I’m an Author: How Do I Apply?

Thank you for your interest in the Soon to Be Famous Illinois Author Project.

Which contest is for me?

We offer two library-driven contests each year to support Illinois authors. Submission details for each project are below.


Illinois Author Project for Indie and Self-published authors

The 2023 contest closed to submissions on June 1, 2023.

  • Click the link for details about the prizes available.
  • Each book that is submitted to the contest must be:
    • Indie-published
    • In an adult fiction or young adult fiction genre
    • Written by an Illinois resident
    • Available in either ePUB (strongly encouraged) or PDF file

2023 Manuscript Project for Authors

Here is how our contest works:

  • Participating authors must live in Illinois, and the manuscript being submitted must be unpublished and in an adult fiction genre.
  • Submissions must meet certain other criteria in order to be eligible. Please verify that your manuscript includes:
  • A Title Page with the following:
    • Title (Working)
    • Author Name
    • Word count number (entries must be no fewer than 50,000 and no more than 100,000 words)
    • A Synopsis on the title page (50 words or less)
    • An Author Bio also on the title page (100 words or less)
  • The Manuscript itself must be formatted as a single Word Doc or PDF
    • 12 pt (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman)
    • 1.5 line spacing
    • Multiple files not accepted.

Note: failure to meet criteria may result in disqualification for the entry.

The 2023 contest is now in its judging phases. Click here for a list of semi-finalists.