Mslexia newsletter

 Here is the latest Mslexia newsletter with writing opportunities and more:

Hello From major novel competitions to niche magazines, welcome to your October roundup of competitions and submissions.  And speaking of finding your next opportunity… 🍁 We’re thrilled to announce that the New Indie Press Guide, 5th Edition, is now available for pre-order! 🍁 If you’ve ever wondered how to get your manuscript into the right hands, this Guide is your ultimate roadmap to the thriving world of independent publishing. Inside you’ll find: – An introduction to the indie sector and what sets it apart – Practical guidance on how to approach and submit to small presses – A comprehensive, up-to-date directory of independent publishers and their contact details As literary agent Anna Webber notes, 'A lot of what is exciting, original and untested is being published by independent publishers.' Small presses are the home of creative risk-taking – so if your writing is difficult to place, this could be the resource you need. Pre-order your copy now to get it in time for Christmas. INDIE PRESS GUIDE

EXETER NOVEL PRIZE This prestigious prize (now run by Word Kitchen) invites writers without literary agents to submit the first 10,000 words and a synopsis of a novel in any genre, including children’s/YA. The judge is Hellie Ogden (WME), with first prize of £1,000; five finalists receive £100 each. Deadline: 1 Jan Entry fee: £20 Info here MSLEXIA SINGLE POEM An excellent option for poets at every career stage – our annual comp is open to unpublished poems of any length on any subject, and will be judged by Writers’ Prize winner Liz Berry. The top prize is £2,000, and we also have a £250 prize for the best previously unpublished poet. The four winners, plus 16 additional finalists will be published in the pages of Mslexia. Deadline: 8 Dec Entry fee: £10 Enter here BATH CHILDREN'S NOVEL AWARD Open to unpublished, self-published or independently published writers, this international prize invites entries in children’s and YA, chapter books or picture-book texts. Judges include Clare Wallace, and winners receive £5,000 and feedback. An excellent addition to the writing CV. Deadline: 30 Nov Entry fee: £29.99 Enter here MSLEXIA PAMPHLET Could this be your route to publication? Imtiaz Dhaker will be choosing the winner of the 2025 competition on behalf of Bloodaxe Books. Send your poetry pamphlet collections of up to 18-20 poems, of up to 24 pages and win yourself £500 plus publication by Bloodaxe Books. Imagine how good it would feel to hold your work in your hands like that?  Deadline: 8 Dec Entry fee: £20 Enter here BLOOD TREE LITERATURE    Blood Tree is dedicated to showcasing evocative writing that takes linguistic risks to push the boundaries of conventional language and genre. They want your best, unsharable, experimental, vulnerable writing of under 2,500 words or three poems. They pay US$10 for poetry, US$15 for fiction and nonfiction, US$20 for hybrid and experimental pieces.  Deadline: 30 Oct Submission fee: US$3 Submit here PENSTRICKEN If you're dipping your nib into flash fiction, this one's for you. With a low entry cost, this competition could be your opportunity for publication. Just send them a maximum of 1,000 words, making effective use of the concept of subtext. Deadline: 26 Oct Entry fee: £1.50 Enter here F(R)ICTION This triannual lit journal runs an autumn contest accepting short stories of 1,001–7,500 words, poetry up to three pages, and flash fiction up to 1,000 words. Top prize US$1,000 for short story; US$300 for flash/poetry. Deadline: 7 Nov Entry fee: US$15 Enter here FUNNY PEARLS  Funny Pearls publishes funny women telling true stories of under 2,000 words, cartoons, and short fiction of under 4,000 words. Submissions must be original and unpublished.  Deadline: Ongoing Submission fee: Free Submit here ARC POETRY  Arc Poetry magazine accepts pre­vi­ously unpub­lished poetry in English or pre­vi­ously unpub­lished translations of poetry into English, on any sub­ject and in any form. Be aware that poets may only submit once per calendar year, and submissions must not exceed three poems or 360 lines of poetry. They pay US$50 per page. Deadline: 31 Dec Submission fee: Free Submit here

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