Client Ruby Speechley posts about her journey to landing an agent “It’s been a long journey to find the right agent, but once we connected, it was a fairly swift process. I’m delighted to have signed with Jo Bell and the team at Bell Lomax Moreton Literary Agency. There are so many people to thank…
Congratulations to our competition judge Madeleine Milburn for winning 2018 Agent of the Year at the prestigious British Book Awards on May 14. Madeleine is on somewhat of a roll having discovered this year’s leading new literary talent Elizabeth Macneal while reading for the Caledonia Award earlier this year. She recently oversaw a hotly contested…
Congratulations to last year’s winner of the Award, Carolyn Kirby whose historical thriller Half of You was recently acquired by No Exit Press in the UK and Commonwealth with North American rights snapped up by Dzanc Books. Caroline describes winning the Award as “a real breakthrough in my writing life.” She is represented by the…
We’re delighted to welcome Kirsty Dunseath, publisher of fiction at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, an imprint of the Orion Group, to our Wiltshire retreat on June 6. She’ll be talking to writers about the world of fiction publishing, what genres are selling and the importance of the hook and the pitch. She will look at an…
We’re delighted to welcome Claire to our Wiltshire retreat on June 5. Her first novel, Our Endless Numbered Days won the 2015 Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction and was a Richard and Judy Book Club book in 2016. Her second novel, Swimming Lessons was published in early 2017, and the third, Bitter Orange will…
For writers working on a novel or work of fiction – 5 day writing retreat with editorial support at a historic house in Wiltshire from Sunday June 3 to Friday June 8, 2018. Also includes workshops and dinners with best selling author Claire Fuller and Orion fiction publisher and editor, Kirsty Dunseath. Five night stay in a…
We asked author Fiona Mitchell, author of The Maids Room to give some tips to writers entering the 2018 competition: What will you be looking for in the competition line up? I’d love to see a brilliant character-led novel with a dynamic, original voice. I adore uplifting fiction, but am also a sucker for a book…
The Award is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre Following on from the success of our inaugural First Novel Award in 2017, we are asking for submissions for the 2018 Award. Winner: £1,000 + introduction to literary agent, Madeleine Milburn Runner Up: £250 + manuscript review from…
We asked Carolyn to tell us what winning the inaugural Award meant to her: “Winning the 2017 Bluepencilagency First Novel 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…
Friday 15 June, 2018 – 9.30 am to 4.00 pm, The University of Winchester, Hampshire STORY, STRUCTURE AND CHARACTER ARCS It’s a character’s desires, fears and actions that shape story. This workshop looks at how the protagonist’s character arc can give structure to a novel. Sara and Emma discuss what a central narrative is, and…