Do you have a brilliant idea for a book but need help getting it down on paper? GH has teamed up with literary agent Nelle Andrew from Rachel Mills Literary agency to give readers the chance to win valuable feedback on their writing, plus support in finishing their novel.
We’re after someone whose work is unpublished and is without a literary agent. Entries can be in any genre of adult fiction (not children’s or YA, short stories, poetry, drama or plays, or any non-fiction). The winning entry will be the one that grabs our attention, shows the most promise and leaves us wanting to read more.
First prize is £1,500, plus a one-onone, hour-long mentoring session with Nelle, and an extract will be published by GH online. Six readers will get written feedback from a literary agent. So get writing!
How to enter
Please send three chapters (or the first 50 pages, whichever is longer), plus a brief synopsis of your novel (no more than one A4 page) and a short 100-word biography, all double-spaced in 12pt type, to Hermione Rodgers (hermione@rmliterary.co.uk). Competition opens on 26 June 2025 and closes at 23.59 on 31 August 2025.
Meet the judges
Nelle Andrew has been an agent for over 15 years, joining Rachel Mills Literary agency in 2020. She won Agent of the Year at 2021’s British Book Awards.
Jennie Godrey is author of Sunday Times bestseller The List Of Suspicious Things, which has sold over 100,000 copies in paperback alone.
Jane Bruton is GH's editor-in-chief. As an English Literature graduate and daughter of a librarian, reading has always been a huge part of her life.
Joanne Finney is GH’s books director and resident bookworm. She’s been a judge for a number of literary prizes, including the Costa Book Awards.
Terms and conditions: *The competition is open to writers over 18, resident in the United Kingdom, who have never had a novel published before and who are not already signed to a literary agent. *Entrants can have been self-published but must own the rights to their work. Only one entry is permitted per person. *Please send your entry (to include 3 chapters (or up to 50 pages), plus a brief synopsis of your novel (no more than one A4 page) and short 100 word biography - double-spaced in 12pt type) to hermione@rmliterary.co.uk. *All entries must be received by 3.59 (GMT) on 31 August 2025. *The prize is: £1,500 and a one-on-one mentoring session with Nelle Andrew. There is no cash alternative to the prize. *Winners must agree to be interviewed for a feature and for an extract of their novel to be published in Good Housekeeping. *Hearst Magazines UK and RML reserve the right not to award the prize if we do not receive any entries of a publishable standard. *The judging panel’s decision is final. *For full T&Cs, see see hearst.co.uk/terms-conditions. By entering the Competition, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
