💌 This week's opportunities, advice for first-time writers + some things to look out for!
Welcome, subscribers!
Thanks to all of you for finding yourselves here.
As a reminder, here’s what you can expect as a free subscriber: see this space as a place for opportunities and advice. I’ll share a fortnightly update of all the writing opportunities I’ve found (as an industry insider), as well as articles + advice.
Today’s free post will feature some incredible writing opportunities, so you fiction and non-fiction writers better get your pens ready.
I’ll also be sharing an incredible video on navigating the publishing industry as a first-time author, from my FANTASTIC author, Paige Lewin, who’s book, How to Love Your Afro, I have the privilege of publishing in September.
Lastly, I’ll also share some updates on what I’m working on at Bloomsbury as an Editorial Director, and some recommends: what I’m reading, watching and listening to. Have a read below!
Kicking it off, we have not one, not two, but three INCREDIBLE opportunities for writers 🖊️
THE NOVELRY’S NEXT BIG STORY PRIZE ✨
You could win $100,000 for just 3 pages...
Is this the largest writing prize for new writers you have ever heard of?
The Novelry has announced the launch of a life-changing writing prize, breaking down barriers to the publishing industry. The fantastic organisation - with the mission of bringing new voices to the world of fiction and nurturing raw creative talent - has teamed up with an impressive cast of book-loving celeb judges with a combined following of 25 million readers, including Emma Roberts, Tayari Jones and Yann Martel, to find the next big story,
The grand winner will scoop a $100,000 (£75,000) prize and, along 7 runners-up, bag The Finished Novel Course at the Novelry, to create, write and edit their novel with their superstar cast of writing coaches and former Big Five publishing editors.
The prize opened on the 1st May, and the entry period closes on the 31st July 2025. Interested? Find out more and enter here.
THE NEW CHAPTER PRIZE 🔥
Simon & Schuster UK are launching an opportunity that’s exclusively open to un-agented, currently not under contract fiction writers of colour. The winner will receive a two-book UK publishing contract with S&S UK with a six-figure advance.
The potential prize winner will be selected by the Adult Fiction editorial team at Simon & Schuster UK, Silé Edwards, Literary Agent at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, and Nancy Adimora, founder of OtherStories, based on their assessment of the work’s quality and the author’s potential. Both are INCREDIBLE changemakers in the industry, with immaculate taste so make sure your work is refined and polished!
The prize opened on the 1st May, and will close on the 31st July 2025. Find out more on how to submit here.
THE MO SIEWCHARRAN PRIZE 2025 ⚡
Hachette UK’s The Future Bookshelf is running the Mo Siewcharran Prize for its sixth year to help discover unpublished non-fiction writers from Black, Asian, mixed heritage and minority ethnic backgrounds. For 2025, the prize will be hosted by Trapeze, an imprint of Orion Books, who are looking for non-fiction writing under the theme Reclaiming History. Submissions close on the 30th May 2025 so get entering ASAP.
The winner will receive £2,500 prize money plus; A follow-up online mentoring session with a Trapeze editor; A hamper of Trapeze books; An introductory meeting with a literary agent. The winner’s entry will also be taken forward to Orion’s acquisitions meeting and considered for full publication with a competitive advance against royalties. Orion does not guarantee that the winner will be offered a publishing contract. The runner up will receive £1,500 prize money plus, A follow-up online mentoring session with a Trapeze editor; A hamper of Trapeze books. A second runner up will receive £750 prize money plus a hamper of Trapeze books.
Your work will be judged by Olivette Otele, Distinguished Research Professor of the Legacies and Memory of Slavery at SOAS, University of London, a Fellow and former Vice President of the Royal Historical Society, Paula Akpan, author of When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors, Selina Brown, award-winning CEO and founder of Black British Book Festival and author, Emma Bal, Literary agent at Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency, Sofia Akel, cultural historian and writer, and the founder of the Free Books Campaign, and Katie Ogunṣakin, Editorial Director at Trapeze Books - an absolute legend in the industry!
You can find out more and enter here.
This week’s advice piece 💡
We all know the publishing industry is a CONFUSING world to navigate, to say the least. As someone who entered publishing straight out of university, as a fresh-faced 22-year-old grad, I’m still working out the ins and out at 30.
For first-time authors, the journey can be even more confusing, and therefore daunting. Each stage of the process can feel like a revelation. What can be most difficult, though, is knowing where to even begin. Fortunately, my wonderful author, Paige Lewin, has made this video, talking about how she managed to secure a book deal with Bloomsbury, having written no books prior, without any contacts, minimal exposure and 11,124 Instagram followers. Paige’s video is raw, real and deeply reassuring for all authors, but particularly Black women navigating the industry for the first time. Watch Paige’s fantastic reel here.
Paige’s debut book, How to Love Your Afro, is available for pre-order now. You can order it here.
What I’m working on…
I’m often asked my family and friends what I’m working on, so I wanted to share in this forum.
In my day-to-day role, I’m an editorial director at Bloomsbury. I lead at imprint, TONIC, where we publish books that help readers to think, feel and live better. I’ve always loved working in this area of the market, and have long worked to publish books that drive conversations, inspire us to take action and make changes to our lives, or draw our attention to subjects worth discussing. Here are two of the books I’ve published recently. ADHD Unpacked by James Brown and Alex Conner is a fantastic guide to surviving and thriving with adult ADHD, and Completely Normal and Totally Fine by Rosie Viva, which explores what it’s like to live with bipolar.
Both are incredible books written by passionate advocates who want to support their community, and make the world a better place. It’s a privilege to publish them, and I hope you enjoy reading these if you do check them out 💭
A final note from me. I’ll finish every fortnightly note with what I’m reading, watching and listening to. Here’s what I’m loving currently 🔌
📺 Watching: I am loving Mobland. This British crime drama TV series follows two warring crime families who clash in a battle that threatens to topple both their empires. Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren offer some impressive performances, but Tom Hardy, in the lead role, as the ‘fixer’ for one of the families, steals the show. Check it out on Paramount+.
📖 Reading: When We Ruled by Paula Akpan. I was fortunate enough to be sent a copy of this incredible book from Trapeze. Paula is one of the most incredible historians in the UK, and her book explores the rise and fall of twelve African queens and warriors. The writing is vivid, emotional and intensely visual, and the book is meticulously researched. A must-read and in my opinion, a future classic. You can order it here.
🎧 Listening to: On the way to a wedding, Gilles Peterson played this song and I instantly fell in love. All That We Were by Georgie Sweet is a stunning song - the production is heavenly, and Georgie’s voice is a breath of fresh air. The perfect song for these lush summer days and the serene nights that follow. As a former music journalist, it always brings me pleasure to discover talented new vocalists.
That’s all from me, but I’ll be back on Monday 26th (or Tuesday 27th, bank hol plans allowing), with more. Feel free to share this newsletter widely, if you think the opportunities, advice or recommendations might speak to them. 🤎