Novel London began as a monthly book reading event in London's bookshops and has worked with and promoted over 100 emerging and established writers since 2015. Since transitioning online, it is now a yearly literary competition and festival, which focuses on the novel. Newly published, unpublished and self-published novels are all welcome.
Novel London Literary Festival was held online on Saturday 2nd October 2021.
Join Nadine Matheson and Rupi Gohlar in a discussion on how mentoring can build your confidence and develop your craft.
Nadine Matheson is crime writer and a Criminal Solicitor. In 2016, she won the City University Crime Writing Competition and completed the Creative Writing (Crime/Thriller Novels) MA at City University of London with Distinction in 2018. She is the author of Jigsaw Man.
Rupi Gohar won the second prize at last year's Novel London literary competition and has been mentored by Nadine Matheson on her debut novel, Same Same But Different.
Hate filling out forms? Want to get on with the writing process but don’t know what support is available? Unsure if you are eligible for that support anyway? In this talk, you will hear an introduction to Arts Council funding programmes, along with some ideas of how you might approach applying for funding for your writing.
Elizabeth Briggs works part time for Arts Council England as a Literature Relationship Manager in London and the surrounding areas. She is also Senior Editor and Rights Manager at independent publisher Saqi Books, founded in 1983 and based in West London. She works on titles across all three imprints, Saqi, Telegram and The Westbourne Press. Her writing has been published in magazines including Moxy Magazine, TACO! and The Punch Magazine, and her chapbook, This Work of Art, was brought by the A3 Press in 2020. She has volunteered with various book and literacy initiatives including The Feminist Library.
Join Christine Green talking about how to pitch to an agent.
Christine started her career as a junior editor at the distinguished publishing house of Faber and Faber; from there she joined the John Johnson literary agency which handled writers such as Dick Francis, Clare Francis and D M Thomas – and where she first met Maeve Binchy. There started a friendship which lasted more than thirty years. Christine formed her own agency in 1984, since when she has worked closely with a small number of clients, among them many prize-winning and best- selling writers.
Sairish Hussain was born and brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Huddersfield and progressed onto an MA in Creative Writing.
She is the author of The Family Tree, and judge for this year's Novel London Literary Competition. She is also represented by Christine Green. Sairish is currently working on her second book.
Followed by a Q&A session.
Judged by Sairish Hussain, Okechukwu Nzelu and Jon Barton, once again this year's Novel London Literary Competition was open to international entries.
Join us for an evening of readings from the shortlistees: Arathi Menon, Beatrice Green, Bren Gosling, Carol Cooper, Gail Aldwin and Thomas McKenzie and find out who are this year's top three winners.
FIRST PRIZE
Novel London Trophy
£500 Cash Prize
+ 6 month Writing Mentorship with Nadine Matheson
SECOND PRIZE
£300 Cash
+ an assessment on your pitch (the first three chapters and synopsis) by Christine Green
THIRD PRIZE
£100 Cash
+ 2 coaching sessions with writing coach, Melissa Addey
Novel London Competition 2021 Winners
We had over 300 entries this year and we are proud to present this year's winners of the Novel London Literary Competition.
Bren Gosling
1st Prize
Bren Gosling is an Alumnus of City University’s Novel Studio. Shortlisted for Exeter Novel Prize. Finalist for Luke Bitmead Award. Bren’s writing appears in numerous anthologies including The London Short Story Prize and Brighton Prize. He is three times winner of City Writes Short Story competition. Last year, in 2020, he made the shortlist to the Novel London Literary Competition.His play Moment of Grace inspired by Princess Diana’s opening of Britain’s first AIDS Unit won the 2020 NO: INTERMISSION One Act Play Competition.
Bren’s play PROUD inspired by The Street Sweeper runs at New Wimbledon Theatre Autumn ‘21.
Thomas McKenzie
2nd Prize
"When it came time to compose my first novel, I decided to ‘write what I know.’ So I told a story of the people I’ve known. A tale racism and loss, of ignorance and manipulation, hope and hatred. I wanted to talk about the people who’ve been caught up in webs of power. In thinking about them—and the men who sometimes dominate these poor souls—the most realistic image I could imagine was of the immortal vampire. I’ve known vampires, I’ve worked for them, and I’ve even been a bit of one myself. This vampire story, Rector, is my attempt to tell the truth in the most honest way I can: as a tale of the undead."
- Thomas McKenzie, 2021
Arathi Menon
3rd Prize
Arathi Menon is an author and a columnist based in London. Pan Macmillan, India published her first book, a memoir, Leaving Home With Half A Fridge.
Her middle grade novel, A Mystery at Lili Villa was published by Yali Books in July 2021. She has had a few short stories published and been on a few longlists and shortlists including the Penguin Write Now programme, Faber FAB Prize, Ivan Juritz Prize, United Agents 100X100, the BPA First Novel Award. She completed her MA in Creative Writing Prose Fiction from UEA.
Okechukwu Nzelu is a writer and teacher.
In 2015 he was the recipient of a New Writing North Award.
In 2020 his debut novel, The Private Joys of Nnenna Maloney, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the Betty Trask Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize, and the Polari First Book Prize.
He lives in Manchester and is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Lancaster University.
Photo credit: Martin Glackin
Sairish Hussain was born and brought up in Bradford, West Yorkshire. She studied English Language and Literature at the University of Huddersfield and progressed onto an MA in Creative Writing.
Sairish completed her PhD in 2019 after being awarded the university's Vice-Chancellor's Scholarship. Her debut novel, The Family Tree, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, and longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award.
She is now writing her second book.
Jon Barton edits for The Literary Consultancy and teaches for City Academy Ltd and Iconic Steps.
He is a London-based screenwriter with ten years’ experience as a dramatist, writing plays, continuing drama for the BBC, and new work for children and young people. His work has been produced onscreen and onstage at major London venues, including The Old Vic and The Almeida. He’s part of the BFI NETWORK x BAFTA Crew 2021, and his current spec screenplay was recently optioned by Northern Ireland Screen.
His debut novel, Dive, will be published next year.
*By filling out your details and sending them to us, you agree to be contacted
about relevant workshops and events connected to Novel London.
Aisling Watters
1st Prize
Novel London Trophy
- £500
+ Faber Academy Manuscript Assessment
Aisling Watters is twenty-eight. She lives in Wexford, south-east Ireland and she has a BA in English, Sociology and Politcs from NUI Galway and an MA in Modern and Contemporary Literature from University College Dublin.
She was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize in 2020 and is currently represented by Elise Dilsworth.
Rupi Gohlar
2nd Prize
£300
+ 6 month Writing Mentorship with Nadine Matheson
Rupi Gohar has BA in English Literature (2.1 with honours) from the University of Sheffield and postgraduate course in Journalism and Editorial training with the Trinity Mirror Group as well as a Novel Writing and Longer Works course at the City University of London. She worked as a Senior Journalist and Features Writer for a number of years before moving on to a career in Communications and PR.
Same Same But Different is her debut novel.
Simon Cowdroy
3rd Prize
- £100
+ Bespoke Coaching With Melanie Abraham of Renaissance One
Simon lives as part of a dog dominated family near Melbourne, Australia. He returned to fiction in 2017 after a long absence and in 2018 two of his initial pieces of Flash Fiction were published in Bath Anthology Three (one of which was highly commended). In 2019 he joined UK based @VirtualZine as senior editor/ reader. In 2020 he repeated his flash fiction success with a runner-up prize at Bath Flash Fiction out of 1461 entries.
His first crime novel, Cut of a Knife, was a Pitch Perfect finalist at Bloody Scotland in 2018.
PLEASE EMAIL YOUR ENTRY AND YOUR PAYPAL RECEIPT TO NOVELLONDON@GMAIL.COM
*By entering, you agree to be contacted about relevant workshops and events connected to Novel London.
Key dates confirmed so far:
31st July 2021 - Deadline for Entries.
4th September 2021 - Long-list will be announced.
Novel London Literary Festival - September 2021
As with all of our events over the past few years, please note that we will be asking writers who make the long-list for a blurb of their novel and a profile picture, which will be used for publicity on the Novel London website and social media platforms. All short-listed writers will be asked to come and join us for the evening of readings which will take place online as part of the festival and will culminate with the prize winners being announced.
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
EMAIL YOUR ENTRY AND YOUR PAYPAL RECEIPT TO NOVELLONDON@GMAIL.COM
*By entering, you agree to be contacted about relevant workshops and events connected to Novel London.
Key dates confirmed so far:
31st July 2021 - Deadline for Entries.
4th September 2021 - Long-list will be announced.
Novel London Literary Festival - September 2021
As with all of our events over the past few years, please note that we will be asking writers who have made the long-list for a blurb of their novel and a profile picture, which will be used for publicity on the Novel London website and social media platforms. All short-listed writers will be asked to come and join us for the evening of readings which will take place as part of the festival and culminates with the prize being announced.
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