mslexia novelcompetition

Dear Writer,

Our adult Novel Competition is back! This year, the competition is for novels of at least 50,000 words written for adults (and young adults) in any genre by previously unpublished women novelists. If that sounds like you, and you have a manuscript that qualifies – have you written something for NaNoWriMo, perhaps? – editing your manuscript and entering the competition could be the best thing you do for your writing in 2013.

The first prize is £5,000, and the high-profile judging panel is made up this year of arts journalist and broadcaster Kirsty Lang, award-winning novelist, journalist and short story writer Val McDermid and literary agent at Aitken Alexander Associates Charlotte Robertson.

Being placed in the competition is a great way to get a foot onto the publishing ladder. As well as the substantial monetary prize, this year we have teamed up with The Literary Consultancy, who will provide free professional feedback for the three finalists – and the 12 shortlisted novelists will be invited to meet literary agents and editors at a special networking event in London.

The 2011 winning novel, The Palace of Curiosities by Rosie Garland, was published by HarperCollins just this year, and many of the other shortlisted authors have reported real progress and increased interest in their work thanks to their placement in the competition. Caroline Ambrose told us that ‘mentioning the longlist definitely grabs [agents’] attention’. Can you afford to miss the opportunity?

Full details of how to enter are on the website at www.mslexia.co.uk/novelcompetition. There you can find further information, including FAQs and advice about entering online, and specially-commissioned novel writing workshops and articles to help you.