Learn from national award-winning author Ran Walker about speaking your mind through writing. The moderator is Sarah Hawkins, leader of Minnesota's MN Writes MN Reads and interview duties are handled by Denise Raleigh, co-founder of the Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project.
Discover what two of Illinois' award-winning authors are experiencing during this pandemic.
Join the library-curated Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project winners, Michael Alan Peck (2015, "The Commons") and Geralyn Hesslau Magrady (2016, "Lines") as they discuss what they have been writing and reading. Also, learn about free tools available to support Illinois writers in the free, insightful webinar.
This is a video replay of our May 22 webinar.
Don't forget, the deadline for this year's Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project contest is fast approaching— May 31, 2020. Submit your indie-published books here.
We're thrilled to announce the 2020 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Manuscript Contest winner. Meet Kate Robards who won for her unpublished work, The Songbird Baby. In this video, she shares her background and writing process. Be sure to catch her heartwarming reaction when we tell her she won, too.
For more information about our winner, visit her website. Kate's prizes include working with an editor and having a professional cover designed. More details about our Manuscript Contest can be found here. The next round starts November 2020.
Congratulations Kate!
This is a video replay of our April 22 webinar.
The Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project is for independent or self-published adult or YA fiction. Submit your book to be evaluated by a panel of librarians and potentially win prizes and opportunities to promote your book and much more. The contest opened Wednesday, April 1 and closes May 31, 2020. Details here.
The Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project is now accepting submissions for our 2020 contest. The submission deadline closes May 31, 2020.
This year, the winners of the contest will receive:
Each book that is submitted to the contest must be:
The 2020 contest opens April 1 and the submission deadline is May 31, 2020.
Our judges have selected this year's finalists for our 2020 Manuscript Project. These three manuscripts (listed below in alphabetical order by author last name) now compete for the top prize in our final round of judging.
Congratulations to these Illinois writers. Details about our Manuscript Project are found here.
Declare a "State of Independence" at your library and make room for new stories and fresh perspectives. Say goodbye to long hold lists, publisher embargoes, and the same old, same old. Now you can be part of a library-powered movement to bring the best Indie Authors to your readers.
Our judges have completed their review of the 2020 Manuscript Project contest entries and we're excited to release the semi-finalists for this year. These manuscripts (listed below in alphabetical order by book title) now compete for the top three finalist spots in the next round of judging. Congratulations to these Illinois writers and their work.
Details about our Manuscript Project are found here.
Hollie Smurthwaite, our 2019 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Manuscript Project Winner, updates us on all that's happened with her novel, The Color of Trauma. She talks about the debut of her book's cover design and her experience working with an editor, both prizes she won as part of last year's Manuscript contest.
The 2020 Manuscript Project runs from November 2019 to January 2, 2020. Submit your work today.
Meet Jean Rabe, the 2019 Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project winner with her Adult fiction novel The Bone Shroud.
This interview took place moments after the winner announcement at this year's Illinois Library Association Conference.
The Soon to Be Famous committee manages two contests for Illinois authors each year. The Manuscript Project is for unpublished works of Adult fiction and runs November to January each year with the winner announced in April. The Illinois Author Project is for self- and indie-published Young Adult and Adult fiction and runs April to June each year with an October winner announcement. Our two winners from this contest go on to compete in the regional Indie Author Project where the winner emerges as the "Indie Author of the Year."
