We are delighted to announce The Book Edit Writers’ Prize will partner for a second year with Legend Press, one of the fastest-growing independent publishers in the UK.

All of us at Legend Press are thrilled to be partnering with The Book Edit for The Writer’s Prize 2024. It’s a true privilege to be part of an initiative that not only supports underrepresented authors but also brings fresh, vibrant voices to the forefront of the publishing industry. Our commissioning editor, Lauren Wolff-Jones, is especially excited to mentor and collaborate with some of this year’s outstanding talent.

The Writers’ Prize is an annual competition that aims to  help talented, writers, who might not otherwise have access to the industry, get their work in front of an audience of top literary agents.

Chosen from a writing competition for British and/or UK-based, unpublished novelists from backgrounds and communities currently under-represented in UK publishing, for the past three years, the competition has shone a light on exciting new talent. We look forward to uncovering even more amazing voices this year.

While past winners of The Book Edit Writers’ Prize have gone on to sign with literary agents and publish books, it’s not just about the winners. Many have spoken about what the prize has meant for their writing journeys, writers such as Zeynep Kazmaz (longlisted in 2023) who was subsequently longlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries 2024:

Thank you so much for your initial encouragement of my work, it has honestly meant a lot to me and has really encouraged me to pursue writing further! 

This year’s prize will launch on 1 September with a deadline of October 15. The eight winners of the competition will get to present their work at an online showcase in front of invited industry guests and an anthology of their work and a recording of the showcase will feature on our site.

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 part of the partnership with Legend Press, Commissioning Editor Lauren Wolff-Jones will read all the winner’s first chapters and give individual feedback and advice via Zoom.

And as an added benefit this year, we will also record and spotlight the shortlisted entries to increase exposure for more writers.

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

Look out for further announcements about this year’s amazing judge via our website and email campaigns, and book mark 1st September when the competition opens.

We look forward to immersing ourselves in the novel submissions of this year’s writers!