£10k rights bursary from Deborah Rogers Foundation

A new bursary of £10,000 is to be awarded from the Deborah Rogers Foundation, targeting either a publishing rights professional or a literary agent.

The Foundation already offers a £10,000 writers' award, the first of which was given earlier this year.

The new bursary is open to those who have been in their roles for between two and six years and will give them the opportunity to spend eight weeks with publishers or agencies in different countries.

A roster of international publishers and agencies will work with the foundation in sponsoring the bursary winner, or offering placements, including, in the UK, Faber, Profile, Penguin Random House, The Agency and Rogers’ old agency Rogers, Coleridge & White. Internationally, Editorial Anagrama (Spain), Christian Bourgeois Editeur (France), Cappelen Damm AS (Norway), Companhia das Letras (Brazil), Grove Atlantic (US), HarperCollins US and Text Publishing (Australia) are among those involved.

Gill Coleridge, chair of RCW and director of the foundation, said: “One of Deborah’s defining qualities was her total commitment to supporting and nurturing those with talent, whether a new author or someone within the agent and publishing community.

“Selling and managing rights is at the heart of our business so we have set up this bursary to help exceptional young professionals who are already working in the field develop their contacts and understanding of international publishing at a crucial point in their careers.”

Applications can be made between 15th October and 15th December here.

The winner will be announced in March 2017.