Announcing!

This year's winner

Heather Bentley

2018 Finalist


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Watch for more information on the new STBF Manuscript Contest coming this Fall. This new contest will be judged by library professionals. The winner to be announced during Spring 2019 will receive a professional edit and cover art and will be entered into Round two of the 2019 Soon to be Famous Illinois Author Project.

Check this website for more details soon.

Welcome to the Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project! Authors must be nominated by an Illinois library (public, academic, school, or special) and must reside in Illinois. Sponsored works must be self-published works in an adult fiction genre. In 2018, this exciting, library-driven initiative is entering its fifth year and just keeps getting better. Thanks to our ongoing partnerships with BiblioBoard, RAILS, and ILA, potential benefits to winning authors now include:
  • Statewide recognition by libraries as the top self-published book
  • $1,000 cash prize
  • Announcement of winner and finalists at Gail Borden Public Library event
  • Promotion and royalties through sales in the Indie Rock Stars module, alongside indie bestselling superstars
  • Print book sales to Illinois libraries
  • Inclusion in Popup Picks, a mobile media curation service offered by Reaching Across Illinois Library System, for three months
  • Book review in Library Journal
  • Book tour of Illinois libraries
  • Use the apply/nominate links above to begin the nomination process!
© 2018 Illinois Author Project. All rights reserved.