Vivek J. Tiwary’s debut graphic novel, The Fifth Beatle: The Brian Epstein Story, with art by Andrew C. Robinson and Kyle Baker, is the 2013 IndieFab Award Winner for the Foreword Reviews’ 16th Annual Book Of The Year Awards in the Graphic Novels & Comics category!

Foreword Reviews, the only review magazine solely dedicated to discovering new indie books, announced the winner on Friday, June 27th at the 2014 American Library Association Annual Conference. Each year, Foreword Reviews highlights a small group of indie authors and publishers whose innovative work stands out among the crowd.

“I learned to love literature by hanging out in independent bookstores in New York’s East Village, and by spending hours in my local school and neighborhood libraries. So it’s a particular honor for ‘The Fifth Beatle’ to receive Foreword Review’s IndieFab Gold Medal for Graphic Novels and Comics. And I’m thrilled that this recognition will help to further spread Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein’s inspiring story around the world,” Tiwary says.

Vivek J. Tiwary, who is a multiple Tony Award–winning producer (Green Day’s American Idiot, The Addams Family, A Raisin In The Sun) wrote the novel, which was painted by fanboy favorites Andrew C. Robinson (Dusty Star, King Conan, Starman, Superman) and Kyle Baker (The Shadow, Plastic Man, Why I Hate Saturn) The Fifth Beatle is the untold true story of Brian Epstein, the visionary manager who discovered and guided the Beatles to unprecedented international stardom. The Fifth Beatle is an inspirational story about the struggle to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. Epstein was homosexual when it was illegal to be so in the UK, Jewish during a period of pervasive anti-Semitism, and from Liverpool when it was considered just a dingy port town. He helped spread the Beatles’ message of love to the entire world, yet died painfully lonely at the young age of thirty-two, consumed by staggering ambition and the endless struggles that came with it.

The Fifth Beatle is available in bookstores everywhere and on Amazon.com.