TLC Pen Factor Writing Competition
We are delighted to be hosting for the fifth time the annual TLC Pen Factor Writing Competition, open to all writers writing fiction/non-fiction in English who submit with a previously unpublished work. The competition is open exclusively to ticketholders of the TLC Writers’ Day held on Saturday June 11th at Free Word Centre, London. The day will include access to three key publishing talks: How to Pitch (with Scott Pack), How to Publish (with Ben Galley) and How to Market (with CreateThinkDo).
The TLC Pen Factor Writing Competition attracts entries from across the UK, and has been generously sponsored in previous years by Kobo Writing Life, Urban Writers, Byte the Book and The Curved House. Prizes have included up to a year’s editorial support from The Literary Consultancy, digital marketing consultancy and advice, web presence consultations, free one-day writing retreats, an all expenses paid author photo shoot, and free e-reading devices. A shortlist of writers is selected each year to pitch live to an expert panel of agents for feedback. Previous judges include Patrick Walsh (Conville & Walsh), Tom Witcomb (Blake Friedmann), Hellie Ogden (Janklow & Nesbit) and editor of runaway bestseller Gone Girl Kirsty Dunseath (Orion).
Writers’ Day Saturday June 11th
Five TLC Pen Factor 2016 nfinalists will live-pitch to an expert industry panel at Writers’ Day, and receive feedback on their book pitch and short reading. Our panel of judges will include sought-after literary agent Juliet Mushens (United Talent Agency, clients include international bestselling author Jessie Burton, The Miniaturist) and publisher and editor Valerie Brandes (founder of Jacaranda Books). We are also pleased to invite as our special guest Guinevere Glasfurd, TLC Pen Factor Winner 2014 with her now-published novel The Words in My Hands (Two Roads), selected as The Times ‘Book of the Month’ for January 2016.
Submission Guidelines
Full submission guidelines will be issued once you have booked a ticket. The below is a summary of key points.
- The competition is for previously unpublished works of full-length fiction/non-fiction (no short stories, poetry or picturebooks)
- We require: your Writers’ Day booking reference number, a synopsis, cover letter addressed ‘Dear Agent’, brief biography, and the opening 2,000 words of your book sent to by no later than May 22nd
- A shortlist will be selected to present work to a panel of industry experts at the Writers’ Day and will be given live feedback
- Prizes to be announced shortly
- A full Writers’ Day programme with all the details of the event, and our 20th Birthday programme, can be found along with booking details here
