novel

Needless to say, I am thrilled. Here's what judge agent Orli Vogt-Vincent had to say about it: SONGS FOR BEGINNERS had me from the very first page, with a first line that was irresistible. This was truly a pleasure to read, with a central protagonist who is as endearing, unique and believable...

“The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting.” ― Henry James August 2026 Newsletter Greetings writers. We're delighted to announce the launch of our first New...

I was long, long listed in this one with. my first draft for Stallion's Song. I like that they do give feedback to everyone who enters. https://cheshirenovelprize.com/

https://bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-international-writing-prize/

https://bluepencilagency.com/online-tutorials-and-q-a/

I got feedback from them. It is a group of writers and publishing people who formed an agency. You will get value for money-as they try to give what they would want to pay for, but yeah. They are trying to monetise what they know. Still another comp that is worth the money if you've got it to...

This one is expensive for what you get. 65.00. And I know someone who won it one year and didnt find an agent or publisher from her meetings, but did subsequently from introductions. Tends towards the highbrow serious work over genre. However there is surrounding info that could be useful...

ProWritingAid is running a competition for the first 5k of an unpublished novel. Rather big prizes: 50K USD for the winner and (as far as I can make out) 5K for five runner ups. I think there's a fee if you don't subscribe to their service. I had a quick look at the judges in the panel, and...

https://bathnovelaward.co.uk/the-bath-novel-award-international-writing-prize/ I am loosely defining literary as non genre here-but have a look at previous winners. If you are writing similarly - then this is worth taking a swing at.

Apologies for being MIA the last few weeks, I'm dancing on many stages these days! But I'd like to recommend a great podcast/vblog I have been binging about novel marketing: Novel Marketing This guy is really smart. Another channel I found to be very useful in the my self-publishing journey...

There is only one motive for writing a novel: to be published and read. To me there is no distinction between the mystery novel and the novel, only between good books and bad books. A good book takes the reader into a new world of experience; it is an experiment. A bad book, unless the writing...

Adela worked in a famous Mexican circus during the time of the Revolution (1910-1917). She and her boyfriend were the main attraction of the show. Night after night, Adela stood against a wooden wall with her limbs outstretched while her blind boyfriend hurled knives that landed perilously...

Hello I've written a fantasy novel, and I've joined this group because, after making changes based on feedback from a writing group, editing, re-editing, and then editing on Grammarly, I'm seeking more feedback on all aspects of the novel. This could be on the style of writing, the plot, the...

VAL MCDERMID JUDGES THE 2ND "CRIMEBITS" PRIZE FOR BEST OPENING TO A CRIME BOOK Ends on Thu, Mar 13, 2025 11:59 PM MAKE YOUR FIRST PAGE COUNT... Building on the successful book CRIMEBITS selected and introduced and judged by LEE CHILD, published as a paperback in the UK and USA November 1...

The prompt this month was to complete “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” in a novel way. In this, you manifestly succeeded :) In fact, this was arguably the best OPS contest we've run so far. The results are as follows (remember, you voted for the winners, and each entry was...

I just read this blog post by Chuck Wendig (link below) and it sounds like a fun/cool thing for us to do too. List 5 things you’ve learned writing a now completed novel/novella. It doesn’t have to be things about the book, it can be things you learned about yourself, or some interesting tidbit...

Make understandable misunderstandings happen, hook sentence at end of paragraph, and most importantly, personify abstract concepts. state the story idea in one sentence, two max. scene outline -each scene must move the story forward Dialogue: excites, has white spaces (no more than...