Ways To Participate in The Virginia Festival of the Book

Participating Author

Adult Submission Deadline: October 1
(early submissions welcome)
Notification from Festival: by December 19

The Festival invites submissions annually May 1 – October 1 from authors, publicists, or publishers. Authors submitting to participate in the festival will be asked to assume some costs for their travel and appearance.

Authors are reviewed by committees and invited to participate. If selected as a participating adult program author, you will be invited to appear in one or more Festival programs. Programs are typically approximately one-hour followed by a booksigning. Sales are handled by local bookstores or professional booksellers, unless authors request or/ are otherwise notified. The Festival pays no honoraria.

If selected as a participating youth program author, you will be invited for visits by the individual schools, recreation center, educational organization, or the Festival. Book sales may vary from venue to venue based on school policy.

Please note: the application process has changed; read these instructions completely. Now you upload your participant application forms to the website--the application will be time stamped and held for review. WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS BY EMAIL; YOU MUST UPLOAD THE FORM. You should receive an email within a day giving notice of receipt. If you encounter difficulties, contact vabook@virginia.edu. Clarifiying Festival communications (by email) may follow as review continues.

Participant Application Steps:

  1. Download:
  2. Complete the application and save as a Word document
  3. Upload your participant application. (Receive upload confirmation.)
  4. Send two copies of the book you would like featured (or have your publisher send them) to the address below:

    Virginia Festival of the Book
    Virginia Foundation for the Humanities
    145 Ednam Drive
    Charlottesville, VA 22903

    These will be matched up in the Festival office. If books are not received, an application is considered incomplete.
  5. Await notification from the Festival. If selected, you'll be asked to provide more information (travel dates, digital photos, etc.). Most decisions are made by the new year.

Booth Vendors at Saturday Book Fair

Registration Deadline: February 1

A highlight of Saturday’s program is the annual Book Fair at the Omni. Authors, publishers, or book-related vendors may purchase tables to meet the book-browsing crowd that assembles at the Omni concurrent with the four sessions of Crime Wave and Publishing Day programming. Tables go on sale in December and are often sold out by the participation deadline, February 1.

Adult Program Provider Application

Submission Deadline: October 1 (early submissions welcome)
Notification from Festival: December 19 programs
No changes to programs after January 14

Book-related organizations or groups with an educational mission are invited to participate in the planning of programs through a selection process juried by the Festival program committees. Organizations act as Program Providers by submitting an application and agreeing to help promote a program by any of the following means:

Since submitting an application is not a guarantee it will be selected by the program committees, it is recommended that organizations be in contact regarding logistics and suitability of a panel BEFORE initial contacts with authors are made, especially if financial assistance from the Festival is required. The Festival staff can help shape an idea.

Please note: the application process has changed; read these instructions completely. Now you upload your program application forms to the website--the application will be time stamped and held for review. WE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS BY EMAIL; YOU MUST UPLOAD THE FORM. You should receive an email within a day giving notice of receipt. If you encounter difficulties, contact vabook@virginia.edu. Clarifiying Festival communications (by email) may follow as review continues; notifications by January.

Program Application Steps:

  1. You may contact with the Festival at any point, even before you upload an application. THIS IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED. We can help you shape the program idea to be as competitive as possible.
  2. Download Adult Program Application
  3. Complete the application and save as a Word document
  4. Upload your program application. (Receive upload confirmation.)
  5. Await contact or notification from the Festival. Decisions by the new year. You can contact your proposed participants while review is in process and ask them to fill out a participant application, or you can wait until the Festival has approved the concept before applications are sent. If your application is chosen, participants MUST upload separate participant applications (with complete contact info and bios) to complete the process.

School/Youth Program Provider Application

Details coming soon...

Volunteer

The Virginia Festival of the Book is run largely by volunteers. From handling the programs on-site to office support, from stuffing envelopes to helping set up for participant presentations, the volunteers form the backbone of the festival. VABook! always appreciates hearing from people who'd like to become involved.

Sign up to be a Festival Volunteer

Program Sponsor

Organizations wishing to offer the direct financial support to the Virginia Festival of the Book in support of a program or programs should be in contact with Festival Program Director Nancy Damon. While the Festival relies on many partners and supporters; "sponsorship" indicates direct financial support. Sponsors  receive recognition at events, on the Virginia Festival of the Book website, in printed materials, in accordance with the level of  financial support.

Individual Contributors

Those wishing to make individual contributions to the support of the Festival may do so online, or by sending a check made out to the "Virginia Foundation for the Humanities" to the festival address. Please indicate (in the remark line) that a donation is intended for the Festival ("VABook!"). Learn More about How to Give.

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