2027 Submission Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in Virginia Humanities’ Virginia Festival of the Book, happening April 1-4 in Charlottesville, Virginia!

The 2027 Festival theme is “Renaissance.” Prompted by our new April date, as well as broader initiatives at Virginia Humanities, this theme explores restoration, renewal, rebirth, revival, repair, and creative flourishing. Inspired both by historical Renaissance periods and the idea of the “Renaissance mind,” we are interested in interdisciplinary thinking, artistic expression, and imaginative possibility.

The Submissions Portal is open through midnight, September 8! Visit “Using the Submission Portal” and look for the yellow button.

First, be sure to read our submission guidelines.

Submission Guidelines – Please Read

General Guidelines

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, September 8 at midnight

Books We Accept

• Fiction (including genre fiction such as romance, sci-fi, crime and thrillers, etc.)
• Nonfiction on any subject
• Books of poetry, including chapbooks
• Cookbooks and other how-tos
• Books for young people*
• Self-published, subsidy/hybrid press books or zines by Virginia authors
• Books may be published by large publishers, trade publishers, indie publishers, university presses, or subsidy presses, if the book meets our guidelines.
• Print-on-demand titles, which must be sold on consignment with our booksellers.
• Anthologies are accepted only if three or more contributors commit to attending the Festival. To submit an anthology, please see the co-authors section below, and follow those instructions.

*Wonder-invoking, incisive and compelling youth books, including coming-of-age stories, brave experiences, and books featuring current topics best appeal to our readers. If middle-grade or YA books thematically pair with adult books, we may place these authors in panels with authors of adult books.

Books We Do Not Accept: 

• Books published only as e-books, audio, or Kindle-only books.
• Works by authors who will be political candidates in local, state, or national elections at the time of the Festival.
• Self-published, subsidy/hybrid press published books, or zines by authors living outside Virginia

Authors whose books do not meet these criteria are welcome to submit their work to be sold at a vendor’s fair, which we anticipate for 2027. Please read the FAQs for more information.

Submission Specifics

Authors/publicists must use the portal for submission.

We require a Digital Review Copy (DRC) for publications. A MS Word or other typed manuscript is not accepted. DRCs must be downloaded into the application portal using the submission form. We will not accept a link or emailed DRCs.

Two Bound Copies: In addition to the required DRC, we require two physical copies of the book or advance reader copies (ARCs). If physical copies or ARCs will not be available before the September 8 deadline, please note in the comments section and include an ETA of when it can be provided. Mail books to:

Virginia Humanities/Center for the Book
Jefferson School
233 4th St NW Suite J
Charlottesville VA 22903

Virginia Humanities is a hybrid workplace and our office is not always staffed. Please do not drop off books.

Co-Authors:

If more than one author wishes to participate (required for anthologies), please submit a form for one author, and include ALL authors’ names in the co-author(s) sections.

Series Authors:

Please submit the title of the newest book in a series as of April 2027.

Other Need to Know Info

The Virginia Festival of the Book is April 1-4. All events are in-person only.

The Virginia Center for the Book also hosts events year-round, across the state, as well as some virtual programs. The application will ask if you are interested in being considered for these programs as well.

Book Sales: The Festival arranges all book sales with local booksellers. Sales take place immediately following each individual event.

Non-Compete Requirements: The Virginia Festival of the Book strives to offer unique programming and to bring in fresh voices and perspectives to Central Virginia and beyond. We require that authors who are selected for the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville not offer public readings in Albemarle County eight weeks before and after April 1-4, unless other arrangements are made with Festival staff. If you wish to be a part of a public event outside of the Festival during this window of time, you must discuss with Festival staff upon your Festival acceptance offer.

Travel and Costs: Unless otherwise discussed in advance, speakers must commit to assuming the costs of their Festival participation if they are invited to take part, including travel and lodging. See FAQs about a small amount of travel funding that may be available.

Decisions: Application notifications will be provided by mid-January 2027.

Using the Submission Portal

The portal is open. You may wish to gather the following information in advance for online submission: 

• Author and publicist’s contact information  
• Blurb of the author’s latest book and a DRC
• Paragraph bio of author, and online reviews, publicity articles, etc.  
• Author’s and Publisher’s websites
• Where the author lives (in what city/state/country) 
• Confirmation that the author is submitting for in-person events in Charlottesville, VA (April 1-4); across the state throughout the year; and that the author will assume all costs of travel and lodging unless otherwise arranged. 

Steps for the Submission Portal:

• Log onto the portal (below)
• Go to Login (in the yellow bar on the top right corner).
• When the logon box pops up, go to “Need to Create an Account?” beneath the blue button. Enter your name and email address.
• Follow the steps in “Create a New Account.”
• Scroll below the photo to “Submit Abstract.”

Here, you’ll provide the book title, your information (Submitter’s name and email), and further down in the form, you’ll provide the author’s information.

You will need to submit one book/author at a time.

Other Tips for Using the Portal:
You can either save the form as you’re working on it to come back and finish later, or submit it right away.

To submit another book/author, go to “Home” on the top left and repeat the steps from “Submit Abstract.”

You can go to “My Submissions” on the top left to see what you’ve already entered. Note that:

• If the submission is still in draft form, it will not include a confirmation number.
• If the book has been submitted, it will include a confirmation number, and you’ll receive a confirmation email within a few hours of your submission.
• You can edit a completed submission or draft before September 8.

FAQs

When and where is the 2027 Virginia Festival of the Book?
The 2027 Virginia Festival of the Book takes place Thursday, April 1 through Sunday, April 4 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Throughout 2026-2027, we will also host author events across the state of Virginia. Your submission will ask if you would like to be considered for the Festival, year-round events across the state, or both.

I’d like to take part in the 2027 Festival, but I don’t wish to travel to Virginia. Will you offer virtual programming?
We’ll be live-streaming as many in-person events as possible. However, we will not offer virtual-only events during the Festival.

Do authors receive an honorarium or travel stipend?
We do not provide an honorarium for presenting authors, and the Festival has a very limited amount of funding available to help offset travel costs. The application will ask if you request an amount to help offset the cost of travel (i.e., you will be able to attend the Festival without some funding) or if you require an amount (i.e., you will not attend the Festival without funding to help offset the cost of travel). The application is the final opportunity to indicate a funding need.

Will book sales be provided during the festival?
Absolutely! Booksellers will be on hand after each author event to sell copies of authors’ books.

What are other benefits for presenting Festival authors?
Many festival books will be highlighted in blogs and on social media ahead of the Festival. Authors are invited to a Friday night event and a Saturday night Authors’ Party with other Festival guests. These are opportunities to meet other writers and thought leaders, and a highlight of authors’ experiences at the Festival!

What if my book is print-on-demand?
We will consider print-on-demand (POD) books. These are books that are printed after a customer places an order, and usually paid in advance. However, if a POD title is accepted, authors are responsible for printing/production and either bringing or mailing books in time for sale at the Festival, and covering the costs of these arrangements. POD books must be sold by a Festival bookseller on consignment. Note that booksellers usually take a percentage of sales.

How do book sales work if I am submitting a chapbook or zine, or some other publication that is outside of a traditional publishing model?
For specialty works, authors are responsible for printing/production and either bringing or mailing them in time for sale at the Festival, and covering the costs of these arrangements. These works must be sold by a Festival bookseller on consignment. Note that booksellers usually take a percentage of sales.

The Submission Portal Asks for a “Publisher Type.” What does this mean?
A publisher type refers to who, or what entity, pays for the book’s production and manages the rights. On this application, you can choose from:

Large publishing house
A large publishing house refers to publishers with a robust global distribution, including their imprints or subsidiaries. They do not charge authors a fee for publication.

Subsidy or Hybrid Press
These are publishers that charge a fee to authors, typically for: production, printing, design, marketing, editing, distribution, and/or other services. For the purposes of this application, if an author has paid a publisher or if they are required to purchase books as a condition of publication, and the publisher is not affiliated with a university, the book is a subsidy or hybrid published title.

Independent/Indie Press
These are publishing houses that are independently owned and may be run as a small business, an LLC, or a nonprofit. For the purposes of this application, indie presses handle and cover the full costs of editing, design, marketing, and distribution (though if the book is published as part of a juried contest, the applicant might pay a submission fee).

Academic/University Press
These are publishing houses affiliated with a college, university, or research institution.

Other
Zines or other specialty books that do not have a publisher fit this criteria.

What is an ARC and a DRC?
An ARC is an Advanced Reader Copy and a DRC is a Digital Review Copy. An ARC, sometimes called a galley, is an early, uncorrected draft of a printed book that is sent to professional reviewers, librarians and other industry professionals before a book’s official release date. A DRC is an electronic version of the same. Note that a DRC is different from a manuscript, as it is a formatted copy of the novel, as it will appear in print. Your publisher should be able to provide you with an ARC or DRC. If your book is a zine or handmade product and thus does not have a DRC, please contact Festival staff.

You require two physical book copies or ARCs. Will my book submission be returned?
Authors or publishers assume the costs of sending book submissions, and we cannot return these books. Submissions not accepted for inclusion in the Festival will be donated to local organizations that serve readers. In the past we have donated books to the Friends of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library’s annual book sale, the Shenandoah Black Heritage Project, the Shenandoah LGBTQ Center, and other non-profits.

Will you offer an exhibitor’s fair?
We anticipate offering a vendor’s fair in 2027 as part of the Festival! Individuals who are not accepted as presenting authors may have an opportunity to be a part of this exhibitor’s fair. We will post more information when we have it.

Do I have a better chance of being accepted if I submit early in the process?
No. We weigh all submissions equally if they meet our guidelines and are submitted through the deadline of September 8.

I submitted for last year’s Festival, but my book was not accepted. Can I submit the same book for 2027?
If your book was not selected for inclusion in a previous Festival, you may not submit the same book for 2027. The Virginia Center for the Book does look back at the past year or two and offer places to authors whose titles are relevant to a particular theme we’d like to explore in upcoming events. We contact these authors/publicists directly.

What is Your Process of Reviewing Submitted Books?

Submissions that meet our guidelines will be advanced for further consideration. A committee will evaluate books according to the below considerations:

• Does the book bring forward compelling, thought-provoking, and/or entertaining themes and ideas? Does it relate to timely or vital topics that speak to readers’ lives and interests?
• Does the book show solid literary merit (i.e., is it well-written)?
• Does the book show potential in garnering solid community or regional interest from Virginians? Does it add to the variety of Festival offerings?
• Is the book thematically pairable or able to be grouped with other selections, so that the author may be part of a panel of other authors who have submitted their work?
• How does the book speak to the 2027 Festival theme?

We may also consider if the book has won awards or accolades, appeared on local or national booklists, and received favorable reviews; as well as if the author has a platform of expertise, been selected for noted residencies or fellowships, and/or had their work been published in literary magazines.

We will consider each book on its own merits and what it can offer to our slate of programs.

In addition, the committee will consider that we are presenting an array of genres, writing styles, and themes, and reaching audiences who visit our Festival, as well as expanding to reach new audiences.

In all of our programs, Virginia Humanities and the Virginia Festival of the Book seek to reflect our values of creativity, curiosity, dignity, humility, and inclusivity of experiences. We look for books that feature an array of voices, thoughts, and ideas.

Is my book guaranteed to be selected, based on acceptance at past Festivals/being a part of the UVA community, and/or winning many awards (or other factors)?
Unfortunately, we cannot place all of the outstanding books that come our way. We are limited by venues, the number of programs we have the capacity to support, and other considerations.

Do ALL of the Virginia Festival of the Book’s authors come through your submissions process?
No. Although we prioritize submitted authors, we also host Festival programs with:

Headlining or featured authors: These authors are sometimes solicited outside of the submissions process.

Virginia Festival of the Book Partners: We work with different partners each year, including community organizations and/or University of Virginia academic departments; as well as other long-standing partners. These partners often choose their own authors to present.

I’m a member of the public. Can I submit my favorite author for consideration?
Only submissions from authors themselves, or publishing industry professionals such as publicists are accepted.

Are ALL Virginia Festival of the Book presenters published book authors?
No. We might feature participants in literary organizations, youth readers, book and publishing industry professionals, performers, knowledge bearers, and other voices. For instance, in 2026 we invited a podcast showrunner, a television producer, local theater directors and actors, and other special guests.

Your 2027 Festival submission guidelines have changed from last year’s. Why?
Each year, we reevaluate festival submission guidelines.

Other Questions?
Please contact Festival staff at books@virginiahumanities.org.

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