Just to let you know, the rest of the shortlist will be announced on 29th May. Super exciting! Thanks for bearing with us in the meantime.

Heya! I see there's some self-pub folks on here. Did you format your MS for ebook and print yourself or use a software or a service? I'm helping a friend and have found a bit too much information on this. Looking for your personal experiences :) TIA!

The book I submitted for the competition is now a best seller! The Right Members Club hit number one in political humour last week and is still there (as I type) - it also briefly crested to number one in Comedy on Amazon as well. But was quickly thwarted by John Robins new book! Just want to share it as I'm ecstatic! It also is trying to combat the mental hate and division in our country. So local elections probably played a role! Cheers everyone, happy Saturday!

Many, many entries this cycle, well beyond what we had anticipated, and the standard of the writing has made winnowing the longlist unusually difficult. Thank you to everyone who trusted us with their opening pages. The quality was so high that the commended list is longer than in previous cycles. We are releasing the names in no particular order, over the coming days, and a shortlist will be drawn from this group. Today, in no particular order, we are announcing: - Lies on Sale by Gabby Martini - The Impossibility of Eden by Harry Wilson - Beach Dog by Tom McDonough - The Breaking Point by Fiona Harriet - The Taste of Iron by Ramona Slusarczyk - Askar and the Witch by Nina van der Beek - The City of a Thousand Eyes by Angelique Talbot - The Melusine Murders by Jesse Weiner Congratulations to all of them. Many further entries, equally commended, will be announced over the coming days. If your name is not yet here, please don't read into its absence. Names are being released in the order we can write the posts, which has nothing to do with preference, and every remaining commendation carries the same weight as those above.