A Boost to My Career

What the New Writers Award Meant to Me

The Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award is open until the 19th of July for 2024 entries. As you’ll have been aware if you’ve followed me for a while, I was one of the winners of the 2021 cohort, and it has honestly proven to be pretty life-changing.

As well as the £2000 stipend, the prize is tailored to the needs of each individual winner. Recipients are mentored by professionals in the industry, usually other writers. There are workshops provided that focus on topics such as PR, social media, and performance, the last one in relation to the showcase held at the end of each year where you get to pitch your work to publishers and agents. A complimentary year’s membership of the Society of Authors is also offered, along with a week-long writing retreat at Moniack Mhor enabling you to focus on your craft.

During my year, I was mentored in completing my novel by Helen Sedgwick. It was an excellent experience, and not only did I successfully achieve my goal but it helped me to re-evaluate my writing practice and my approach to my work. I also received some interest from an agent and a small publisher in my novel on the back of the showcase booklet being published, and while neither of these came to anything it still gave me the confidence to try submitting it elsewhere. I finally signed with an agent after around 20 rejections.

Additionally, the Scottish Book Trust are always keen to remain in touch with the winners, and they are always keen to offer support beyond your award year.

Head to the above link for more info and to enter.