The Book Edit to sponsor £1000 scholarship for Novel Studio

We are delighted to announce that from October 2023 The Book Edit will be sponsoring a Novel Studio Scholarship worth £1000.

Launched in 2004, City University of London’s year-long Novel Studio programme provides essential techniques and guidance to enable its students to draft their own novels, and gain interest from an agent. With a strong publication track record, the course is a highly respected and competitive programme with a reputation for nurturing talent.

However, the financial burden of tuition fees can be a significant barrier for many talented writers from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Since 2019, a fully-funded scholarship for a student from a low-income household has been generously supported by Sunday Times bestselling author and alumna Harriet Tyce. (Former winners have included the writers Lola Okolosie, Janice Okoh, and Maua Hawa, while this year's recipient is Sonia Hope.) For 2023’s cohort, The Book Edit have confirmed they will be sponsoring a £1000 scholarship for one talented writer from a low-income household.

The Book Edit is committed to supporting authors from communities currently underrepresented in UK publishing. Since 2021, its annual Writers’ Prize initiative has seen several winners go on to great things. Speaking of their involvement with City’s Novel Studio scholarship, Book Edit Director Emily Pedder has said ‘We are delighted to be partnering with City on this important project and look forward to seeing the literary talent that emerges.’

The Book Edit’s commitment to inclusivity aligns with City’s aims to create a culture in which diversity and equality of opportunity are actively promoted, and helps support the university’s vision for creating a more diverse literary landscape.

For prospective students interested in applying for the Novel Studio Scholarship, visit the City website for detailed information on the application process and eligibility criteria. The deadline for general applications is 30 June and for the scholarship 30 August.

Introduction to Developmental Editing Course Launches

Are you interested in working with writers to deepen and strengthen their stories? Are you a copyeditor, proofreader, or line editor who wants to learn more about the big picture of developmental editing? Or are you simply curious about what developmental editing really is?

The Book Edit’s Introduction to Developmental Editing, delivered live over two mornings on Zoom, will introduce you to some key concepts around developmental editing, help you start to understand the core skills a developmental editor needs, and begin to look at how you can build and apply those skills.

Who is teaching the course?

The course will be taught by the Book Edit’s Founder, Emily Pedder. Emily is a developmental editor and creative writing teacher with over twenty years’ experience helping writers move their work towards publication. Authors she has worked with include Monique Roffey, Tim Guest, Deepa Anappara and Hannah Begbie.

What do you need to bring?

Pen and paper, an open mind and a positive attitude! This will be an experiential course where learning comes not just from the tutor but from the group too. There will be opportunities to contribute and share in breakout rooms and through the chat. 

How do I book?

There are two exclusive dates for this course: May 12th and 13th, and July 14th and 15th. Spaces are strictly limited to 9.

When you have paid for the course, you will be sent a registration link for the Zoom meeting and some pre-course homework, which you must complete before the first morning.

Any questions, please email info@thebookedit.co.uk

Happy 2023

A belated Happy New Year to you all and a big thank you for being a part of The Book Edit this year.

This is the second year we’ve run the Writers’ Prize and we’re extremely proud of our winners.

Book Edit Writers’ Prize winner 2022, Julie Rea

Book Edit Writers’ Prize winner 2021, Malachi McIntosh

Hot off the press, one of last year’s winners - Malachi McIntosh - has won the Royal Society of Literature’s Giles St Aubyn Award for Non-Fiction, while one of 2022’s winners - Julie Rea - has just signed with Juliet Pickering, at Blake Friedmann. We can’t wait to see what our winners do next on their writing journeys.

This year we’ve got some exciting plans in store. We’ll be launching our first course - an introduction to developmental editing - for anyone who’s interested in finding out more about this creative art. Hit the button below to be first to hear about the course when it launches.

And for anyone who wants a boost to their writing, we’re offering a 10% discount on our mentoring, agent submission packages, and developmental editing services up to the end of February 2023. Just quote BENEWYEAR23 when sending an enquiry. 

Wishing you all a creative, inspiring 2023.

The 2022 Book Edit Writers' Prize Showcase

Last Wednesday evening the eight talented winners of the 2022 Book Edit Writers’ Prize read winning extracts from their novels in front of an audience of top literary agents, plus selected family and friends. Journeying from working class Northern England, through America, Bangladesh, Scotland and Palmers’ Green, these were stories of crime, grime, therapy, longing and trading in an array of speculative and literary fiction. Congratulations to them all on a brilliant evening of readings.

THE WINNERS OF THE BOOK EDIT WRITERS’ PRIZE 2022

Emily Dormand Bean

Serafina Cusack

Atar Hadari

Delwar Hussain

Alex J. Langtree

Julie Rea

Stephanie Vernier

F.Q. Yeoh

The Writers’ Prize is a national competition open to unagented, unpublished British and/or UK-based writers from communities underrepresented in publishing. Book Edit Director Emily Pedder said the aim was “to help talented writers from underrepresented backgrounds gain access to the industry in a way that might not otherwise have been possible.”

Entrants are invited to submit the first 1000 words of an already completed novel, along with a synopsis and statement about their writing experience. The eight winners were trained in reading their work aloud at an online rehearsal a week before the showcase. This year the competition was judged by acclaimed author Elizabeth Chakrabarty. Speaking about the prize, Elizabeth said “I was impressed, and intrigued by the diverse writing and genres of the entries, and look forward to reading the finished novels in the future.'” 

Congratulations to all our winners! May this be the start of great things for your writing careers. And huge thanks to Elizabeth for judging and to Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone for rehearsing, hosting and everything in between.

For anyone wanting to hear these fabulous writers read from their work a recording of the showcase and an anthology of the extracts are available here.