Now Accepting Submissions for the 2023/24 Season

A new season of Toronto Lit Up is on the way to spotlight Toronto authors and provide career-building opportunities. Publishers of Toronto authors who are launching new books between April 2023 and March 2024 are invited to submit an application for book launch support. Self-published authors who identify with one or more of the Toronto Arts Council’s Equity Priority Groups and are members of The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) are also welcome to apply.

Submissions will be accepted between February 2 and March 9.
Books must be published between April 2023 and March 2024.

All submissions will be reviewed by the Toronto Lit Up Committee, composed of Ayesha Chatterjee (past president, League of Canadian Poets), Alison Jones (Quill and Quire) and Hazel Millar (Literary Press Group).  

Programme Benefits

Programme participants will receive:

• Financial support for a public book launch celebration taking place in Toronto within the season dates.
• Publicity support to promote the book launch celebration to the public.
• An honorarium fee for the author and select additional artists (performers, interviewers, hosts, etc.) participating in the book launch event.

About Toronto Lit Up

Toronto Lit Up (TLU) is a multi-year initiative, started in 2016 by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and the Toronto Arts Council, to spotlight Toronto writers and empower local artists with career-building opportunities. Between April 2016 and January 2023, Toronto Lit Up has presented 150 events to launch 174 books by 250 Toronto authors. Launches are always open to the public and free to attend.  

Eligibility Requirements

Books: 

• All genres are elifible, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose, short story, graphic novels, literature for young people, cookbooks, gardening books, sports-related stories, satire and much more.  

• Books must be published within three (3) months of the anticipated launch event date. 

Authors: 

• Authors must have been a resident of the City of Toronto for at least one (1) year prior to their book launch date, and also be a current resident, defined as living in Toronto for at least eight (8) months of the year. The City of Toronto is defined by its 1998 Amalgamation: Steeles Avenue to the north, Rouge River to the east, Lake Ontario to the south, and Etobicoke Creek/Highway 427 to the west. 
• As TLU is a Toronto Arts Council (TAC) partnership, the programme is designed to represent the residents of the City of Toronto and its Equity Priority Groups, which include those who identify as persons of colour, deaf persons, persons with disabilities and persons living with mental illness, Indigenous, 2SLGBTQIAP, as well as other historically underserved writers.  
• Self-published authors who identify with one or more of TAC’s Equity Priority Groups and are members of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC) are also welcome to apply. 

Launch Celebration Event: 

• Events may take place anywhere within the City of Toronto. 
• Must be open to the public and free to attend.     
• Event formats may include panel discussions, readings, one-on-one interviews, and/or interdisciplinary presentations held on-location or virtually.      

Publishers: 

• Publishers may submit more than one author per programme season. 

How to Apply

1. Review the eligibility requirements 

2. Respond to the call for submissions by completing an online proposal on or before Thursday, March 9, 2023 at 5pm, ET. 

What to include with your submission? 

• Author name 
• Author bio 
• Book title 
• Genre 
• Publisher 
• Book summary 
• Publication date 
• Advanced readers copy/manuscript in PDF format 
• Book’s publication date 
• Anticipated event details (i.e., type and format of event, tentative venue, dates and time) 

Questions? email TorontoLitUp[at]festivalofauthors.ca 

Start your submission now, by clicking the link below.

Follow along on social media through #TorontoLitUp 

SUBMIT NOW

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