If you think that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is just a little project to keep wanna-be writers occupied during November and nothing ever comes of it, you’re wrong.
Several authors have had their start as NaNoWriMo participants and went on to publish the projects they wrote during November and edited during December.
Don’t believe me? Here are some traditionally published authors you migt have heard of, and their bestselling novels that started life as a NaNoWriMo project.
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- Jesse Hearts NYC by Keris Stainton
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic
- The Beautiful Land by Alan Averill
- Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart
- Mango Bride by Marivi Soliven
- The God Patent by Ransom Stephens
- Wool by Hugh Howey
- Don’t Let Me Go by J.H. Trimble
- Margin Play by Eric Plume
- The Alchemist of Souls by Anne Lyle
- Self Storage by Gayle Brandeis
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
- London’s Calling by Elysabeth Williams
- Salt River by Liz Hegarty
- El Chupacabra by Randy Fasig
- Entrechats by Cecile Duquenne
- Looking Glass by James R. Strickland
- Cashmere Boulevard by Kimberly Llewellyn
- Flowers of Baghdad by Bruce Lyman
- Cypress Hollow by Rachael Herron
- 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster
The honour of being the very first NaNoWriMo project that got published traditionally went to Lani Diane Rich’s Time Off For Good Behaviour.
Nanowrimo.org is trying to keep up with the list of all published NaNoWriMo authors and books. Their list is getting longer and longer and includes traditionally published as well we self-published WriMo’s both from the US and worldwide.
Study. Read. Write. 
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