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I know, it sounded so good. I thought it would be interesting to see what the response is this year from entrants.

Thanks for posting @Rachael Burnett I haven't heard of this prize before, but of course know Hachette. Looks pretty cool. And free! What the hell right? :) Oh hang on... I kept reading the thread, and yeah... okay so maybe not... I didn't...

No problem.

Daily Book News Friday, 30th January 2026 DAILY SUMMARY: Publishing Industry News Collective Book Studio starts Tiny Torch Books imprint The Collective Book Studio expanded into children’s publishing, unveiling the Tiny Torch Books imprint...

I signed up to Authors Publish a couple of years ago. Their free ebooks are great, and their weekly advice articles and free submission calls have been extremely useful. I've watched some of their free seminars too - always enlightening. It's a...

I don't feel guilt at being unsociable, though I may sometimes regret it because my loneliness is painful. But when I move into the world, it feels like a moral fall - like seeking love in a whorehouse. Susan Sontag

My apologies @Afell1 , I had initially posted the thread open for everyone, but then realised I needed to make it private. If your preferred genre in the Critter Directory in the Lab isn't crime, mystery or thriller then I wouldn't have wanted...

Yes, Andy, some posts are restricted. Simple reason - we learn, over time, which Litopians are familiar with the genre we write in, have a good understanding of our style, and can spot the problems in our work lightening fast. And then we have...

Hi Andy, As VH says it's a private thread. They show up as pale green in the feed. It's a handy feature of the Lab if ever you just want a small, select group of readers to critique your work, perhaps because they write in a similar genre or you...

My apologies @Afell1 , I had initially posted the thread open for everyone, but then realised I needed to make it private. If your preferred genre in the Critter Directory in the Lab isn't crime, mystery or thriller then I wouldn't have wanted...

I don't know what writing to market means, but if you want to really make waves, what has worked for some is to write something outrageous, controversial, a hot take on something, that will piss a lot of people off, but will also bring just as...

It's interesting but then it says that they take 20% royalties from the publishing contract. Plus you have to bring in readership to vote and comment on your book and they say this plays in choosing the winner. On the other hand, they don't care...

Hello I was in the lab, and tried to open a recent thread by RK Wallis: 'Murders and Cheaters', but got the message: Oops! We ran into some problems... Not sure if some threads are restriced to certain members only. I've never had problems before...

Hi Andy, As VH says it's a private thread. They show up as pale green in the feed. It's a handy feature of the Lab if ever you just want a small, select group of readers to critique your work, perhaps because they write in a similar genre or you...

My apologies @Afell1 , I had initially posted the thread open for everyone, but then realised I needed to make it private. If your preferred genre in the Critter Directory in the Lab isn't crime, mystery or thriller then I wouldn't have wanted...