The Difference Makers

Welcome to the Difference Makers page, a unique section of Store with a Heart devoted to honoring exceptional books that are using the power of words and narrative to truly make a difference.

Here’s what you can find on this page.

1. About the Award
2. Today’s Feature
3. Our Winners
   1. 2025
   2. 2019 to 2024
      1. First Batch
      2. Second Batch
4. The Badge
5. Nominate a Book for the Difference Maker Award
   1. 1. Nominate Your Favourite Book for the Award
   2. 2. Nominate Your Book for the Award
6. Keep up with the beat
7. Disclaimer
8. HeartBeat Links
9. Nominate for the Universal Kindness Awards
10. Our Collective Impact
11. Visit Store with a Heart’s online shop today!

About the Award

The Difference Maker award recognizes books that exhibit the courage, foresight, and initiative to bring about significant change—whether on a worldwide or local level. By increasing awareness, igniting hope, and providing a vision for a more compassionate and just world, these works inspire change.

Our honorees remind us of the power of storytelling to drive change. Through their compelling narratives, they prove that a single voice or story can inspire profound shifts in perspective and action. By spotlighting their achievements, we aim to amplify their messages and encourage others to make a difference in their own lives, workplaces, and communities.

Join us in celebrating these inspiring works—books that light the path toward a brighter, more hopeful future. Their words challenge us to dream bigger, give more, and leave a lasting mark on the world.

Today’s Feature

Our Winners

Here are our awardees: books that have made a contribution to tackling world hunger, reducing ecological damage, and creating meaningful change.

2025

Watch this space for updates! Subscribe to our free newsletter to be one of the first ones to know what’s new as we collectively make a difference.

2019 to 2024

First Batch

1. “100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions, Volume 2: Top Content Creators Help You Succeed in an Era of Rapid Change” by Ross Brand
2. “A Colossal Injustice” by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr
3. “A Hundred Honeymoons: A Novel” by J.S. Wilson
4. “A Magical Day: Finding Hope in Your Heart” by Suzanne G. Bennett
5. “A Time to Forget in East Berlin” by CG Fewston
6. “Abraham Lincoln’s path to reelection in 1864: our greatest victory” by Fred J. Martin, Jr.
7. “Accidental Diplomacy” by Jeffrey Busch and Dominic Man-Kit Lam
8. “Adventures of Dragons Den” by Ann Allison
9. “Adventures of Fairies and Dragons” by Nancy Benson
10. “Adventures of Jackson: The Young Field Mouse” by Adam DeGraide
11. “Age of Resolve: The E.V. Chronicles” by Ilene Grydsuk
12. “Aging Wisely: Life from Fifty to Seventy-Five Years” by Viola B. Mecke, Ph.D., ABPP
13. “Along Came Hell, or So I Thought” by Lois Young
14. “Amballore Thoma: Second Edition” by Jose Thekkumthala
15. “An Enemy Like Me” by Teri M Brown
16. “Angels, of Course: A Collection of Illustrated Visits” by Win Tuck-Gleason
17. “Applauding Life: Poetry and Prose of an Octogenarian” by David A.J. Richards
18. “Barbies 4 Blokes” by Julianne McLean and Mark Lynch
19. “Be a Giant Killer: Overcoming Your Everyday Goliaths” by Ed Norwood
20. “Beat and Leon the Warrior Dog: Into the Sassanid Empire and Beyond” by CY Sansum
21. “Black On Madison Avenue” by Mark S. Robinson
22. “Black, White and Gray All Over” by Frederick Douglass Reynolds
23. “Botheration” by Vito DiBarone
24. “Botheration: Part Two: Waves of Dinosaurs” by Vito Di Barone
25. “Brothers” by M. E. Taylor
26. “Bunky and the Summer Wish” by Aleksandra Tryniecka
27. “Bunky and the Walms: A Christmas Story” by Aleksandra Tryniecka
28. “Caged Free Bird: Diary, Part 1” by Hope
29. “Cargo 3120: Ties That Bind” by Aaron Walker Sr
30. “Chaos in Nanosia” by Rhonda Denise Johnson
31. “Chasing Rabbits” by Rodolfo Del Toro
32. “Chato, the Puppy-Cat” by Anita Haas
33. “Cheerful Obedience” by Patrick McLaughlin
34. “Chronicles of the Enchanted Vanguard: Seraphina and the Divine Mandate” by Luminescence Goh
35. “Circus Home: A Novel of Life, Love and New Jersey” by Jason Ollander-Krane
36. “Claudia Builds a Bridge for Bruno” by Diana Duncan
37. “Club X: Vampire in the Closet” by S.P. Somtow
38. “Cogitatio: Shadows in the Wind – Book Two” by McKinley Aspen
39. “Covered in Flour 1968: A Young Boy’s Perspective on School, Family, and Changing Times” by Charles Presti
40. “Daddy Jack’s Place” by Priscilla B. Shuler
41. “Dancing on Bones” by Ross Gordon
42. “Daughters of Green Mountain Gap” by Teri M Brown
43. “Deception Bay” by N.N. Parker
44. “Delos: The Moon’s Eye” by Blake Miller
45. “Desert Friends: Travels with the Pack” by Linda Harkey
46. “Do Nothing” by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr
47. “Doppy and the Runaway Balloons” by H. R. Manske
48. “Dragum” by K.C. LaSaga
49. “East of Midnight: The Chalmers Trilogy, Book 1” by Karen Humeniuk
50. “Enough About Me: The Unexpected Power of Selflessness” by Richard Lui
51. “Erift’s Journeys: Secrets of The Sealed Forest” by J.T. Tenera
52. “Favored” by Priscilla B. Shuler
53. “Fictionally Nonfiction: The Life I’d Never Admit Was Nonfiction” by Wynn Thành Phi
54. “Fiercely Me” by Stephanie Rowe
55. “Fingerprints of God” by Melanie Burgess
56. “Fire Master” by Rhonda Denise Johnson
57. “Fleur-De-Lis, Khaki Shorts and Me: A Logbook of My Adventures in Scouting” by Graeme C Legge
58. “Forbidden Zone 1940” by Anne Angelo
59. “Friendship Matters” by Rona D. Drinkard
60. “Golden” by S.S. Turner
61. “Grandpa’s Lessons on Fishing and Life” by Ruthie Godfrey
62. “Grandy: A Year in the Life of a 12 Year Old Boy” by Andy Pittman
63. “Grasslands” by Shekhar Khatri
64. “Guilty of Stealing His Heart” by Nancy Lynn White
65. “Harris Hawk and the Golden Golf Ball” by Carmen Harris & Ross Harris
66. “Healing Guide to Having a Baby: Infertility, Emotional Wounds and Taking Back Your Power” by Jennifer Coady Murphy
67. “Heir to the Ice Flame” by Rose Harvey
68. “Hell Holes 4: A Slave’s Revenge” by Donald Firesmith
69. “Hide and Seek Alphabet: With Australian Animals” by Anna Finch
70. “Holland, My Heart” by Jennifer J. Coldwater
71. “Holy Parrot” by Angel A
72. “Homecoming” by Jude Austin
73. “House of Giral” by Mark Laurence Latowsky
74. “Hugo the Winner” by Diana Duncan
75. “Imelda’s Secret” by Liza Gino
76. “It Could Happen Here – A Roadmap to Disaster” by J. F. Cronin
77. “Japanese Boy Sees a New Light: Escaping from North Korea” by Shu Shimizu
78. “Journey of a Radiant Heart” by Niomi Nicci
79. “Journey to Peaceable Soul” by Megan Macaulay
80. “Killing Shore: The True Story of Hitler’s U-boats Off the New Jersey Coast” by K.A. Nelson
81. “Kuimba” by Priscilla B. Shuler
82. “LaNysha T. Adams” by Me Power
83. “Let Your Inner Golden Sparkle Shine: The Little Girl Who Never Stopped Believing in Herself” by Muse Literary
84. “Liberty, Science and Wealth: The Evolution to Modern Society” by Ralph L. Bayrer
85. “Life of Akbar: Part One” by Akhtar Allahabadi
86. “Linden Falls” by Joshua Hershey
87. “Love Snaggs – A Little Dog’s Courageous Journey” by Melanie Joy Mezzancello
88. “Mage of the Black Hole” by Rhonda Denise Johnson
89. “Magic Hotel” by John Reimold
90. “Mahalo Does Not Mean Trash” by Hiwalani Perkins
91. “Mark Victor Hansen, Relentless: Wisdom Behind the Incomparable Chicken Soup for the Soul” by Mitzi Perdue
92. “Mental Health, Poetry, and I: Original Poetry That Saved My Life” by Brendon Feeley
93. “Mind Candy: The Code to Program Your Subconscious Mind to Achieve Any Goal” by Felicia Pizzonia
94. “Modern Catholic Concerns” by Peter Mazurek
95. “Moonlight Monsters” by Heather Millard
96. “Mud Flower: Surviving Schizophrenia and Suicide Through Art” by Meghan Caughey
97. “My China – Living Inside the Dragon” by Jeremy Bazley
98. “My Place Among Them: A Novel” by J. Stanion
99. “My Sweet Aroma” by Timothy Green
100. “My Unexpected Life” by Jennifer Gasner
101. “Name I Choose” by Holly Brough
102. “Nature Ninja Saves the Natural World” by Tania Moloney
103. “Navigating Life’s Challenges: Mindful Resilience for Zodiacs” by Luminescence Goh
104. “Nipper” by Peter Massam
105. “No Creas Nada, No Sepas Nada: El Manual de Supervivencia Definitivo de los Trabajadores de la Luz” by Jean-Claude Koven
106. “No Going Back” by Susan Frances
107. “No One Must Know” by Susan Frances
108. “Pacifica” by Richard C. Deason
109. “Peace in War” by Lindsay Ann Fink
110. “Penny and Maria the Donkey’s Journey to the Temple of Athena: A Dream Come True” by Paula Andres
111. “Poems from Heartlands: Special Illustrated Color Edition” by Dr. C. A. Buckley
112. “Poems Pave Our Lives: A Poet Ponders on Personal, National, and Global Issues As Challenges and Lessons!” by Miranda P. Yeoh
113. “Poetic Injustice: A True Story of Forbidden Love” by Jonathan Sure
114. “Praesidium” by Patricia Fors
115. “Present Day Romance Tragedy: Romeo and Juliet Style” by David D E Evans Ph D OAM
116. “Project Tau” by Jude Austin
117. “Queen of the Quantum Realm” by Rhonda Denise Johnson
118. “Raptor’s Revenge” by Jim Malloy
119. “RAT” by Priscilla B. Shuler
120. “Reject Self-Serving Power: Helping Others Be Successful and Finding Selflessness in Business, Politics, and Life” by James Michael Matthew
121. “Rivers on Fire” by Paul Buchheit
122. “Roosevelt Banks and the Attic of Doom” by Laurie Calkhoven
123. “Saint Bloodbath” by Frederick Douglass Reynolds
124. “Saved from Dementia” by John Vieira
125. “Sentience Hazard” by Alexandru Czimbor
126. “Six Moons, Seven Gods” by Robert A. Walker
127. “So Good They Call You A Fake: Command Attention, Monetize Your Talent Stack, and Become the Uncontested Authority in Your Niche” by Joshua Lisec
128. “Something New in Cloverville?” by Janet Stuart
129. “Sport: a Stage for Life – How to Connect with the Touchstones of Elite Performance and Personal Fulfillment” by Cristiana Pinciroli
130. “Sprig of White Heather and a Scottish Lass” by Anne Angelo
131. “Stay Safe with Ruby and Reuben” by Sneha Sabu
132. “Story and Structure” by Leon Conrad
133. “Tales from the Bug Guy” by Dr. German Roach
134. “The Adventures of Angel: A Kitten’s Story” by Ross Alan Hahn
135. “The Art and Science of Culture: The Power of Seeing What’s Hidden” by Chad Carr
136. “The Bravest Soldiers” by Elaine Aucoin Schroller
137. “The Christmas Light” by Dian Cooper
138. “The Connection Game” by S.S. Turner
139. “The Dogs are Curling Up Again” by Margaret H. Townley
140. “The Eighteen Years That Didn’t Change Anything” by Enrico Tesla
141. “The Fifth Daughter of Thorn Ranch: A Modern Ranch with an Ancient Secret” by Julia Brewer Daily
142. “The First Unicorn” by Kathleen J. Shields
143. “The Ghost in the Garden” by Alisse Lee Goldenberg
144. “The Human Paradox: It’s Time to Think and Act As a Species” by Gilbert E. Mulley
145. “The Islander” by David W Berner
146. “The Journey Home: Portraits of Healing” by Gabriel Bron
147. “The Joy of Starting School” by Therese Bobe Balchan
148. “The Kindness Guru” by Gar Ying Chan
149. “The Lilacs I Once Knew: Friddie’s Poems” by Roni Rosenthal
150. “The Matters of Friendship” by Rona D. Drinkard
151. “The Medallion” by Priscilla B. Shuler
152. “The Provenance: Astar’s Blade: Part One” by Joe Lyon
153. “The Secret Life of Bears” by Joann Slead
154. “The Secret Life of Santa’s Butterfly Elves: The Magic at Christmas” by Rose Andria
155. “The Soul Machines” by Alexandru Czimbor
156. “The Stress Book: Forty-Plus Ways to Manage Stress & Enjoy Your Life” by Dr. D. Terrence Foster
157. “The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen” by Cameron Straughan
158. “The True Believers” by Louis Martin
159. “The Unstoppable Artist: Discovering the Artist Inside Yourself” by Barbara L. McCulloch
160. “The Vampire’s Missing Cape” by Steve Stables
161. “The Velvet Hammer” by Chief Justice Belvin Perry, Jr. and Amy Mitchell
162. “This Is Dodger: A Story About the Life of a Rescue” by Dawn R. Smith
163. “Torment: Descension” by Daniel Foster
164. “Tosher” by Adrian Winney
165. “Travels of Mr Cat: The Cat That Loves to Explore” by Jenny Carey
166. “Two Can Play” by Priscilla B. Shuler
167. “Unheard” by Bhavini Bhargava
168. “Vanished on the Vaudeville Circuit” by Carolyn Summer Quinn
169. “Way Worse than Attica” by Dirk Cameron Gibson
170. “Wealth and Privilege” by Jeanette Watts
171. “What I See is Love” by Gabriella Fiorletta
172. “What Is Heaven Like?” by Richard R Eng
173. “What? No Easter Eggs?” by Janet Stuart
174. “When Love Abides Broken: A Memoir of Family Tumult amid Emotional Deprivation, Betrayal, and Divorce” by Aidan Brezovar
175. “When We Push Through Sound” by Geoff Sease
176. “Where the Lilacs Bloom Once Again” by Roni Rosenthal
177. “Who Held the Door Open?: Mentoring Through Life’s Challenges” by Raejean Kanter
178. “William’s Christmas Dream” by Linda Carol Morris
179. “You Have to Live, Why Not Win?” by Dave Ketchen & Larry Thornton

Second Batch

1. “A Story of Whoa” by Chris Corbett
2. “Botheration: Part One: The Missing Link” by Vito DiBarone
3. “Chato, the Puppy-Cat” by Anita Haas
4. “Cristobal Bull” by Chris Corbett
5. “Diary of a Martian: The Discovery” by Stephen Haunts
6. “Do You Need a Hug” by Johanna A Ferket
7. “Edgar Allan Know and His BIg Busy Brain” by Rahni Varieur-Davies
8. “Magic, Mystery and the Multiverse: The Marvelous Multiverse App” by Aurora M. Winter
9. “The Little Bird That Wanted to Fly to the Moon” by Svetlana Kitik
10. “The Little Healer” by Garz Chan
11. “The Love Tank: A Book About Empathy, Kindness, and Self-Awareness for Children Ages 4-8” by Andrea Mendoza-Vasconez
12. “The Planet Blue: The Adventures of Harry Lee and Bingo” by Johnny Walker
13. “The Road to Nowhere” by LaRae L Ivy
14. “The Sea Turtle Spy Project: Putney Hicks Inventor Adventures-Book 4” by Marsha Klopmeier Tufft
15. “The Sparkly Bun” by Keith Stoeckeler
16. “What I See is Love” by Gabriella Fiorletta

The Badge

Download your official Difference Maker badge here! As an award winner, you may then use it on your award-winning book’s cover, documents, email signatures, web pages, or social media posts. Feel free to use the badge to display your achievement and inspire others in making a positive impact.

When sharing your badge online, please be sure to link back to this page or to your award’s announcement post, if applicable. If you’re using the badge in print, kindly credit storewithaheart.com to ensure proper recognition of your achievement.

Please remember:

• The badge should not be altered or used in a way that misrepresents the award.
• Do not use the badge for commercial purposes or imply endorsement by Store with a Heart other than what is intended to mean by the award itself.
• Ensure the badge is used respectfully, reflecting the honor it represents.
• If in doubt, contact us using our Contact Form.

Thank you for helping spread the word and inspire others!

Nominate a Book for the Difference Maker Award

To nominate a book, authors, publishers, and copyright holders can request a complimentary review. Passionate readers in our community may also submit reviews, provided they have no conflicts of interest. These reviews determine if a book meets the award standards.

1. Nominate Your Favourite Book for the Award

To submit a review for your favourite book, click here. Make sure you choose HeartBeat Blog by Store with a Heart @ blog.storewithaheart.com as the platform.

2. Nominate Your Book for the Award

To nominate your book for the award, choose your preferred review option below:

1. Free Submission
   • Turnaround Time: Up to 12 months.
   • Cost: Free
   • Notes: Only reviewed books are eligible for nomination. Not all books submitted through this pathway will get a book review.
   • Click here to choose this pathway.
2. Priority Submission
   • Turnaround Time: 2 months or less.
   • Nominating a book for the Difference Maker Award through this pathway not only boosts your book’s visibility but also supports meaningful causes. With your nomination, we’ll make a donation on your behalf to plant 10 trees through One Tree Planted, helping combat climate change. Additionally, your contribution will support feeding the hungry through Pledge, and we’ll make that same order carbon neutral through EcoCart. It’s a chance to give back while celebrating a great book!
   • Cost: 40 AUD (approx. 26 USD).
   • If you’re after faster turnaround or private/unpublished review options, this is the option for you.
   • Click here to choose this expedited pathway.

Keep up with the beat

This page is constantly updated, so stay tuned—we’ll be revealing more awardees as we go along. Watch this space for updates! Susbscribe to our free newsletter, so you’ll be one of the first ones to know what’s new, too!