Please Read the FAQs First

Please make sure to read our general FAQs first. Most of your questions will be answered there.

For All Writers

How do I submit my work?
To submit your work, first add it to the appropriate AO3 collection (see below). Then, fill out the Submission form.

How do I add a work to an AO3 collection?
See AO3 help.

Can I post chapters during the creation period?
No. Even if you have already started posting your WIP, please hold off on the publication of any further chapters or work until Reveals. This keeps reveals exciting for everyone and assures readers that they'll be reading completed works.

Can I post one chapter for reveals, and then the rest of the chapters after Reveals?
Yes, as long as your fic is complete and you meet specific submission requirements (see section, For Writers of Serials (Continuing after Reveals) below. Writers may wish to continue posting in serial format in order to continue to revise their writing and/or as a way to build readership, and we wish to support you!

For Writers in the Lightning Round

How is participating in the Lightning Round different?
See our FAQ on the Lightning Round. 

For Writers of Never Published Work

Will there be an anon period?
Yes, there will be an anon period for never published work in the main fest. These works will be revealed first, and author reveals will happen the following week. See the Timeline for details. 

For Writers of Already Published WIPs

Will there be an anon period?
No, there will not be an anon period for published work since you are already the known author. These works will be revealed during the second week of Reveals. See the Timeline for details. 

What happens when I add my already-published work to the fest collection?
When you submit an already published work to this collection, it will temporarily be hidden until Reveals. While we wish we didn't have to hide any work, however briefly, we feel the excitement of a Reveal period outweighs the downsides of making the work temporarily inaccessible. You can minimize the time your work is inaccessible by submitting to the collection as close to the deadline as possible. Although your work will be temporarily hidden, it will retain all kudos, comments, view counts, etc.

For Writers of Serials (Continuing after Reveals)

Can I continue to post my fic chapter-by-chapter after Reveals?
Yes. You can continue to post your fic chapter-by-chapter after Reveals, with certain requirements:

• You must post at least one new chapter for Reveals.

• You must fill out the Submission form.

• You must link to a Google Doc or upload a PDF of your completed fic when you fill out the submission form. By "completed," we mean the fic has a beginning, middle, and end. Please include a summary and any content warnings. It is okay if the fic still requires editing.

• When you post to AO3, we recommend (but we don't require) including a publishing schedule in your author's note (e.g., new chapters will be posted every 2 weeks) and indicating the total number of chapters. 

How complete does my draft have to be?
It should have a beginning, middle, and end and be reasonably fleshed out. It's okay if you still plan to add more details or improve grammar, etc. after the fest deadline. We just want to be able to assure fest readers that the fic is complete.

Will the fest continue to promote new chapters on Twitter after Reveals?
We invite you to tag the fest account when you tweet new chapters, but we do not guarantee the fest account will continue to be active after Reveals are over.