Congratulations David Underwood, Winner of the 2026 Voice of the Heartland Award

The Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association are pleased to announce that David Underwood, recently retired from Penguin Random House, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Voice of the Heartland Award! Underwood will receive the award in person at the Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony on Wednesday, October 7 during Heartland Fall Forum in Minneapolis.

The Voice of the Heartland Award is presented annually to an individual or organization that upholds the value of independent bookselling and has made a significant contribution to bookselling across the Great Lakes and Midwest.

For nearly 30 years, David Underwood has been one of the strongest and most consistent champions of independent bookstores in our region.

David began his publishing career with Bantam Books in New York in 1990, eventually moving into sales and becoming a representative for Bantam Doubleday Dell in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and Michigan. In 2003, he became a Regional Sales Director, a role he held with Penguin Random House until his retirement in July 2026. Over those decades, he built relationships with booksellers throughout the Great Lakes and Midwest that went far beyond selling books.

David has also given his time and expertise to our bookselling community through service on both the GLIBA and MIBA boards. He served two terms on the GLIBA Board, including as Secretary, and served on the MIBA Board as well.

“Our industry is built on relationships, and David is one of the best relationship builders I have ever had the privilege to work with. He is one of the nicest, sweetest, most generous people I have ever met in this industry. He has always been someone booksellers could call, someone who would listen, someone who genuinely wanted independent bookstores to succeed. He understood that being a sales representative wasn't just about selling books, it was about being a partner to the people who sell them. He has been an incredible partner to booksellers and to our organizations for decades. I can't think of anyone more deserving of the Voice of the Heartland Award, and I'm really happy that we get to give it to him.”

- Larry Law, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association

"David Underwood is kind and supportive. He freely gives feedback and shares ideas, and is just delightful in conversation. Our booksellers loved working with David because he performed his role without preciousness or gatekeeping, but WITH mirth and generosity. His commitment to this community is palpable. I feel very lucky to have had him as a partner, even if for too short a time. David has been a significant Voice of the Heartland for so many, for so long, and now he’ll have the hardware to prove it!

- Grace Hagen, Executive Director of the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association

David has spent nearly three decades showing up for independent bookstores and the people who make them special. His support, generosity, good humor and genuine care for booksellers have strengthened our community in ways that will continue long after his retirement.

“David’s remarkable career with Penguin Random House spanned over forty years, with most of that time spent in leadership roles. He hired and mentored a generation of sales reps, and he played a key role in transforming how booksellers and sales reps work together in the digital age. This award confirms what has long been true at Penguin Random House: David Underwood has been our “voice of the heartland” for decades, a brilliant advocate for indie bookstores and the authors they love. It is not possible to count how many indie bookstores he has helped open, or supported through tough times, or guided through major transitions, expansions, changes in ownership, recovery from disasters, moving of locations, you name it, David Underwood was always there for the indies, and his legacy will endure in the extraordinary culture of bighearted bookselling in the Midwest.”

 - Ruth Liebmann, Penguin Random House

As David steps into retirement, there could not be a better time to recognize the impact he has had on independent bookselling across our region.

Born in Korea, he spent his first 18 years there before moving to Ohio and later Indiana. He attended the College of Wooster and Indiana University, and from 1984 to 1990 taught theatre and speech at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. He moved to New York in 1990 to pursue a PhD in Theatre, where a side job with Bantam Books ultimately became a new career in publishing.

Reflecting on his career, Underwood said, “A joy and a pleasure to work with and on behalf of so many wonderful booksellers!”

“I can’t think of a better person to get the Voice of the Heartland award than David Underwood. David was not only a patient and wise mentor to me, but he is also a genuinely kind person who values the connections that are the core of the independent bookstore world. The popular books come and go but David is steadfast in his support of all Midwestern independent bookstores.”

- Stefan Moorehead, Regional Sales Director for Penguin Random House

“Listening to David talk about a book is one of my life's joys. He has always been such a passionate advocate for bookselling and makes selling books such a pleasure. I once had the honor to have dinner with David alongside a phenomenal author. I left that table with many additions to my TBR pile and will forever be indebted to his love of books. His advocacy for authors, special understanding of the world of publishing, and lifting the voices of the brilliant booksellers in the Midwest make him a very deserving recipient for the Voice of the Heartland.”

- Shane Mullen, MIBA Board and Book Whisperer 

“There are not too many people I can think of that better represent the spirit of the Midwest than David Underwood. Ever enthusiastic, even-handed, and patient, David has been beloved by his colleagues and customers alike and has been a mentor to me and countless others. Our part of the world wouldn't be the same without him. This is a well-deserved honor."

- Uriel Perez, Penguin Random House Sales Rep and GLIBA Board

Heartland Fall Forum 2026 will take place October 6–9 at the Minneapolis Marriott City Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The annual gathering is jointly hosted by MIBA and GLIBA and brings together independent booksellers, publishers, authors, sales representatives, and other industry partners from across the Midwest.

The 2026 Voice of the Heartland Award will be presented to David Underwood during the Heartland Booksellers Award Ceremony.

About the Voice of the Heartland Award

The Voice of the Heartland Award is jointly presented by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association and the Midwest Independent Booksellers Association to individuals and organizations who uphold the value of independent bookselling and have made a significant contribution to bookselling in the Great Lakes and Midwest. Past recipients include Wendell Berry, Kate DiCamillo, Jim Harrison, Louise Erdrich, Two Dollar Radio, Janet Webster Jones, Hanif Abdurraqib and Ross Gay.

Past Voice of the Heartland Winners: