Spotlight on last year's Writers' Prize Winners

With just over three weeks left until The Book Edit Writers’ Prize 2023 deadline, we wanted to hear from some of last year’s brilliant winners to inspire submissions to the competition…

2022 Writers’ Prize Winner Julie Rea

One of 2022’s winners, Julie Rea was subsequently signed by Juliet Pickering at Blake Friedmann. On her experience, Julie said: ‘It's not an understatement to say that The Book Edit Writers' Prize was life-changing for me. It was through the showcase event - where I read an extract from my novel - which prompted one of the industry guests there to pass on my details to a literary agent who, after a chat and reading my manuscript, offered me representation. As a writer, this was a dream come true, and I have no doubt this opportunity wouldn't have arose had it not been for the chance to read to selected guests from The Book Edit's vast industry network. 

The fact that this competition is for under-represented writers, and free to enter, is another wonderful opportunity for unpublished novelists to gain access to the industry and to get their work in front of top literary agents. The advice, training and support from Emily and Rebekah - both before the showcase and afterwards - is phenomenal, and it is obvious they're committed to getting underrepresented voices out there. I am so grateful to have been a part of this amazing experience, and to have forged strong friendships with the other winners chosen.

2022 winner Emily Dormand Bean

Emily Dormand Bean is currently on submission with several agents and hard at work on her second novel. She had this to say about the competition last year: ‘Winning the Book Edit Writers' Prize made my year! It was a perfectly-timed boost to my confidence, and helped me with the motivation for taking my writing to the next stage. I now think of myself as a writer and it's so encouraging to know that other people view me this way too. It's given me the much-needed validation and impetus to continue with my novel and keep working to find it a readership.’

2022 Winner Alex J. Langtree kindly recorded this message about the prize last year.

Alex J. Langtree, 2022 Winner

2022 Winner F.Q. Yeoh

Since winning the prize last year, F. Q. Yeoh has signed with Katie Greenstreet at Paper Literary for her adult fiction and with Hannah Sheppard Literary Agency for her children’s books.
Speaking of her win, Yeoh said ‘The Book Edit Prize was a really special experience for me. It was a real treat to meet the other writers and hear their stories at the online showcase. I'd never read my work aloud before, so having Rebecca's expert training really gave me the confidence to take part - and even to enjoy it! Being part of such a prestigious award meant that my work was shared with some incredible agents - I had a full manuscript request before we'd even finished the Zoom session!’

If you want to follow in these brilliant winners’ footsteps, submit to The Book Edit Writers’ Prize, which this year is judged by acclaimed author Deepa Anappara.

Aimed at supporting talented writers who might not otherwise have access to the industry, the prize is open to unpublished British and/or UK-based novelists from communities and backgrounds currently underrepresented in British publishing. You can see the full competition rules and details here. We can’t wait to see who will be next to join our list of writers whose work we have supported and continue to champion. The deadline for submissions is 23rd October 2023.

The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2023 launches today!

We are delighted to announce the launch today of The Book Edit’s Writers’ Prize 2023, in association with Legend Press. This year the prize will be judged by acclaimed author Deepa Anappara.

Aiming to support talented writers who might not otherwise have access to the industry, The Book Edit’s Writers’ Prize is a writing competition for unpublished British and/or UK-based novelists from communities and backgrounds currently under-represented in UK publishing.

“The Book Edit Prize was a really special experience for me. It was a real treat to meet the other writers and hear their stories at the online showcase. I’d never read my work aloud before, so having Rebecca’s expert training really gave me the confidence to take part - and even to enjoy it! Being part of such a prestigious award meant that my work was shared with some incredible agents - I had a full manuscript request before we’d even finished the Zoom session!”

— F.Q. Yeoh

Eight winners will have the chance to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event in front of industry professionals and The Book Edit’s contacts. After the event, an anthology of the readings will be published on The Book Edit’s website.

Winners will have the opportunity to rehearse and train for the showcase event and everyone who enters will receive advice on other options including mentoring, courses and editing.

As if that wasn’t enough, Legend Press Commissioning Editor, Lauren Wolff-Jones, will also read all the winner’s first chapters and give individual feedback and advice via Zoom.

Completely free to enter, it’s a competition no-one can lose! For full competition details, judges, dates and submission guidelines follow this link or click on the button below

We can’t wait to read your submissions! Good luck!

The Book Edit Writers' Prize 2023 launches soon!

The Book Edit Writers’ Prize 2023 opens for applications on September 11 and this year we are delighted to announce that the prize will be judged by the writer Deepa Anappara.

Deepa was born in Kerala, southern India, and worked as a journalist in India for eleven years. Her reports on the impact of poverty and religious violence on the education of children won the Developing Asia Journalism Awards, the Every Human has Rights Media Awards, and the Sanskriti-Prabha Dutt Fellowship in Journalism. 

Her debut novel Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line was named as one of the best books of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time and NPR. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel, was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020, and shortlisted for the JCB Prize for Indian Literature. It is being translated into 23 languages.

Deepa is also the co-editor of Letters to a Writer of Colour, a collection of personal essays on fiction, race, and culture, published by Random House (US) and Vintage (UK) in March 2023.

“I am thrilled to judge the Book Edit Writer’s Prize, which was set up only three years ago and has already had tremendous success,’ writes Deepa. ‘Despite recent initiatives, access to publishing remains difficult for those in marginalised groups, and the Book Edit prize aims to highlight the incredible diversity of talent in this country. To be part of the prize is a real privilege, and I am looking forward to reading the submissions.

”

— Deepa Anappara

Aiming to support talented writers who might not otherwise have access to the industry, The Book Edit’s Writers’ Prize is a writing competition for unpublished British and/or UK-based novelists from backgrounds and communities currently under-represented in UK publishing.

“Winning the Writer’s Prize was the first time I’d had any external validation for my work and the showcase led to interest from a literary agent. This gave my confidence a massive boost and answered the question that I’d been asking myself for a long time which was “Am I capable of writing something with the potential to get published?”. The whole experience has spurred me on and I’m now more focussed than ever on that goal. Emily and the team at The Book Edit were so supportive through the whole process and am truly grateful for them running the prize.”

— Alexander McPhail, 2022 winner

Eight lucky winners will have the chance to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event in front of industry guests and The Book Edit contacts. After the event, an anthology of the readings will be published online. 

Winners will have the opportunity to rehearse and train for the showcase event with writer, editor and Novel Studio tutor, Rebekah Lattin-Rawstrone.

As if all that wasn’t enough, this year we have partnered with the brilliant Legend Press who will be offering a unique opportunity for each of our winners to submit their first chapters to Legend’s Commissioning Editor, Lauren Wolff-Jones, followed by an hour’s Zoom mentoring session, during which Lauren will provide expert feedback and guidance.

And even if you aren’t one of the lucky winners, it’s a competition you can’t lose: completely free to enter, all entrants will receive advice on other options including courses, mentoring and editing.

All you need to submit is the first 1,000 words of your novel. For full competition details, judges, dates and submission guidelines follow this link.

The competition opens on Monday 11th September 2023, with a deadline of midnight on the 23rd October 2023. The Book Edit can’t wait to read your submissions and share your talent!

The Book Edit partner with Legend Press for their third annual Writers’ Prize for underrepresented novelists

We are really pleased to announce a new partnership with Legend Press for our third annual Book Edit Writers' Prize. Aiming to support talented writers who might not otherwise have access to the industry, the Writers’ Prize is a national writing competition for unpublished British and/or UK-based novelists from communities and backgrounds currently underrepresented in UK publishing.

 We are also delighted to confirm that this year the prize will be judged by acclaimed writer Deepa Anappara, author of Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line and editor of Letters to a Writer of Colour.

By joining forces with Legend Press — an independent house dedicated to championing original voices — we hope to amplify the voices of writers from underrepresented communities and provide them with the necessary tools and resources to bring their stories to the forefront.

“The Book Edit Prize was a really special experience for me. I’d never read my work aloud before, so having Rebecca’s expert training really gave me the confidence to take part - and even to enjoy it! Being part of such a prestigious award meant that my work was shared with some incredible agents - I had a full manuscript request before we’d even finished the Zoom session!”

— F.Q. Yeoh, Writers' Prize Winner 2022

‘This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to improving access to the publishing industry for all,’ says Emily Pedder, Founding Director at The Book Edit. ‘The prize is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on talented writers from communities that have been historically underrepresented in UK publishing.’

Lauren Wolff-Jones, Commissioning Editor at Legend Press, says ‘I am so incredibly honoured to be partnering with The Book Edit on the Writers’ Prize. Emily shares not only a passion for discovering new talent but also a commitment to inclusivity for the literary landscape. As a mentor for this prestigious prize, I am thrilled to be able to help nurture creativity and guide authors in what is such a competitive market. I can’t wait to discover each unique story that emerges from this collaboration.’  

2023 Writers’ Prize Judge, Deepa Anappara

Deepa Anappara, the judge for this year's Writers' Prize, says ‘I am thrilled to judge the Book Edit Writer's Prize, which was set up only three years ago and has already had tremendous success. Despite recent initiatives, access to publishing remains difficult for those in marginalised groups, and the Book Edit prize aims to highlight the incredible diversity of talent in this country. To be part of the prize is a real privilege, and I am looking forward to reading the submissions.’ 

“The fact that this competition is for under-represented writers, and free to enter, is another wonderful opportunity for unpublished novelists to gain access to the industry and to get their work in front of top literary agents. The advice, training and support from Emily and Rebekah - both before the showcase and afterwards - is phenomenal, and it is obvious they’re committed to getting underrepresented voices out there. I am so grateful to have been a part of this amazing experience, and to have forged strong friendships with the other winners chosen. Opportunities like this for writers are very few and far between - go for it!”

— Julie Rea, Writers' Prize Winner 2022

Submissions for the third Writers' Prize will open on 11th September 2023 and close on 23rd October 2023.

The eight winners will have the chance to read their work at a live Zoom showcase event in front of industry professionals and The Book Edit’s contacts. After the event, an anthology of the readings will be published on The Book Edit’s website. Winners will also have the opportunity to rehearse and train for the showcase event, and all entrants will receive advice on other options including mentoring, courses and editing. The competition is completely free to enter.

As a result of the partnership, this year’s winners will have the added bonus of submitting the first chapters of their novels to Lauren Wolff-Jones, followed by an hour’s Zoom mentoring session during which Lauren will provide feedback and guidance.

For information about former prize winners, visit here.

Any questions about the prize, please email writersprize@thebookedit.co.uk.

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.