Overview | Eligibility | Selection Criteria | Important Dates | Apply
Join us online on June 14 at 6:00pm ET for a celebratory reading by the inaugural poetry cohort of Get the Word Out!
Applications for the 2023 Fiction Cohort will open in September.
Overview
Get the Word Out is a publicity incubator for debut authors. Under the mentorship of an accomplished book publicist, authors will develop and execute a strategic publicity plan to maximize the exposure of their first book, reach readers, and create a platform to propel their literary careers.
Get the Word Out participants will:
Participate in a six-session online publicity workshop led by an experienced book publicist
Attend six online seminars with leading professionals in publicity, marketing, sales, and related professions
Devote considerable time outside of scheduled sessions to promoting their book
Contribute to a peer learning community by sharing what works and what doesn’t, helping each member of the cohort to amplify their impact
There is no application fee and no cost to those who are invited to participate.
Who is eligible?
Authors under contract with a U.S.-based publisher for the publication of a debut poetry collection written in English and scheduled for release between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.
Must be 18 years of age or older.
Must live in the U.S. during the program period (but do not need to be a U.S. citizen or hold permanent resident status).
Must be available to attend and participate in all of the incubator program’s virtual workshops and seminars between April 3 and June 23, 2023, and devote between 4 to 6 hours weekly for twelve weeks to the publicity planning of their book.
Those currently enrolled in degree-granting programs are not eligible.
Employees and Board Members of Poets & Writers, and their immediate families, are not eligible.
What qualifies as a “debut” poetry collection?
Your first full-length work of poetry, scheduled to be published by a U.S.-based publisher between April 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024.
Self-published or hybrid-published books, and e-book editions are not eligible.
The book must be written in English; works in translation are not eligible.
Applicants who have previously published a full-length work of literature in any other genre with a U.S.-based publisher are not eligible.
Applicants who have previously published a full-length work of literature with a non-U.S. publisher are eligible, so long as they have published no more than one full-length work.
Applicants who have previously published poetry chapbooks are eligible.
Finalists will be asked to submit verification of debut publication and residency.
Selection Criteria
Participants will be selected based on the strength of their writing sample and statement of purpose. Poets & Writers’ Programs & Partnerships staff will evaluate applications and select those invited to participate.
Get the Word Out is open to all eligible applicants. The program aims to support writers who might not otherwise have access to in-depth publicity support and to help develop strong literary voices nationwide. To that end, we encourage applications from writers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or person of color), writers with disabilities, LGBTQ+ writers, writers from outside of New York City, writers who do not have an MFA or equivalent degree, and writers whose books are slated to be published by independent presses.
Important Dates
Poetry Cohort – Fall 2023
January 9 – Application opens
February 3 – Application deadline
March 7 – Poetry Cohort Announced
March 23 – Poetry Cohort Orientation
April 3 – Poetry Publicity Incubator Begins
June 23 – Poetry Publicity Incubator Ends
For questions and more information about Get the Word Out, please contact tkehou@pw.org.
Applications for the 2023 Poetry Cohort are now closed. Our 2023 Fiction application will open in September. Please check back for more information or sign up here for updates via our weekly newsletter.
Meet the 2023 Poetry Cohort and Publicity Mentor
Congratulations to Ashia Ajani, Caitlin Cowan, Ae Hee Lee, Sebastian Merrill, Sahar Muradi, Olatunde Osinaike, Dimitri Reyes, Leslie Sainz, Violet Spurlock, and Jorrell Watkins, our 2023 Get the Word Out inaugural poetry cohort! Read the press release.
2023 Poetry Publicity Mentor
Morgan LaRocca is the publicist at Milkweed Editions. Prior to joining Milkweed in 2022 they worked as a freelance publicist, publicity associate at Graywolf Press and served as marketing and publicity intern at Tin House Books. They are a graduate of Towson University and a proud Baltimorean.
2022 Fiction Cohort and Publicity Mentor
Congratulations to Federico Erebia, Kristen Gentry, Anita Gail Jones, Chin-Sun Lee, Magogodi Makhene, Mark Ernest Pothier, Shannon Sanders, Brenda Wilson, Lauren Yero, and Ada Zhang, our 2022 Get the Word Out inaugural fiction cohort! Read the press release here.
Join us February 28 at 6:00pm ET for a celebratory reading by the inaugural cohort of Get the Word Out!
2022 Fiction Publicity Mentor
Get the Word Out will launch in November 2022 with the program’s inaugural cohort of debut fiction authors. The Publicity Mentor for this group will be Lauren Cerand.
Cerand has twenty years of experience running her own thriving global communications consultancy, driven by an intensive personal focus on each client’s needs and desires, a vast network of relationships, and unparalleled expertise and ingenuity. She helps creative professionals to connect with audiences and inspire community, often through the lens of media. Cerand has advised writers, artists, publishers, and media and cultural organizations that are household names throughout her career and guided many more that are still finding their path. After two decades in New York and a year in Florence, Italy, she now lives in Baltimore and continues to work internationally. For more information, visit LaurenCerand.com.
Supporters
Get the Word Out is supported by generous contributions from Leonard and Louise Riggio, and Macmillan Publishers.