Bloomsbury announces Academic Writing Fellowship for early career academics

Bloomsbury has announced the Bloomsbury Academic Writing Fellowship with the aim of encouraging early career academics. In this first year, applications are open to UK-based, up-and-coming authors and researchers with African or African Caribbean heritage, with the aim of expanding the remit as the programme grows. 

The Bloomsbury Academic Writing Fellowship, ran in partnership with Writers & Artists (W&A), will offer mentorship with dedicated Bloomsbury and Writers & Artists editors. Participants will also get £1,000 of financial support, access to Bloomsbury’s events and access to W&A and Bloomsbury books and resources.

The programme aims to uncover talent and new authors who have started their work but have not yet turned it into a proposal that is ready to submit to a publisher. The 2023 closing date for entries is just before midnight on Thursday 30th November 2023.

Participants will receive support and advice to develop an idea through to final manuscript stage, up to the point they are ready to approach and submit to a range of publishers in the academic space, including Bloomsbury.

The programme has been created to support particular areas of academic publishing where Bloomsbury said it "would like to have better representation and more diverse opinions, stories and ideas". By partnering with W&A on this initiative, the publisher said it will help to demystify and remove some of the barriers to scholarly publishing.

Pooja Aggarwal, director of academic and professional publishing, commented: “We want to increase publishing with a social mission, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] for first time authors from African or African Caribbean heritage. We recognise the urgent need to support people from all backgrounds and identities to become part of the global publishing industry, enabling diverse voices to reflect and shape our culture and society.

“We are committed to supporting new authors and creators to bring works across an array of genres and subjects to readers and learners worldwide, sharing ideas, knowledge and experience. We have a philosophy around the Fellowship programme which is based on one book at a time, supporting and mentoring an author to ensure we can create a lasting career for them.”

To ensure that submissions cover wide-ranging and topical subjects, the fellowship requires manuscripts to focus on one of the SDGs, comprising No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, as well as Climate Action.

The fellowship will be reviewed and awarded by a panel, including author Yassmin Abdel-Magied, lecturers Akin Iwilade and Kadian Pow, associate literary agent Eli Keren, Bloomsbury commissioning editor Lily Mac Mahon and David Avital, editorial director at Bloomsbury.