2023 Unpublished Contest
Submit
Winners Receive:
$20,000 | industry circulation | executive development
The 2023 Book Pipeline Unpublished contest is exclusively for unpublished manuscripts across eight categories of fiction and nonfiction:
Literary
Mystery / Thriller
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Romance / Women's Fiction
Young Adult
Middle Grade
Picture Books
Nonfiction
Select publishers and agents get first look at the top selection for each category, including Katherine Tegen Books, Creative Artists Agency, and Verve Publishing.
Winners and Runners-Up receive:
- $20,000 to winners ($2,500 for each category winner)
- Immediate circulation to publishers, agents, editors, and other execs
- Consideration from producers seeking projects for film and TV adaptation
- Additional long-term review of other books for potential circulation
DEADLINES
Regular: August 20th, 2023 - $55
Late: September 5th, 2023 - $60
Entries also accepted via:
- ABOUT BOOK PIPELINE -
Book Pipeline connects writers worldwide with publishers, agents, and the film industry. Through two divisions—Unpublished and Adaptation—the company seeks both new and established storytellers. Additionally, through its Workshop, Book Pipeline aids creators in identifying key issues early on in their writing process with an experienced team of professional editors.
Since the division’s rebrand in 2020, Book Pipeline has helped many authors secure literary representation and publishing deals through its unique, long-term, hands-on facilitation process.
In total, across Book, Film, and Script Pipeline, approximately 25,000 pieces of creative material are reviewed annually, with over 4,000 entries submitted to Book Pipeline in 2022.
Learn more about Pipeline Media Group, as well as Pipeline Artists, a platform designed to educate and uplift creatives in the arts.
Unpublished fiction and nonfiction may be submitted to the following categories:
Literary
Mystery / Thriller
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Romance / Women's Fiction
Young Adult
Middle Grade
Picture Books
Nonfiction
One (1) Grand Prize Winner and one (1) Runner-Up are selected for each category, with the Grand Prize Winner receiving immediate, exclusive "first look" review of the agency/publisher supporting their respective category, detailed below
Literary
Typically, literary fiction leans more heavily into rich prose and overarching thematic resonance
rather than plot or action.
Winner Reviewed By: Ian Bonaparte, Agent (Janklow & Nesbit Associates)
Category Examples:
Less
The Orphan Master's Son
The Goldfinch
All the Light We Cannot See
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Overstory
Mystery / Thriller
Subgenres include but are not limited to:
Psychological Suspense
Crime, Horror
Hard-boiled/Noir
Legal/Medical
LGBTQIA+
Winner Reviewed By: Amy Tannenbaum, Agent (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
Category Examples:
The Girl on the Train
Gone Girl
The Long Drop
The Last Mrs. Parrish
The Associate
Sharp Objects
Sci-Fi / Fantasy
Subgenres include but are not limited to:
Dystopian
Steampunk
Supernatural
Post-Apocalyptic
LGBTQIA+
Speculative
Winner Reviewed By: An Acquiring Editor at a "Big Five House"
Science-Fiction/Fantasy imprint (name withheld).
Category Examples:
The Martian
Ready Player One
The Handmaid's Tale
Station Eleven
The Power
The Bear and the Nightingale
Romance / Women's Fiction
Subgenres include but are not limited to:
Contemporary
Historical
Regency
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Suspense
Gothic
LGBTQIA+
Winner Reviewed By: Latoya Smith, Agent & Co-Founder (Arthouse Literary Agency)
Category Examples:
The Keeper of Lost Things
Wish You Were Here
Red, White & Royal Blue
One Italian Summer
If I Never Met You
The Siren of Sussex
Young Adult
For readers between the ages of 12-18, Young Adult (YA) subgenres include but are not limited to:
Contemporary
Historical
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
LGBTQIA+
Romance
Nonfiction
Winner Reviewed By: Ben Rosenthal, Executive Editor (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's)
Category Examples:
The Hate U Give
The Hunger Games
The Fault in Our Stars
You Should See Me in a Crown
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Middle Grade
For readers between the ages of 8-12, Middle Grade (MG) subgenres include but are not limited to:
Contemporary
Historical
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
LGBTQIA+
Action/Adventure
Nonfiction
Winner Reviewed By: Mollie Glick, Agent (Creative Artists Agency)
Category Examples:
A Wrinkle in Time
Bridge to Terabithia
Wonder
Because of Winn-Dixie
Out of My Mind
The Crossover.
Picture Books
For readers between the ages of 2-8, Picture Book subgenres include but are not limited to:
Rhythmic Books
Board Books
Concept Books
Early Readers
Folk/Fairy Tales
Nonfiction
Winner Reviewed By: Sophia Jimenez, Associate Editor (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
Category Examples:
Little Wonder
The Leaf Thief
How to Catch a Dinosaur
Stacey's Extraordinary Words
Yasmin the Gardener
Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist
Nonfiction
Subgenres include but are not limited to:
Autobiography
Memoir
Biography
Historical
Creative Nonfiction
Politics
Winner Reviewed By: Liz Parker, Agent (Verve Publishing - the publishing division of Verve Talent & Literary Agency)
Category Examples:
Wave
Bossypants
Between the World and Me
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill.
Grand Prize Winners (1 in each category) - announced October 10th, 2023
- $20,000 ($2,500 to each category winner)
Runners-Up (1 in each category) - announced October 10th, 2023
In addition to immediate circulation to publishers, agents, editors, and other execs, the Grand Prize Winners and Runners-Up receive:
- Additional review of other books or works-in-progress for potential circulation
- Development assistance on future material from Book Pipeline execs
- Consideration from producers seeking projects for film and TV adaptation
- Invitations to annual writer and industry events hosted by Pipeline Media Group
Submission Requirements:
- Fiction:
- Submit approximately the first 5,000 words ONLY
- a full story synopsis (1-3 pages)
- Picture Books:
- Submit your full manuscript (either text-only or with illustrations)
- a brief conceptual overview/synopsis (1 page or less)
- Memoirs:
- Submit approximately the first 5,000 words ONLY
- a full story synopsis (1-3 pages)
- Nonfiction:
- Submit a full proposal including:
- a general overview (the nonfiction version of a synopsis)
- the book’s potential position in the marketplace
- the author’s platform
- the author's bio
- relevant comparative, already-published titles
- a plan for marketing the book
- a chapter-by-chapter outline
- sample chapters (often this is the first three consecutive chapters)
- Submit a full proposal including:
Rules:
- A synopsis is required for all submissions, regardless of category.
- Entries must be unpublished.
- Entrant must be the sole author or co-author, or own the rights to the material.
- Writers may register early if their work is in-progress.
- Fiction and Memoir entrants must have a completed manuscript by the time results are announced on October 10th, 2023, in the event they are selected for industry circulation.
- If the material is acquired by a publisher after the time of submission, please notify us and we will pull the submission from competition.
- Co-written works are acceptable, only one writer needs to register.
- Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at time of entry.
- All former semifinalists, finalists, runners-up, and winners from any Book Pipeline contest, from any year since 2014, are ineligible.
- All entries are final once they have been submitted. No updates or revisions permitted.
- Please ensure that your manuscript fits within the typical industry standards of your submission category. While there isn't a hard and fast rule for word count, all entries, both fiction and nonfiction, should be at full standard industry length.
- Entries must fall into one of the aforementioned categories.
- PDF or Word docs only.
- Authors may submit multiple entries, but each entry can only compete in one category.
- What is NOT eligible:
- Novellas
- Short Stories
- Poetry
- Plays
- Graphic Novels/Comics
- Screenplays, Pilots
- ...or anything else that is not an unpublished, full-length work of adult/children's fiction or nonfiction.
- Self-published and traditionally published material can be submitted to Book Pipeline: Adaptation.
- Screenplays, pilots, and film or TV pitches may be submitted to Script Pipeline.
- No limit on the number of entries. Each entry is a separate fee.
- Supplemental documents (additional information or media, etc.) are entirely optional and may be emailed separately after registering.
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed (i.e., you can submit the material elsewhere while in competition).
- Book Pipeline does not take a percentage of any future publication deal, nor do we act as an agent or publisher.
- Feel free to register now and email in your materials at a later date—they just need to be sent in by the final deadline (September 5th, 2023).
- Once you have submitted your materials, they are final. No revisions or substitutions allowed.
The following agents and publishers will receive an exclusive, two-week first look window for the Grand Prize Winner in each category.
- Adult Fiction (Literary): Ian Bonaparte, Agent (Janklow & Nesbit Associates)
- Adult Fiction (Mystery / Thriller): Amy Tannenbaum, Agent (Jane Rotrosen Agency)
- Adult Fiction (Sci-Fi / Fantasy): An Acquiring Editor at a "Big Five House" Science-Fiction/Fantasy imprint (name withheld).
- Adult Fiction (Romance / Women's Fiction): Latoya Smith, Agent & Co-Founder (Arthouse Literary Agency)
- Young Adult: Ben Rosenthal, Executive Editor (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children's)
- Middle Grade: Mollie Glick, Agent (Creative Artists Agency)
- Picture Books: Sophia Jimenez, Associate Editor (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
- Adult Nonfiction: Liz Parker, Agent (Verve Publishing) - the publishing division of Verve Talent & Literary Agency
- After an introduction from Book Pipeline, 2020 Mystery/Thriller category Grand Prize Winner Laura Picklesimer signed with Natalie Kimber of The Rights Factory for her upmarket satirical thriller novel, Kill for Love, set to be published by Unnamed Press in Fall 2023.
- Sci-fi / Fantasy Winner Aaron Brooks signed with Talcott Notch. Book Pipeline execs sent his manuscript Nocturnal Ink direct to lit agent Amy Collins, who signed Aaron in 2023.
- Via circulation from Book Pipeline, 2021 Nonfiction category Grand Prize Winner Melissa Duge Spiers signed with Dani Segelbaum of the Carol Mann Agency for her memoir, The Glory Whole. Melissa is currently finalizing her materials for The Glory Whole before going out on submission to publishers.
- Through meetings facilitated by Book Pipeline, 2020 Sci-Fi/Fantasy category finalists Jessi Honard & Marie Parks signed a deal with Not a Pipe Publishing for their contemporary fantasy novel, Unrelenting. The book released in 2022.
- Laura Garrison signed with Erin Clyburn of Howland Literary through recommendation from the Book Pipeline Workshop team. Laura's middle grade horror-comedy novel is now out on submission to publishers.
- After placing as a finalist in the 2020 Nonfiction category, Samuel Spitale signed with Veronica Goldstein of Fletcher & Co (now UTA) and inked a publishing deal with Quirk Books for his prescriptive work, How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths Are Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality (fka How to Tell What’s True in a Post-Truth Society: A Guidebook for Identifying Fake News, Alternative Facts, and Other Forms of Propaganda). The book released in 2022.
- Meg Serino signed with Matthew Carnicelli of Carnicelli Literary Management after placing as the Runner-Up in the 2021 Literary category with her novel, Annapurna. Meg is currently working on revisions of Annapurna before going out wide to publishers.
- Michelle Lerner signed with Veronica Goldstein of Fletcher & Co (now UTA) after placing as a finalist in the 2020 Outsider category with her experimental novel Ring. Michelle is currently preparing a rewrite on Ring to be shopped to publishers.
- Rowena Leong Singer signed with Alicia Brooks from the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency after placing as the 2021 Literary category Grand Prize Winner for her novel, All Manner of Beasts. Rowena is currently working on revisions to All Manner of Beasts before sending this out wide to publishers.
WHAT ARE THE SUBMISSION DEADLINES?
Regular: August 20th, 2023 - $55
Late: September 5th, 2023 - $60
HOW DO I REGISTER?
Click SUBMIT and fill out the required fields, continue to the next page, indicate your payment details, and again click "submit."
HOW DO I SUBMIT MY MATERIALS?
Entry files may be sent by email or uploaded during the registration process. You'll receive a confirmation email with further info after registering.
HOW SHOULD I FORMAT MY SUBMISSION?
We don't have any specific requirements as far as format, but the industry standard (font, spacing, page numbers, etc.) is preferable.
Attached PDF or Word docs only. We do not accept materials copy and pasted into the body of an email.
DO I NEED A COMPLETED MANUSCRIPT?
Fiction entrants must have a completed manuscript by the time results are announced on October 10th, 2023, in the event they are selected for industry circulation. Picture book entrants must submit their full manuscript during registration. For nonfiction entrants, it is acceptable to just have a full proposal—although having a completed manuscript is very beneficial, particularly for memoirs.
WHAT IF I GET PUBLISHED AFTER ENTERING?
If your book is under agreement to be published, or is later published (traditional or self) after entering, it would be ineligible to compete. Please reach out to us to remove your submission from the contest.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I WIN OR PLACE AS A RUNNER-UP?
Prior to industry circulation, Book Pipeline works with the individual authors to help edit and polish their materials.
If you are a Grand Prize Winner, the supporting publisher or agent in your winning category will get exclusive first look at the material for a two-week period. After that period has lapsed, or the publisher/agent has passed on the book, Book Pipeline will go wider with the material to other publishers, agents, and editors in our industry network. If you're a Runner-Up, Book Pipeline bypasses the aforementioned "first look" step and goes straight to other publishers, agents, and editors in our industry network.
We also work long-term with writers and assist them in finding publishers and reps that would be the best fit for their story. Note that Book Pipeline does not take a percentage of any publication fee or advance, nor do we personally represent authors. We simply help make introductions to industry.
CAN I REGISTER NOW AND SUBMIT MY MATERIALS LATER?
Yes, as long as you send in your materials by the final deadline (September 5th, 2023). Just remember that once you have submitted your materials, they are final. No revisions or substitutions allowed.
IF I'M SUBMITTING A BOOK AND IT SPILLS OVER THE 5,000 WORD COUNT LIMIT, IS THAT OKAY?
That's completely fine. If you want to send in selected text—say the first two chapters—and a natural break occurs around 6,000 words, that's acceptable.
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY SYNOPSIS?
For fiction and memoir entries, your synopsis should be a general summary of the story, hitting on the major plot points, beginning to end. If you have part one of a broader series, you could send an overview summary of the entire series.
WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN MY NONFICTION PROPOSAL?
For nonfiction (excluding memoir), proposals can vary widely in both length and content. But, generally included are (but not necessarily in this order):
- a general overview
- the book’s potential position in the marketplace
- the author’s platform
- the author's bio
- relevant comparative, already-published titles
- a plan for marketing the book
- a chapter-by-chapter outline
- sample chapters (often this is the first three consecutive chapters)
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and it's highly advised to seek out samples so you can properly structure your proposal.
Essentially, for judging, we need to get a sense of the complete project's conceptual and narrative scope. This, combined with the writing sample, will help us make the final determination. It's highly advised to seek out synopsis and proposal samples so you can properly structure the summary.
WHEN ARE THE WINNERS ANNOUNCED?
Winners and Runners-Up are announced October 10th, 2023.
CAN INTERNATIONAL WRITERS ENTER?
Yes, applicants outside the US are welcome to enter any Book Pipeline contest. However, we only accept works that are written in the English language.
DO I GET FEEDBACK ON MY ENTRY? DOES IT COST EXTRA?
Feedback is not included on Unpublished contest entries.
However, contest entrants may request a separate Workshop Evaluation for an additional fee. Workshop Evaluations are kept separate from the Unpublished judging process—feedback is given by a different executive and have no bearing on contest results.
WILL YOU ACCEPT PITCHES ONLY?
We'll accept full nonfiction book proposals, however pitches for film and television may be submitted to the Script Pipeline Movie or TV Show Idea Competitions.
DO I RETAIN THE RIGHTS TO MY WORK BY ENTERING?
Yes. All rights to the material remain with the writer, no matter their final standing in the contest. Further, material is not sent to industry without the author's consent.
Contact our contest coordinator with any other questions.