Blue Pencil Agency Pitch Prize 2024
The Prize is open to unrepresented writers in any adult fiction genre
The BPA Pitch Prize 2024
Competition for unagented writers looking for representation for a work of fiction.
Judge: Katie Greenstreet, Paper Literary
Prize: Up to 10 winners:
Pitch your novel to Katie. Editorial feedback and recommendations. Industry insights and advice on next steps.
Sign up for a live Q & A with Katie on Tuesday October 8 from 6 pm.
Purchase a recording of a tutorial on Hooks, Pitches and Openings with Emma Darwin
Submission:
First 500 words of your opening chapter
300 word synopsis
Cover letter to include your pitch
Online entry via BPA websit
Entry fee: £12 for each submission. Online entry only
BPA Pitch Prize 2023
£12.00
Timetable
Entries Open: August 24, 2024
Entries Close: October 25, 2024
Readers Choice Voting: November 15 – 29, 2024
Winners Announced: December 2024
Prize: One to One Pitch Meetings with Katie on zoom for up to 10 winners in January/February 2025.
Before entering, please ensure to familiarise yourself with the Rules, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Policies. Entering the BPA Pitch Prize is taken as your full agreement.
After Payment, you will see a button labelled ‘ Click here to download’, at the Order Complete page.
Click on it to download the PDF file which includes a link to the submission page.
The link will also be in the email that will be sent after payment.
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.
• the makings of an original and compelling story.
• an attention grabbing first paragraph.
Eligibility
- Authors must be over 18 years old at the time of entry.
- The Prize is open to unrepresented authors of fiction at the closing date of October 25, 2024.
- Clients of BPA who have been mentored for more than six months are not eligible to enter.
- Writers must advise the organisers if they accept representation during the judging period.
- Published authors are accepted as long as they don’t have an agent.
- The first 10,000 words must have been completed at the closing date of October 25, 2024.
- Entrants may submit more than one pitch 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.
- Judge’s decision is final. Judge is 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, entrants are agreeing for BPA to keep a record of their email 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
- Please enter through the link on our website (from PayPal, you will be redirected to the submission form).
- Upload your first 500 words plus a 300 word synopsis and a covering letter with some brief information about yourself/your career as a writer.
- Please ensure that the file name is the title of the story.
- 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 publication history and the genre of your novel if applicable (e.g. uplit, romance, contemporary, historical, psychological thriller, fantasy, crime, women’s, literary), as well as your pitch.
- 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.
Assistance to writers on low incomes or from under-represented backgrounds
We’re offering a minimum of 20 free entries for UK based writers on low incomes or from communities currently under-represented in publishing.
Applications will be reviewed and the most promising submissions will be selected by the BPA team.
Please click here to Contact BPA with your application and, if relevant, proof of financial eligibility such as: Jobseeker’s Allowance; Disability Benefit; Income Support; Working Tax Credit; Child Tax Credit; proof of being a full-time student; Housing Benefit; proof of being a full-time carer.
All details will be kept confidential.
Emma’s Tips for the Cover letter
“Basics”: key information about the novel
title; fiction or non-fiction; broad genre; no of words written to date; estimated length of novel when completed
“Hook Paragraph”: what will compel the reader to keep reading?
the reader’s avatar in the story (main character); main reason for acting, main problem; context and setting of story
“Further Info”: what will sell you and the book to the reader (& to the agent as representative reader)
who the writer is & where the story came from; comparators: what are your potential future readers reading now?; who the agent is and what they like
2024 Pitch Prize Judge
Katie Greenstreet joined Paper Literary in 2022. A corporate lawyer by training, she worked for several large law firms before making the leap into publishing. She started her career in books as an assistant at ICM Partners in New York, where she supported a list of Booker, Pulitzer, and Nobel Prize-winning authors.
She then moved to London and joined C&W, where she began building her own list while also working alongside Sue Armstrong and Sophie Lambert. At C&W, Katie discovered her passion for amplifying undiscovered voices and for getting stuck into projects editorially.
At every step of the publication process, Katie prioritises the reach and longevity of her authors’ careers, and she is especially looking for clients with whom she can build enduring, long-term relationships. She has sold six and seven figure deals in the US and UK.
“I’m currently looking for literary suspense, upmarket commercial crime and thriller with big hooks, unique settings, and unforgettable voices, and historical fiction that transcends the genre and shines a light on contemporary themes. While I don’t represent genre romance, I am desperate to find a sweeping literary love story – the more tragic, the better, in my eyes. Themes that tend to unite my list are feminist perspectives, touches of darkness, and an element of escapism and/or glamour.”
I would say to any writer, keep going. Keep honing your craft. I’ve invested a lot in my writing journey, from courses to mentoring to entering prizes, all have led me here and hopefully beyond. As for the pitch itself, a good hook will get you far, as will a sharp sentence that gets right to the heart of the story. Undoubtedly, one of the biggest benefits of the BPA Pitch Prize is to see if your story has enough potential before you fully invest in it. As a writer with five manuscripts in a drawer I really needed that!” selected_icon=”1″ website_url=”#” image_width=”100px” image_height=”100px” image_spacing_bottom=”20px” name_bottom_spacing=”15px” title_bottom_spacing=”20px” _builder_version=”4.10.4″ _module_preset=”default” name_font=”|700|||||||” name_text_color=”#303030″ name_font_size=”1rem” title_font=”|700|||||||” title_text_color=”#2c3b81″ border_radii_image=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” global_colors_info=”{}”][/ba_testimonial]
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