Scholarships or Grants to Publish a Book

Grant funding is available through private foundations, the NEH and the NEA.

A writer's opportunities for breaking into the publishing game may have increased with the growth of E-books and self-publishing presses advertised over the Internet, but the costs of publishing your own book can be a big hurdle to climb. Even paperless E-books with minimal packaging can cost a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars to be published. Writers can find money for publishing their book through nonprofit foundations dedicated to literature, federal cultural organizations or even writing contest awards.

Nonprofit Grants

Nonprofit organizations that take an interest in arts and the humanities as part of their missions may offer grant funding to increase the publication of books in specific subject areas. Often, these funds are granted directly to publishing houses to be used toward the costs of in-house publishing on those books. For instance, the Association of American University Presses granted $1,257,000 in 2011 to university presses at Duke, Penn State, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Washington for the publication of 40 books by art history scholars. You'll have better luck getting your book published if you submit it to publishing houses receiving grant monies to publish books of the same genre as yours.

Federal Agencies

American writers also benefit from federal governmental agencies involved in supporting culture and the arts. Two of the largest governmental organizations supporting the arts are the National Endowment for the Humanities, or NEH, and the National Endowment for the Arts, or NEA. Both agencies offer a variety of grants that are designed to address areas they identify as current needs. In 2011, the NEA awarded $300,000 to 20 different writers working on English-language translations of works originally published in foreign languages.

Writing Contests

Funds earned through writing contests can be used toward the self-publication of books, which can cost a few thousand dollars or more. Writing contests are often administered by industry organizations or private publishers. The Association of Writers & Writing Programs grants an AWP Award Series to writers, which offers a few thousand dollars to writers of novels, short fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. Sometimes, publication of a book is covered by the grant award on top of whatever money the writer receives for winning.

Other Funds

To close the monetary gap necessary to have your book published, sometimes an author needs to explore creative options in funding a book's publication. You may be able to find funding through family or local financial institutions, but these are loans that you will have to pay back someday.

A writer can reduce his financial liability by finding nontraditional funding sources. For instance, if the subject of your book is depression, you may be able to market the manuscript to psychiatrists' offices or related businesses and offer to send a number of books in exchange for a cash advance. You might be able to find a copublisher with the ability to take on the financial liability of publishing a book, although all parties will need to agree on how profits will be split up.

References

• AAUP: Mellon Grants Awarded for Collaborative Publishing Projects
• National Endowment for the Humanities: Grant Programs and Deadlines
• National Endowment for the Arts: FY 2011 Grant Awards -- Literature Fellowships for Translation Projects
• The Association of Writers & Writing Programs: Frequently Asked Questions About AWP
• Once Written: Global Writing Contests
• WritersHelpDesk: "Finding Money to Publish Your Book"; Mack E. Smith & Sara Freeman Smith; 2004