Novel London is now open for submissions!
1st Prize
Trophy + £500
Lunch with Literary Agent, Elise Dillsworth
2nd Prize
£350
Write up in Literary Magazine
3rd Prize
£150
Coaching/ Mentoring Sessions with Melissa Addey
NOVEL LONDON has worked with and promoted over 150 emerging and established writers since 2015.
It is now a yearly literary competition and festival focusing on the novel. Newly published, unpublished and self-published novels are all welcome.
Previous winners have secured representation with agents and polished their manuscripts with the help of coaching and mentoring.
if you have written a complete novel (at least a first draft) or recently published a novel, please read the submission guidelines and send in your work!
NLLC Judges 2024
STELLA ONI
Stella Oni's police procedural, “Deadly Sacrifice,” featuring detective Toks Ade, the first black female police detective in UK fiction, was shortlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize and was an Audible Crime and Thriller pick.
She has contributed to various anthologies, including “Midnight Hour”, published by Crooked Lane. She won the International Thriller Writers (ITW) scholarship in 2021 and was a runner-up for the inaugural CrimeFest bursary for writers of colour in 2022.
Stella is an ITW judge and was an adjudicator for the Scottish Association of Writers Crime Fiction Pitlochry Prize 2023. She is a popular speaker and delivers crime fiction workshops. She is also a judge for this year's Jhalak Prize.
She is writing book two of the Toks Ade Mystery series and the first of her contemporary crime cosy, The London House Mystery series.
WENDY H. JONES
Wendy H. Jones is a multi-award-winning Scottish author of crime thrillers, cozy mysteries, young adult mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers.
She hosts The Writing and Marketing Show podcast, is an acclaimed international public speaker and is a writing and marketing coach. In addition, she runs Scott and Lawson Publishing and is a partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats.
She is represented by Amy Collins of Talcott Notch Agency in the USA.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Please submit the opening chapter of up to 3,000 words as a PDF + a short synopsis (one document). If you have more than one chapter within the word count, please submit the first 3,000 words of your novel. If the opening chapter (including any prologue) is longer than 3,000, please only submit up to the word count.
Do not include your name on the entry (including the file name) as all entries will be judged anonymously.
Use the title of your novel as the filename.
Your entry must be a work of fiction and aimed at adults.
Your entry can be part of a larger work that is self-published, newly published (from 1st January 2023) or unpublished.
Your novel should be complete.
Format your manuscript by using double or 1.5 line spacing. Use a standard font and font size 12 and standard margins.
All entries must be sent electronically - no postal submissions allowed.
All entries must be in English.
All entries must be the author's own work, and not generated by AI.
Please submit your biography (one page only) as a separate document within your submission.
Writers must be 16 or over.
*Entry fee is non-refundable*
All entries must be accompanied by proof of PayPal purchase.
The Entry Fee is £11.00
Deadline
30th June 2024
23:59 GMT
Please email your documents as attachments, as a PDF as well as your Paypal receipt/ screenshot to novellondon@gmail.com
*By entering, you agree to be contacted about relevant workshops and events connected to Novel London.
As with all of our events over the past few years, please note that we will be asking writers who make the long list for a blurb of their novel and a profile picture, which will be used for publicity on the Novel London website and social media platforms. All short-listed writers will be asked to come and join us for the evening of readings which will take place as part of the festival and culminates with the prize being announced.
Novel London Literary Competition 2024 Entry Fee
£11.00
QuantityComing soonPrevious winners' feedback
The winners below were all a part of the Novel London Literary Competition and part of the Novel London Literary Festival. Here is what they have to say!
Radostina Adriana - Winner of NLLC 2023
Winning first place at the Novel London Competition last year was a much needed boost. We writers are not usually known for massive heaps of confidence as writing can be such a solitary experience. But getting this wonderful recognition really made me feel like my voice was getting heard and that there was something in the story that was worth exploring further. It was wonderful to meet all the other extremely talented writers on the shortlist too. This year, my debut historical novel is getting published and the confidence gained during last year's competition will keep me in good stead as I share my writing with the world. I am hugely grateful to the team behind the Novel London Competition for giving me such a wonderful opportunity and for supporting my writing.
All budding writers out there should consider submitting their writing to this and other competitions because there's no better way of seeing whether readers connect with your writing. Even if it might feel daunting, you never know unless you try!
Mikela Bond - Runner Up NLLC 2022
I first saw an advert for the Novel London Literary Competition on social media and decided to enter my novel The Hollow Hours. When the longlist was announced, I was thrilled to see my name there and to be asked to provide a photo and a short bio to be used if I was lucky enough to make the shortlist.
When Safeena announced that there would be an opportunity for all those shortlisted to read at the festival, I knew I’d love to attend. The opportunity to go to London and to meet the other shortlisted writers was really valuable and I enjoyed listening to their readings and having the opportunity to share my own work with an audience. It was especially lovely to have the readings streamed online so that family and friends could support from afar.
Being the runner up for Novel London 2022 was a real honour. The prize included lunch with literary agent Elise Dillsworth who was welcoming and supportive, encouraging me to keep going with my writing. Since winning second prize in this competition, I have won the New Anglia Manuscript Prize and am now represented by literary agent Emma Shercliff at Laxfield Literary Agency.
To anyone who is wondering whether they should take the plunge and submit their writing to competitions, my advice is just go for it! You never know where it will take you."
Bren Gosling - Winner of NLLC 2021
Winning Novel London Literary Competition in 2021 was a huge boost to my confidence as a writer.
Part of the prize was mentoring sessions with published crime writer Nadine Matheson. The process of re writing my novel with Nadine’s support taught me so much about my own writing and about the publishing industry in general.
Ailsing Watters - Winner of NLLC 2020
The Novel London Award was a very significant milestone in my writing journey. Through the competition, I met my agent Elise Dillsworth who was one of the judges.
A part of the prize was a manuscript assessment with Faber Academy, which was very helpful in shedding light on ways to improve my work.
I would encourage all writers to enter this competition as you never know what doors might open and how much closer you will get to achieving your dream. And whatever the results the opportunity to interact with other writers can be great fun and very encouraging.
Melissa Addey - Winner of NLLC 2019
Winning the inaugural Novel London award was not only exciting but felt hugely validating of the stories I wanted to tell and how I had written them.
Since then, I've also attended other Novel London festivals and the readings, workshops and networking are fantastic: full of enthusiasm and love for storytelling, so it's been great to watch the award grow from strength to strength every year.
- Melissa Addey, www.MelissaAddey.com
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