Book Pipeline: Unpublished
Enter Now
About
Winners Receive:
$25,000 | industry circulation | executive development
The 6th Annual 2025 Book Pipeline Unpublished contest seeks unpublished manuscripts across 10 categories of entry:
Comics & Graphic Novels
General Fiction
Literary
Middle Grade
Mystery / Horror / Thriller
Nonfiction & Memoir
Picture Books
Romance
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Young Adult
Select publishers and agents get first look at the top picks for each category.
Winners and Runners-Up receive:
- - $25,000 to winners ($2,500 for each category winner)
- - Direct 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 and promotion
- - Access to exclusive writer events via Pipeline Artists' Symposium
- ABOUT BOOK PIPELINE -
For over 10 years, Book Pipeline has connected writers worldwide with publishers, agents, editors, and the film industry. Through our two divisions—Unpublished and Adaptation—the company seeks both new and established storytellers. Additionally, Book Pipeline's team of professional editors helps authors refine their fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, queries, and more via the The Workshop.
The Book Pipeline team has helped many authors secure literary representation and publishing deals through its unique, long-term, hands-on facilitation process. Recent published winners and runners-up include the thriller Kill For Love by Laura Picklesimer and How to Win the War on Truth by Sam Spitale, with Ring by Michelle Lerner, Ditch Your Sh!T by Kate Evans, and several other titles slated for 2025 and 2026 releases.
In total, across Book, Film, and Script Pipeline, approximately 25,000 pieces of creative material are reviewed annually, with close to 4,000 entries submitted to Book Pipeline in 2024.
Learn more about Pipeline Media Group, as well as Pipeline Artists, a platform designed to educate and support emerging creatives in the arts.
Prices & Deadlines
|
Jan 15th
Pre-Register
|
Mar 20th
Special Entry
|
May 22nd
Early
|
Aug 20th
Regular
|
Sep 5th
Late
|
Sep 25th
Extended (FINAL)
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Comics Books & Graphic Novels
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
General Fiction
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Literary
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Middle Grade
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Mystery / Horror / Thriller
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Nonfiction & Memoir
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Picture Books
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Romance
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
|
Young Adult
|
$25.00
|
$35.00
|
$45.00
|
$55.00
|
$60.00
|
$65.00
|
Benefits
Grand Prize Winners (1 per category) - announced November 10th, 2025
- $25,000 ($2,500 to each category winner)
Runners-Up (1 per category) - announced November 10th, 2025
In addition to circulation to publishers, agents, editors, and other execs, the Grand Prize Winners and Runners-Up all receive:
- - Consideration from producers seeking projects for film and TV adaptation
- - Additional long-term review of other books for potential circulation and promotion
- - Access to exclusive writer events via Pipeline Artists' Symposium
Announcements
Rules
Submission Requirements
*please read the instructions carefully for your submission category—but if you have any questions, please email us
Comics & Graphic Novels
- - Comics: full script between 20-28 pages, broken down in comic format (no prose or books)
- - Graphic Novels: the first 20-28 pages of manuscript (at a natural stopping point)
- - A general synopsis of the complete story (1-3 pages). May include character arcs and supplemental details.
- - Art is OPTIONAL, but allowed (up to 5 pages only).
Fiction
- - First 5,000 words only (appx.)
- - A full story synopsis (1-3 pages)
Memoirs
- - First 5,000 words only (appx.)
- - A full story synopsis (1-3 pages)
Nonfiction
- A full proposal, which may include:
- - 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
- - comparative, already-published titles
- - a chapter-by-chapter outline
- - sample chapters
Picture Books
- - Full manuscript (either text-only or with illustrations)
- - A brief conceptual overview/synopsis (1 page max)
Rules:
- - Entries must be unpublished at the time of entry.
- - If the material is acquired by a publisher AND is set for release before November 10th, 2025, we can pull it from competition and refund the entry fee.
- -Co-written works are acceptable, only one writer needs to register.
- - Must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
- - Former winners and finalists from Book Pipeline since 2021 are ineligible.
- - Authors may submit multiple entries, but each entry can only compete in one category and is a separate entry fee.
- - Simultaneous submissions are allowed (i.e., you can submit the material to other contests, or query agents and publishers, etc. while in competition).
