It is an annual program open to present San Diego County residents who published a book in the current year. Qualified participants must currently reside within zip codes 91901 - 92199.

Little Local Authors began during the Golden Anniversary of the Local Author Exhibit in 2015 in order to accommodate the increasing number of children authors who enter the Local Author Exhibit every year. It takes place in March following the adult Exhibit in February. Children authors may enter zines, chapbooks, and other unbound booklets.

Teen Local Authors features writers between the ages of 12 and 18 who enter and submit a book in the Local Author Exhibit. Teen authors may enter zines, chapbooks, and other unbound booklets.

The San Diego Public Library sponsors the Local Author Exhibit to nurture and foster local writing and talent in the Greater San Diego area.

The Exhibit will be on display in the Dickinson Popular Library of the San Diego Central Library @ Joan Λ Irwin Jacobs Common for the entire month of February. A special exhibition preview to honor participating authors is held prior to the public unveiling. Little Local Authors exhibit for authors ages 12 and under will take place in March.

The general call to authors for submission goes out in September every year. All correspondence is done electronically.

Please submit only one (1) book per author. We need only one copy.

Except for poetry chapbooks, only books with proper bookbinding and format may be submitted. Books must look like books. No pamphlets, brochures or stapled material can be accepted.

We’ll accept books published the year before (in 2015) that missed the call for submissions deadline. Books published before 2015 do not qualify.

The Online Exhibit showcases authors and their information throughout the year including books, photos, publishers and bios. It opens at the same time as the live Exhibit in February, and closes in December.

eBooks are accepted as long as they were published in the current year. For display purposes, please upload an image of the cover of your book on the online registration form. Your submission is complete. You don’t need to do anything else.

Please register and submit only the print edition.

Registration must be completed and books received by late October.

Yes. The Local Author Exhibit reflects the diversity of the publishing world.

All items submitted to the San Diego Public Library for the Local Author Exhibit are unconditional gifts which will not be returned. Gift materials may be added to the collection in compliance with the Library's collection guidelines. eBooks cannot be added unless they are available through the library’s digital format vendor.