Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award 2021

The BPA First Novel Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre.

 

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the BPA First Novel Award 2021. Our judges this year were literary agent Hellie Ogden of Janklow & Nesbit and award-winning author Kiran Millwood-Hargrave. More than 1,100 entries were received from around the world with literary and commercial fiction, including crime, historical and sci-fi, all represented. The standard of entries was higher than ever and it was difficult to land on a longlist of 24 titles and a shortlist of 6.

Congratulations to our winners and to all those listed. We are delighted for this year’s winner, Julia Kelly, who has accepted an offer of representation from Hellie with her immersive story of a mother’s loss. The judges were also blown away by Anna Richmond’s compulsive tale of a monster in the Thames and Loretta Chefchaouni‘s strikingly original teen detective narrative.

Many thanks to all who entered. We took such pleasure in reading each entry and wish you all the best with your writing.

Submissions for the 2022 First Novel Award will open in January 2022.

BPA First Novel Award – Hellie Ogden, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave, Julia Kelly, Anna Richmond, Loretta Chefchaouni

WINNER

Julia Kelly

The Lost Child

Book Club Fiction

£1,000 cash prize and introduction to Hellie Ogden

BPA First Novel Award – Winner, Julia Kelly

When a young boy washes up onto the beach with no memory, Dorothy is shocked by the resemblance he has to her son who drowned twenty years before, at the same age. She agrees to look after him.

 

Judges’ Comments

Kiran: From those opening pages you’re completely immersed in such a rich setting filled with characters you ache to know more about.

Hellie: Stunning and heart-breaking in equal measure, every single word stays with you.

 

 

Julia Kelly is a mother, English teacher and writer whose work has been longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize, the Mslexia Award, and Penguin WriteNow. She lives in Herefordshire with her partner, daughter, and dog, all of whom are determined to distract her from writing.

Julia is represented by Hellie Ogden at Janklow & Nesbit.

RUNNER UP

Anna Richmond

Tide-Turner

Speculative

Introduction to Hellie Ogden and manuscript review

BPA First Novel Award – Anna Richmond

Imogen’s life splinters in the instant her son is snatched from the bank of the Thames, dragged back into the water by a huge, serpentine creature. Should she tell the truth about what she saw?

 

Judges’ Comments

Hellie: Anna builds a story of a monster and a family unravelling with a terrifying suspense that keeps you on edge.

Kiran: Her writing is urgent and powerful which perfectly captures the mother who, at the heart of this story, is desperate to be believed.

 

 

Anna Richmond is a freelance copywriter and Programme Manager at a London-based education charity. Her short story ‘Hand Raised’ was published in Breakwater Review, while others have been long-listed for the Desperate Literature Short Story Prize and the Alpine Fellowship Writing Prize. Tide-Turner is Anna’s first novel, written while taking part in the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course.

HIGHLY COMMENDED

Loretta Chefchaouni

Afterdeath

YA Mystery

Introduction to Hellie Ogden

BPA First Novel Award – Loretta Chefchaouni

Jannat hears the voices of the dead in Barzakh, the Islamic after realm. She helps her detective dad solve murders but is haunted by the one case she can never solve—her mother’s.

 

Judges’ Comments

Kiran: Such a cleverly imagined plot with a main character so full of energy and heart.

Hellie: Loretta’s writing confidently layers an eerie story with a tenderness and warmth that moves you just as much as it excites you.

 

 

Loretta Chefchaouni lives in Florida. A former early childhood educator, she now spends her days writing young adult books with a little creepiness and a lot of heart. Her novels have placed in competitions such as: Revpit (2018 winner), WriteMentor Children’s Novel Award (2019 shortlist) LERA’s The Writer award (2020 finalist). She is an alum of the PitchWars mentorship contest (2020), and a fellow in the Highlights Foundation’s Muslim Storytellers Fellowship (2021).

SHORTLISTED TITLES

Natalie Bayley

Bone Rites

Suspense

BPA First Novel Award – Natalie Bayley

A journalist investigates why DNA tests on an antique skeleton prove each of its bones came from a different person – in 1925, Dr. Kathryn Davenport tells of the loss that led her to collect each bone amidst the horrors of WWI. 

 

Judges’ Comments

Hellie: Completely gripping from the get-go, Natalie deftly builds such a complex story that has you rooting for a character you know you shouldn’t.

Kiran: We loved the chilling voice and strong sense of place her writing offers.

 

 

Nat Bayley is an English-Australian writer and teacher, whose satirical opinion column is published monthly in the Sydney magazine, The Beast. A psychology graduate of Leeds University, she’s also completed editing courses with Curtis Brown and Writing NSW and was longlisted for the 2019 BPA First Novel Award. Bone Rites was written in a cave by an ocean pool.

SHORTLISTED TITLES

Jodie Matthews

A Single Drop of Sea

Literary Horror

BPA First Novel Award – Jodie Matthews

When Merryn returns home to Bodmin Moor for her childhood sweetheart’s memorial, the folklore she learnt as a child becomes more real than ever, and she struggles to escape the haunting of her past.

 

Judges’ Comments

Kiran: The setting is so rich and memorable, it really gives the characters and plot a true depth.

Hellie: A really beautiful idea exploring memories, secrets and identity being tied up in the land.

 

 

Jodie Matthews is a queer Cornish writer, poet and book reviewer. Her poetry and personal essays have been published in various independent publications, including Ramona Mag and Cunning Folk. Her debut novel, A Single Drop of Sea, has also been shortlisted for the Bath Novel Awards. She won a year’s membership to The London Library from author Jessie Burton, to further her research. Whilst growing up on Bodmin Moor, she developed a fascination with the Beast of Bodmin and all things folklore. Her writing explores the uncanny, liminal spaces and the small terrors of identity. She is represented by Liv Maidment from the Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency.

SHORTLISTED TITLES

Douglas Westerbeke

A Short Walk Through a Wide World

Magical Realism

BPA First Novel Award – Douglas Westerbeke

In a market in 1920s Siam, Aubry is stricken with a terrible sickness. She swims to a river ferry where a New Zealand family pulls her onboard. Grateful, strangely cured, she tells them her story.

 

Judges’ Comments

Hellie: In awe of such a visceral opening, so cleverly written.

Kiran: You can feel the shock and tension in the atmosphere as the narrator tells her story.

 

 

Douglas Westerbeke began writing screenplays, several of which have been finalists in over a dozen competitions, four of those optioned in Hollywood. He also works at one of the largest libraries in the United States and has spent the last eight years on the local panel of the International Dublin Literary Award, reading current literary novels and nominating the best for selection. It is this experience that has inspired him to write his own novels.

LONGLISTED TITLES AND AUTHORS

Another Kind of Life

Da

Daughters of the Field

Dieback

Down Came a Blackbird

Godfellas

Hayseeds

Hiraeth

Kanzan

Master Mistress

Miles Away

Quarehawks

Rock, Sky, Girl

Social Death

The Cameo Thief

The Heaven Born

The Street Sweeper

Wednesday Morning

Gift Nyoni

Arathi Menon

Carrie Maestas

Gina de Ferrer

Julie Holden

Nicola Whyte

Karen Ashe

Ali Norell

Sara Jane Potter

Jennifer Noon

Rebecca Lewis

Fearghal Hall

Mark Schimmoeller

Johanna Spiers

Sally Harris

Glenda Cooper

Bren Gosling

Tom Powell

‘I was so close to not entering the BPA First Novel Award as I have really struggled with confidence this year. It seems incredible to me that I was longlisted, then shortlisted and that now, not only have I won but Hellie has offered representation. I had bookmarked Hellie as someone I was very keen to query when the time came and to find myself in this position is absolutely wonderful. I am so grateful to BPA, to Kiran and to Hellie for the incredible opportunities that have arisen out of my application, as well as the utter thrill of knowing that you all loved my work. It will be a long time before I stop pinching myself.’

Julia Kelly, winner of the BPA First Novel Award 2021

JUDGES

____________

Hellie Ogden

_______

Literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit

Hellie Ogden featured in the Bookseller Rising Stars List and was shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize. She represents a number of Sunday Times bestsellers and award winning writers across genres. She often speaks at writing conferences and mentors debut writers. Hellie represents fiction, children’s books and non-fiction and enjoys novels with bold storytelling, moving prose and vivid, thought-provoking characters. As an editorially focused agent, she has a keen interest in helping to develop and nurture debut writers. Follow her on Twitter @hellieogden.

Kiran Millwood-Hargrave

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Author of The Mercies, Julia and the Shark, The Girl of Ink & Stars and more

Kiran Millwood-Hargrave is the bestselling, award-winning author of novels for children and adults. Her first novel for adults, The Mercies, debuted as a Sunday Times bestseller and a number one Times bestseller. It was chosen as an NYT Notable Book of 2020, and has been translated into over twenty languages, winning Le Prix Rive Gauche à Paris for best translated novel. Her latest novel Julia and the Shark was the Bookseller’s Editor’s Choice for September. Kiran reads avidly and widely, and is an encourager of fellow authors, undertaking mentorship of writers from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds. She has previously been a judge for the Costa Book Awards, Mslexia Novel Writing Competition, the Times Chicken House Award, the Jhalak Prize, and the British Book Awards.

What we’re looking for:

• any genre with the exception of children’s fiction and non-fiction. YA is permitted provided there is an adult crossover.
• a strong voice.
• an original and unforgettable story that grips the reader.
• an attention grabbing first paragraph.

Eligibility
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  • Authors must be over 18 years old at the time of entry.
  • The Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors of fiction at the closing date of May 31.
  • Clients of BPA who have had full manuscript reviews are not eligible to enter however those who have been to a retreat or workshop are still eligible providing they did not follow up with an editorial service.
  • Writers must advise the organisers if they accept representation during the judging period or win any other prizes. They may still be eligible for the Award.
  • Self-published authors are accepted. Entrants who have had other types of books published such as non fiction, memoir or poetry are also eligible.
  • The novel must be completed or close to completion at the closing date of May 31.
  • Long-listed or short-listed entries in other competitions are eligible.
  • Entrants may submit more than one novel but as separate entries.
  • Entries must be written in English.
  • Entries can only be submitted electronically via this site and payment made via PayPal.
  • Entrants may withdraw entries but fees cannot be refunded.
  • Judges’ decision is final. Judges are unable to comment on individual entries.
  • Copyright remains with the author, however we reserve the right to publish extracts of up to 300 words on our website as well as the opening lines on twitter.
  • By submitting their manuscript, entrants are agreeing for BPA to keep a record of their e-mail address for marketing purposes only. This information will not be shared with third parties. Entrants can unsubscribe from all communication at any time.

How to submit
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  • Please enter through the link on our website
  • Download your opening chapter or chapters up to 5000 words plus a 300 word synopsis and a covering letter with some information about yourself/career as a writer.
  • Please ensure that the file name is the title of the story and ensure that this is also in the subject line of your email.
  • Entries must be in either a doc., docx, or pdf. No other formats will be accepted.
  • Entries must be double spaced in a clear font (Times New Roman or similar) and pages numbered.
  • The novel’s title must be on every page but your name should not appear anywhere on the story.
  • The covering letter should include the following details: your name, the title of your novel, your email address and telephone number, a brief CV or publication history and the genre of your novel if applicable (e.g. uplit, romance, contemporary, historical, psychological thriller, fantasy, crime, women’s, literary)
  • Go to the Shop page and click on the paypal button to pay the fee.
  • If payment is made using a different name, it is essential you include that name in the email you send with the story.

ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED.

THANK YOU TO ALL WRITERS FOR THEIR SUBMISSIONS

Letty Butler
2022 Pitch Prize Winner
The 1-2-1 session with Hattie Grünewald as a result of winning the BPA Pitch Prize was invaluable. She offered real insight into the pitching process, as well as astute, detailed feedback on my synopsis. The whole experience gave me the confidence to submit my work to twelve other agents, eight of whom requested the full manuscript. I am delighted to say I have signed with Alexander Cochrane at C&W Agency. I honestly don’t think I would have had the courage without the accolade and experience under my belt. Thank you BPA!
Natalie Bayley
2021 First Novel Award Shortlist
Thank you all so much for all your help and encouragement over the years. My novel, Bone Rites, first longlisted by you in 2019 then shortlisted in 2021, is going to be published by Aurora Metro books this October, after winning the 2022 Virginia Prize for Fiction. It’s been a long road, but from the moment you chose one of my sentences as one of your #BPAfavouritelines, I’ve had faith in this book!
Karen Pierce
2022 First Novel Award Runner-Up
I’m delighted to announce that I’m now represented by Katie Fulford of Bell Lomax. She is my dream agent. Also thank you so much for the manuscript review from BPA editor Frances Merivale. It was amazing – detailed and well thought out.
Thank you so much for the kickstart and for the support from Emma and the BPA team.
Tracy Coker
First Novel Award 2022 Winner
I submitted my entry to the BPA First Novel Award in February, thinking…why not? Never did I imagine that seven months later, I would receive a call from Emma Haynes, telling me that I was the winner. I’m thrilled that the judges enjoyed my story, and I’m super excited to be represented by Rowan Lawton at The Soho Agency. Thank you BPA for giving unpublished writers like me (who might have been querying agents unsuccessfully for years), this incredible opportunity to expose our work. Winning this contest has brought me one step closer to my dream of having my novel, White Yams published internationally. I couldn’t be more grateful!
Amy Twigg
2021 Pitch Prize Winner

“Entering the Pitch Prize has proven to be a wonderful experience. Not only did winning it give me a much-needed morale boost, but Blue Pencil Agency’s continued support and an introduction by Emma Haynes eventually led to me signing with my wonderful agent, Charlotte Seymour of Johnson & Alcock. To anyone unsure of entering: bet on yourself and your writing, and know that you will be in a safe pair of hands with the Blue Pencil Agency team.”

Amy was a Pitch Prize 2021 winner with the opening of her novel, The Mouth That Swallows. She was also longlisted for the First Novel Award 2022.
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Penny Y

Thank you so much for your help again, it’s lovely to feel supported in this process & I’m sure having the BPA pitch prize on my cv helped me get these agent offers so thank you for that as well!

Julia Kelly
2021 First Novel Award winner
I remember clearly wondering whether to send my manuscript to the Blue Pencil Award, and if it was ready. I am so glad I did – seeing my name on first the longlist, and then the short list was an incredible feeling. It was encouragement and validation, however subjective we all know it is, for something undertaken in isolation and often uncertainty. Winning it was a game-changer for me. The team at BPA seemed almost as excited as I was! Hellie Ogden offered me representation and I am now working with her as my wonderful agent on what I hope will become my debut novel. It is quite literally a dream come true.
Julia Kelly was the winner of the 2021 Award for The Lost Child. She is represented by Hellie Ogden.
Caroline Georgieff

Pitch Prize Longlist 2020

I love the BPA competitions for the following reasons:

1. The BPA team’s creative spirit and enthusiasm – sharing success stories that motivate and inspire writers on their journey.

2. The competitions are open to writers worldwide.

3. The competition includes the cover letter in the ‘submission package’. (Most competitions don’t include this but I enjoy the opportunity to pitch the novel and include comparisons and why the writer feels passionate about their story.)

4. The professional and personal response to queries.

Roisin Lanigan
2020 First Novel Award Winner

I entered the BPA First Novel Award having never properly shared my fiction with anyone before, and not really knowing what to expect. It was without a doubt the best twenty quid I’ve ever spent. 

First making the longlist — and then the shortlist! — was such a huge vote of confidence in my writing style and the story I was trying to tell with Brotherhood and to actually win was unreal. It helped not just in cementing my confidence in my writing (and silencing my imposter syndrome) but it also inspired me to keep working on my manuscript and to stick to deadlines when it came to editing. 

Winning during the pandemic made things feel even more unreal, but even though I couldn’t meet the Blue Pencil team in person, I felt incredibly supported and involved and was then able to meet one of the judges, FBA’s Carrie Plitt, over Zoom to discuss my manuscript. Carrie’s continued guidance and expertise (and the depth of feedback of the rest of the BPA First Novel Award judging team) was really invaluable and helped me to see my work through a new perspective, whilst supporting me to get it ready for publication. 

I am over the moon to now be signed to FBA with Carrie, and I cannot wait to see where things go next. Without sounding too cliche, it really does feel like a new beginning in terms of publishing Brotherhood and in my fiction career, and I am so pleased I decided to enter last year. It really has been an incredible experience from start to finish. 

Roisin Lanigan was the winner of the 2020 Award for Brotherhood. She is represented by Carrie Plitt

Carole Hailey

I am emailing to thank you so much for taking a chance on me and telling Marina de Pass about my novel, The Silence Project. As of this week, Marina is now my agent and I am thrilled!

Because the novel was shortlisted for The Bridport Prize and was my London Library Emerging Writer submission, it was also seen by agents at A.M.Heath, but Marina has given me such brilliant feedback and encouragement that I have no doubt that she will be my ideal agent.

It’s all because of you. And the novel didn’t even make the longlist for the BPA First Novel Award, so doubly thank you for making the introduction.

Katy McNair
First Novel Award Winner 2019

“I was two months into maternity leave with my second child when I decided to enter the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award. Maybe that’s not the obvious time to write a novel, but the competition offered me everything I needed to make that £20 investment in my writing; a deadline to work towards, an achievable word count, and the chance to have my work read by an agent with a fantastic reputation. Making the longlist was a huge vote of confidence. It inspired me to work harder. To actually win felt unreal. Before I knew it, I was taking my baby boy on a trip to London to meet the lovely BPA team. Nelle Andrews not only offered me valuable feedback but signed me as a client, which is truly a dream come true. Now, I’m excited to be working towards finishing the manuscript with a view to submitting it to publishers. I’ll always be grateful that the award prompted me to take that important first step.”

 

Katy McNair was the winner of the 2019 Award for her speculative novel The Price of Blood. She is represented by Nelle Andrew
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Thecla Condon
2019 Runner Up
“I entered my novel without expectation, and I am so grateful the (lovely) people at Blue Pencil Agency and the judges saw its potential. Their investment in my characters was an absolute highlight. The whole experience, from the tweeted lines to the long and short-listings has given me renewed energy and ambition for my novel, and now there are people waiting to read it (this competition gets noticed). The editorial review is a really valuable prize for any writer, and a great personal deadline. Whatever stage your work is at – polished to perfection or diamond-rough – do give it a go!”
Thecla Condon was runner up in the 2019 Award. She is working on her novel Tell All the Bees and will have the manuscript reviewed by one of our editors later next year.

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Neil Daws
Highly Commended 2019

“Entering the Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award has taken my writing life to a higher level. Self-doubt had stopped me before but just submitting something I thought had potential gave me satisfaction. The excitement of reaching the long list was only tempered by the discipline of the next deadline but then surpassed by the thrill of seeing my name on the short list and finally achieving Highly Commended. I was astounded to hear that agent Nelle Andrew wanted to meet me and elated to then sign with Nelle and begin editing my debut novel. Without the fantastic opportunity the Award offered I would not be on course to achieve my dream so everyone at Blue Pencil has my gratitude.”

Neil was Highly Commended and shortlisted for the 2019 Award. He is represented by Nelle Andrew of Peters, Fraser + Dunlop

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Gill Thompson
2017 Shortlist

I entered the Blue Pencil First Novel Award in 2017. The deadline provided me with much needed motivation, and the thrill of being placed was a great morale- booster. It gave me the confidence to submit my work to an agent and now that my novel The Oceans Between Us published by Headline, I realise how much gratitude I owe the agency for recognising its potential.

Sue Barsby
2018 Shortlist
“Hayley and I have been working on rewrites, especially around plot development. Her feedback has been so helpful in shaping the plot and developing the undercurrents that weren’t quite right – I’m really hoping I can do it all justice. It’s a massive step forward beyond where I’d ever got to before with my writing so I’m really grateful for the opportunity that came from the shortlisting!”
Sue Barsby was shortlisted in 2018. She is working on her novel Living in Twilight with Hayley Steed from Madeleine Milburn Agency.
Carolyn Kirby
2017 winner

“Winning the Award marked a real breakthrough in my writing life. The slightly overwhelming news that I had won first prize (I found myself shaking uncontrollably!) was followed by an exciting week involving a London photo-shoot with the judges, and the sight of my face in The Bookseller. The lovely Blue Pencil Agency team gave me the chance to meet the judges and to talk about my novel in some depth with agent Eve White. This was a fantastic opportunity and one that is rare in the writing prize world. Winning the Blue Pencil Agency competition gave me confidence that my novel is a good one and this, I would say, is the most valuable reward an aspiring writer can get.” February 2018.

Carolyn’s debut novel The Conviction of Cora Burns is out now. Her second novel When We Fall is coming in May 2020. She is represented by agent Andrew Lownie.

Jules Lampshire
2018 winner

“Unless I ever buy a winning lottery ticket the entry fee to the Blue Pencil First Novel Award will be the best investment of £20 I’ll ever make. Each stage has given me so much: the energy of a deadline to complete the first draft; the confidence boost of reaching the long list; the heady excitement of the short list announcement (coinciding with my birthday!) And now the thrilling opportunity to discuss my work with Madeleine Milburn and take the first steps towards launching my writing career. My heartfelt thanks to Sara, Emma, Fiona and Maddy.” December 2018

Jules is represented by Madeline Milburn. She is working on her debut novel My Poor Deluded Girl.