A literary award, magazine, community, and school, all in one.
Here’s what you’ll accomplish:
- Master the business of storytelling: Go from beginner to advanced techniques in writing, storytelling, and publishing, guided by our roster of industry professionals.
- Level up your fiction: Dial in your abilities by writing new stories for our magazine, award, challenges, and games each month.
- Join the next generation of emerging authors: Surround yourself with a supportive community to celebrate wins and help you grow.
- Get published and paid like a professional: We’re exclusively for new writers, so you won’t be competing against big name authors, but you’ll still earn a pro rate for your work.
By joining us, you’ll be able to cultivate a writing life that jumpstarts your career.
Meet The Pros:
Award-winning authors, agents, editors, publishers, podcasters, Hollywood screenwriters, bloggers, writing coaches, and more.
- 30+ hours of courses: Our library of education is constantly growing
- Decades of combined experience: Acquire knowledge from across the industry
- Live trainings weekly: Meet the experts and ask your most burning questions
- Series and stand-alone lessons: Everything you need for a successful author career.
Trainings include: Actionable Agent Advice, Self Pub Prep, Scene Critique Masterclass, Funny Business, Publishing For Non-Pros, Using Kickstarter as an Author, Understanding Contracts, Adding Depth to Characters, and so much more.
WRITING & STORYTELLING
Make Your First Pages Shine – Kaitlyn Katsoupis
Funny Business (Craft of Humor Writing) – Shiv Ramdas
Art of Short Stories – Chris Fielden
Flash Fiction Writing – Chris Fielden
Authentic Diversity – Bharat Krishnan
Fantasy Worldbuilding – Ben Galley
On Chaos and Short Stories – Ai Jiang
Scene Critique Masterclass – C.S. Lakin
Radical Candor – Bharat Krishnan
The 4 Throughlines – Jim Hull
Outlining with AI – Jim Hull
Creating Characters with Depth – A.C. Wise
Nom Nom Nom (Food in Fiction) – Bharat Krishnan
Family Matters – Bharat Krishnan
LORE: Using Past to Build Future – Bharat Krishnan
Complex Magic Design – John Bierce
Science-inspired Fantasy Worldbuilding – John Bierce
Effective Research for Worldbuilding – John Bierce
Tension & Misdirection – Lyndsey Croal
Writing Isolated Settings – Lyndsey Croal
Folklore & Retellings – Lyndsey Croal
Starting Strong: Fantastic Opening Lines – Lindz McLeod
Poor Unfortunate Souls: Villain Origin Stories – Lindz McLeod
Writing Fight Scenes – Tao Wong
3 Levels of Stakes For Reader Investment – Hannah Yang
Rare POVs Case Study – Hannah Yang
The Art of Horror Series (Gorgeous Imagery, Building Unforgettable Settings, Exquisite Prose: Beauty in Horror Writing) – Christi Nogle
Finding The Voice: First Person POV – Jordan Kurella
LIFESTYLE & MINDSET
Author Mindset Mastery Course – Creag Munroe
Become a Prolific Author – Creag Munroe
Managing (and Overcoming) Writer’s Block – Ryan Cipriani
The Varied Writing Habits of Successful Authors – Ryan Cipriani
How to Set Author Goals – Hannah Yang
Emotional Self Care For Writers – Jordan Kurella
BUSINESS & PUBLISHING
How to Make Money Writing – Chris Fielden
Writing & Publishing Short Fiction – A.C. Wise
Publishing for Non-Pros – Oghenechovwe D. Ekpeki
Agent-Ready Synopsis – Kaitlyn Katsoupis
What an Agent Actually Does – Kaitlyn Katsoupis
Understanding Contracts – Peter McLean
Email Marketing for Authors – Richie Billing
Self-Pub Prep Course – Ryan Cipriani
Query Letters – Kaitlyn Katsoupis
Self-Publishing the Right Way – Ben Galley
Using Kickstarter as an Author – Ben Galley
Strong Marketing Foundations – Ben Galley
Effective Facebook Ads – Andy Peloquin
New Writer Hurdles, Starting Out, & What Publishing Entails – Somto Izehue
Putting Together A Short Story Collection – Lyndsey Croal
Marketing Strategies for Authors 101 – Tao Wong
Promotional Planning & Publishing Schedules – Tao Wong
On a mission to help emerging authors now
An impactful, positive force to change the publishing world for the better.
$100,000
Paid
Into the hands of new authors in under 2 years.
Over 200 stories published.
All by emerging talent earning their first few professional writing credits.
Monthly Award
$3000 award granted every single month.
27+ winners to date.
2 authors winning on their very first submission, anywhere.
Fast Turnaround
1 month response after submission window.
Exclusive rights expire quickly. Resell your story 2 months after publication.
Always open for subs.
What’s inside Elegant Literature?
$3000 Award
One of the largest awards open to unpublished writers and closed to professionals.
- Every single month: Not annually – monthly. And no 6 month judging periods either. Know the results fast.
- Unlimited entries: Some contests charge as much as $25 per submission, but not us.
- All Genres: Every month has a theme and a prompt to get your imagination going, but you can always write the story you want to tell.
- Honorable Mentions: 35 writers receive money every month.
The AuthorHQ
Even if you’re brand new to writing, you can learn what you need for a successful career, fast.
- Better than a blog: Instructional articles covering Writing & Storytelling, Business & Publishing, and Lifestyle & Mindset
- Live Trainings: All that expert knowledge we talked about earlier
- On demand education: Learn at your own pace, about the topics you’re most interested in
- Continuously updated: 30+ hours of recorded lessons, tons of articles, with more added every week
Community Workshop
Get support, celebrate wins, and grow together with the next generation of fiction authors.
- Choose your feedback: Separate areas for Only Nice Things and Tear It To Shreds
- Historical Database: We log all questions and interesting discussions, so you can learn from conversations in years past
- White-glove writing groups: We’ll place you in a small, dedicated group of 5 according to your preferences. Fully managed by us, just write
- Grow your socials: Connect with members via our social media spreadsheet and build an audience together
Exclusive Bonuses
We’re always evolving and looking for new ways to help emerging authors.
- Partner discounts: $400+ in savings on editors and services like Scrivener and ProWritingAid
- Meet the editor: The editor participates in the community and trainings, and answers your questions
- Free ebook: The Award-Winning Short Story Master Checklist has helped hundreds improve their fiction
- Support the revolution: Directly help make the publishing world a more welcoming place for budding talent. Have a say in what we do next
Your Story Starts Here
Education. Community. Publication.