PRH WriteNow scheme returns

Penguin Random House UK's editorial programme WriteNow will return, with workshops planned in England and, for the first time, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In its search for the best under-represented writing talent in the UK, PRH will invite 150 talented writers to take part in workshops to learn more about getting published and receive one-on-one editorial feedback. 98% of participants attending workshops in 2018 said that joining one of the workshops increased their confidence as a writer, claims PRH.

This year's workshops will take place in London (6th June), Belfast (13th June), Glasgow (27th June) and Cardiff (4th July). With all nine previous workshops held in English cities, this year’s programme aims to ensure that it better reaches and champions unpublished writing talent by removing geographical barriers faced by writers based in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by holding workshops in each country. This is also the first year that the programme will be open to writers from Ireland.

Editors across Penguin Random House UK will then develop a shortlist of writers, of whom 10 will be invited to take part in the year-long programme, during which time they will be paired with an editor with experience and expertise in their genre to develop their manuscript further.

Puffin author and WriteNow alumnus Rashmi Sirdeshpande said: "I grew up thinking people like me didn’t belong in books or on the bookshelves. The WriteNow programme was the invitation I needed to believe that voices like mine matter. Having an editor mentor and champion me has made such a difference. I've grown so much as a writer and it's given me a confidence I never thought I'd have. That confidence is everything. Amazingly, today, thanks to WriteNow, I feel at home here in publishing and I'm excited about what the future holds."

Applications for this year’s programme will open on Thursday 12th March and close at midnight on Sunday 26th April.