The UK’s largest publisher, Penguin Random House UK, is looking for new and under-represented writers and illustrators from London and the South East to apply to its WriteNow programme.
On Saturday 8 September, in partnership with Spread the Word, Penguin Random House will be hosting a free workshop at its office in London for 50 writers about how to get their book published, with advice and insights from established authors, literary agents and other industry experts. The event will also give each attendee the unique opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback from a Penguin Random House editor on their manuscript.
WriteNow is Penguin Random House’s flagship campaign which aims to seek out, mentor and publish new and under-represented voices on the UK’s bookshelves. This includes writers and picture book illustrators from BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) or LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer) communities, those who have a disability, or come from a socio-economically marginalised background.
Penguin Random House is calling for unpublished writers in fiction, non-fiction, and children’s/Young Adult genres, as well as illustrators of children’s picture books, who consider themselves under-represented in publishing to apply. 50 talented writers will be invited to attend the free workshop in London in September, with 10 illustrators invited to attend the Nottingham event. The application period is open until midnight on Monday 9 July (for writers) and midnight on Monday 23 July (for illustrators), with further information about how to apply available at www.write-now.live.
WriteNow is already achieving real change: of the 23 writers who are currently part of the WriteNow mentoring programme, five have already been offered publishing deals, with the first book by a mentee – Charlene Allcott’s The Reinvention of Martha Ross – published in July this year. You can read more from mentee Kirsty Capes here: https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/an-interview-with-kirsty-capes/
Published 21 May 2018