Indie Author Project Annual Contest

Additional Information

PRIZES AND ELIGIBILITY

Prizes:

The winners of this contest will receive:

• $2,500 to the 1st place winner and $500 each to two runners-up in each genre
• Honors at the 2027 Indie Author Day Reception
• Opportunities to promote your book(s) through public libraries
• Inclusion in a full-page feature in Library Journal
• Opportunities to earn royalties through the IAP Select collection (ePUB format required)

Eligibility Requirements:

Each book that is submitted to the contest must:

• Be independently published
• Fall within one of the following genres:
  • Mystery/Thrillers
  • Romance
  • SciFi
  • Fantasy
  • Historical Fiction
  • General/Contemporary Fiction
  • Memoir
  • Young Adult
  • Children's Picture Books, 2-8 years old, 0-1000 words (see full eligibility details)
• Be written for an Adult or Young Adult audience (except Children’s Picture Books)
• Be available in ePUB (strongly recommended) or PDF format
• Be authored by a writer residing in the U.S. or Canada 
• Submissions must be original works by the author; while AI tools may be used for brainstorming or editing, entries that are primarily AI-generated are not eligible. AI-generated illustrations are not permitted in the Children’s Picture Books category.
• If part of a series, only the first book may be submitted 

Submission Notes:

• Please select your category carefully to ensure it aligns with your book’s genre and intended audience. All Young Adult titles should be submitted to the YA category. 
• There is no restriction on publication date. Titles published at any time are eligible.
• Due to the high volume of submissions, the first round of judging will be based on the first chapter or the first 12 pages (whichever comes first). 

If your book meets the above criteria, please click below to get started.

Have a question? Check out our FAQ page. 

Additional Opportunities:

Don’t see your genre included? Don’t worry, you can still submit here. Even if your region is not participating this year or your books are in other genres, you can still gain exposure and new readership by submitting to the Indie Author Project. After submission, your ebook can be shared with participating libraries throughout your state or province. If your title is selected by our network of curators, it will also be available alongside other top indie reads in participating libraries across the U.S. and Canada.

Resident of Illinois or Minnesota? You also have the opportunity to enter their state-wide contests and earn additional prizes. For more information about the Illinois Soon to be Famous contest, click here. For more information about the Minnesota Author Project, click here. 

Author Rubric