Thank you for your interest in participating in the 2026 Local Author Expo. The Expo will take place on Saturday, March 14, 2026 from 10a to 1p at the Hughes Main Library of the Greenville County Library System. To be considered for inclusion, all authors must complete this application and provide writing examples. Before completing this form, please read the following requirements, guidelines, and criteria carefully.
Nov 20–Jan 2
Enter by January 2, 2026 for a chance to become one of our featured self-published or professionally published local authors. Applicants will be notified of their application status by February 6, 2026.
Not all applicants will be accepted. Space is limited.
Requirements & Guidelines
- Authors must live in Greenville County, South Carolina or in one of the following Upstate SC Counties: Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, Laurens, Greenwood, McCormick, Abbeville, Anderson, Oconee, Pickens.
- Authors must have published works (including self-published). Epublished titles, audiobooks, textbooks, and professional/academic journals will not be considered.
- Participating authors must remain for the duration of the Expo and be available for set up before and take down after the event.
- Selected authors may sell their books at their display table during the Expo.
- Fiction and nonfiction books for all ages will be considered (including children’s literature and teen).
Criteria
Applications will be reviewed by a committee of library staff. The following criteria will be used to select authors for participation in the Expo:
- Appeal to a wide, general audience
- Writing style, clarity, & pacing
- Storytelling, originality, & writing quality
- In addition to the above, the committee will be seeking a diverse range of genres
Important to Note
- Selected authors will not be offered compensation or a speaker’s fee.
- Authors will be expected to handle any sale of their book(s). Greenville County Library System (GCLS) staff will not assist with sales. Direct links to sale sites will not be included in GCLS publicity. Sales of author's works are not guaranteed.
- Authors who have participated in previous GCLS author events must re-apply to be considered for the Expo.
- GCLS will assign each participating author one six-foot table with a gray tablecloth and two chairs. Space assignments will be provided when authors check in the morning of the event.
- An author’s participation in the Expo will not necessarily result in GCLS adding any of the author’s works to its collection.
- By participating in the Expo, authors agree to be recorded and have video/photos posted on the GCLS website and social media pages.
- An author's participation in the Expo does not represent endorsement by the Library System of the author’s personal views or the content and viewpoints expressed in their works.