Skip to main content

NaNoWriMo shuts down after 25 years

By April 4, 2025News

NANoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, has announced in an email that they will no longer be running after 25 years. The non-profit was founded in 1999 and acted as a writing challenge facilitator which encouraged writers to pen 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.

Novels that began during NaNoWriMo include Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants, and Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.

A combination of factors has reportedly impacted the organisations ability to continue including funding issues and serious missteps. NaNoWriMo were called out for inappropriate behaviour by volunteers and moderators, as well as their more recent controversial stance on AI creations, which has been a huge cause for concern among many in the writing community.

The full email which was posted to the NaNoWriMo Reddit thread explains: “After six years of struggling to sustain itself financially, NaNoWriMo (the nonprofit) will begin the process of shutting down.

“Explaining how we got here is both simple and complex. The funding woes that have threatened so many nonprofits in recent years are an unextraordinary trend. Many beloved organizations announced their closure last year. Many more are fighting for their lives.

“Media coverage of financial crisis within the sector—especially among arts nonprofits—has been widespread. Yet, there are ways in which NaNoWriMo is extraordinary—and reasons why we had hoped we could buck that trend. The sheer size of our community, its global reach and its longevity, held at impressive levels, even during a tumultuous year. There is no shortage of writers who want to participate in NaNoWriMo. Yet, building a community and being able to sustain it are two different matters.

The email continues to add: “We recognize that the closure of NaNoWriMo represents a huge loss to the writing community, and that grief over this outcome will be exacerbated by the challenges of the past sixteen months. This is not the ending that anybody wanted or planned. And—believe us—if we could hit the delete button and rewrite this last chapter, we would. But we do have hope for the epilogue.

“We hold no belief that people will stop writing 50,000 words in November (and April, and July) or stop seeking support for the journey they’re on. Many alternatives to NaNoWriMo popped up this year, and people did find each other. In so many ways, it’s easier than it was when NaNoWriMo began in 1999 to find your writing tribe online. Our greatest hope at this moment is that you do two things: support arts nonprofits you love (they really, truly need you) and keep writing words. Your stories matter.”

Further information regarding the organisation’s financial affairs, as well as issues of community safety and trust are also delved into deeper in a video from interim executive director, Kilby Blake:

Booker Prize launches new Children’s Award

| Children's Literature, News | No Comments
The organisers behind the prestigious Booker Prize have announced a new prize under their umbrella, this time for children’s fiction. The Children’s Booker Prize, which will launch in 2026 and…

Swedish library creates censorship talking point with double-bound edition of 1984

| Literature, News, Political | No Comments
BBDO Nordics and the Dawit Isaak Library in Sweden have created a powerful talking point on the subject of censorship with an edition of George Orwell’s novel, 1984, which is…

Former Library Director awarded $700,000 following wrongful dismissal over LGBTQ+ Books

| News | No Comments
Former director of the Campbell County Public Library, Wyoming, Terri Lesley, has been awarded $700,000 after being fired from her role for refusing to remove LGBTQ+ books from the shelves.…

Black Representation in Children’s Literature on the Decline

| Children's Literature, News | No Comments
A report by literary charity, Inclusive Books For Children, has found that Black representation in children’s literature is experiencing a worrying decline. The report which surveyed 2,721 children’s books found…

George Takei Fights Censorship of LGBTQ+ Literature in Banned Books Week

| News | No Comments
Beloved Star Trek actor, author and LGBTQ+ icon, George Takei is fighting against the rising censorship of books, in particular LGBTQ+ literature, during this year’s Banned Books Week. Takei who…

Rivals author, Jilly Cooper, dies age 88

| News | No Comments
British author, best known for her long-running Rutshire Chronicles series including the recently adapted 'Rivals' novel, Dame Jilly Cooper, has sadly passed away at the age 88. Her children, Felix…

Storygraph vs Fable: Breaking up with Goodreads

| Discussion and Recommendations, News | No Comments
There are many reasons that readers might want to break up with Goodreads, not simply because of its connection to the retail giant, Amazon but also because of the way…

Remembering Jane Goodall (1934–2025)

| News | No Comments
On 1 October 2025, the world lost Dame Jane Goodall, DBE, a pioneering primatologist, conservationist, writer, and tireless advocate for animals and the natural world. She was 91. Her passing…

New writing prize launched in memory of Hilary Mantel

| Literary Awards, News | No Comments
A new literary prize that champions emerging writers has been set up in memory of author Hilary Mantel, best known for her book Wolf Hall that was adapted into a…