can I only submit a game the week I play it? 

  • No. You can submit a prior week's games by putting in the date the game happened on, though please try to just submit weekly as it cuts down on accidental duplicate entries. 

• So I can just submit a new form every week? 

  • YES, but only for the games you've done SINCE your last submission. See above about avoiding duplicates.

• Where do I find the games? 

  • You can find the games on the Indie Fantasy Addicts Facebook Group, and also here!

• Do I have to play a game the day it posts? 

  • NO. Any time during the challenge is fine.

• Will there be a leaderboard showing me live rankings of my points?

  • Yep! You will be able to see your score and your team's score, as well as checking which books you've already submitted. They will all be on the Leaderboard page.

• Will there be other ways to check my points?

  • You'll be working to help us stock our team bookstores, and weekly, you'll get a new work ID with your current score. 

• How will I know if there's an error? 

  • Check your email! Every time you submit a book, you will get an email with all the information you input, so you can make sure everything was done right.

• How will I know if someone is cheating? 

  • Don't worry, the admin are on it. If you suspect evildoing, please report it here (and not via DM to the Admin)

• Is it worth playing if I'm not at the top? 

  • YES everyone is getting access to the same number of book prizes this year. The top of the class (top 10%) will get bonus swag prizes, but books will be distributed evenly!

• When will the rankings be posted? 

  • Sunday evenings by Allegra

• When will we get to choose our prizes?

  • After the SRC ends. The higher you score, the earlier you get to choose, but everyone gets the same amount.

• What are the prizes?

  • Our awesome authors generously donate tons of signed books, ebooks, audiobooks, swag, and more! This general prize pool is what everyone gets to choose from at the end of the summer. You get access to it in waves, going in order of points ranking. Everyone who participates will be eligible for the same amount of prizes.

  • Reach the top 10% of the points roster and you get first pick of the SRC Prize Pool, plus a cool physical prize from the admin team.

  • EVERY. SINGLE. PERSON. who participates in the SRC is entered into a random drawing for our Fantastic Prize Hoard! Those who win will get to choose from special editions, hardcovers, and more!

  • Anyone who completes an Adventure Wheel gets entered into a random drawing for the Adventure Prize Hoard! Those who win will get to choose from a collection as glorious as a dragon's hoard: special editions, hardcovers, book boxes, and more!

  • Join a team and at the end of the summer, team captains will announce the top participant (most engaged, or best reviews, or best book recs, etc.) to win an IFA swag prize. (In 2025, this was the Valedictorian prize)

• How will we get our prizes?

  • Authors will promptly send out prizes once everyone eligible has chosen theirs (if not sooner)