20 free Novel Fair submission places for unwaged/low income writers

Thanks to the support of the Arts Council, the Irish Writers Centre provides 20 free submission places for unwaged/low income writers.

How to receive a free place

UPDATE (10/09/2024): All free submission places have now been allocated.

To be eligible for a free submission to Novel Fair:

• You must be over the age of 18 and living on the island of Ireland.
• You must be unwaged or on low income.

To receive a free place, email your name and contact details to damien@irishwriterscentre.ie with the subject heading: ‘Free Novel Fair Submission.’ Please also confirm in your email that you are over the age of 18 and living on the island of Ireland.

Please note, the 20 free Novel Fair places will be given on a first-come-first-served basis, i.e. the places will be given to the first 20 emails received. We will update this webpage once all 20 free places have been given away. The 20 writers selected for a free place will be provided with a link to Submittable which can be used any time until the deadline 30 September 2024. 

About the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair

The Irish Writers Centre annual Novel Fair competition is now open for submissions. Described by The Irish Times as ‘A Dragons’ Den for writers,’ Novel Fair awards twelve unpublished (and unsigned) novelists the opportunity to pitch their novels to leading publishers and literary agents. This annual competition has been a career-changing opportunity for writers across the island of Ireland and worldwide. Since its inception in 2011, 36 Novel Fair winners have found a home for their debuts.

At the Fair, these encounters will take the form of a series of 15-minute meetings with publishers and agents where the 12 winners are given the opportunity to pitch their novels. In preparation for Novel Fair, winners participate in a half-day workshop where they learn how to craft the ideal pitch and what to expect from their encounters at Novel Fair. The workshop will be facilitated by the Novel Fair judges and a previous Novel Fair winner.

Submission details:

•  The submission period runs from 1st – 30th September 2024.
• This competition only accepts manuscripts for novels. Memoirs, short stories and works of non-fiction will not be considered.
• There is no limitation on genre, or target market, for the novel. The only requirement being that the writer has not published a novel before i.e. has not previously published a novel with an ISBN (see Terms & Conditions for exceptions and more detailed information on eligibility)
• Applicants are required to send a project synopsis of max. 300 words (+/- 10%) and up to 10,000 words sample of their novel (+/-10%).
• You will be asked to submit your manuscript online via Submittable.
• There is a limit of one entry per applicant per a year.

Read more about Novel Fair here.