https://www.iaminprint.co.uk/competitions-2026/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Twelve different categories, ranging from PBs to Adult genres. You need the first 3,500 words of your story for most, plus some require a synopsis. Judged by agents and publishers. £16 per entry. DEADLINE IS 14th MAY

One thing nobody prepared me for as an author was how emotionally draining promotion can feel after publishing. You finally put your work out there… and then you’re refreshing pages hoping people even see it. No reviews. Low visibility. Algorithms doing whatever they want. Meanwhile you KNOW the book deserves readers. I genuinely thought writing the book was the hard part. Turns out getting consistent attention on it is a completely different skill. What’s interesting is once I started approaching promotion differently, I noticed a huge shift in engagement and discoverability. Now I understand why some books quietly disappear while others keep gaining traction months later. Any other authors here relate to this? What’s been your biggest frustration after publishing?

Writing the book is one thing. Preparing it for readers is another. As a book editor and Amazon publisher, I help authors refine their manuscripts, fix what’s not working, and get their books properly prepared for Amazon KDP. A clean, well-edited book builds trust with readers and gives your story the presentation it deserves. If you’re working on a book and need editing or publishing support, feel free to reach out.

Blue Pencil Agency First Novel Award 2026 The international writing competition is open to unrepresented and unpublished authors for a novel in any adult fiction genre. Winner: £1,500 + Agent Introduction Runner up: £500 + Agent Introduction. Closes 31st May 2026.https://bluepencilagency.com/blue-pencil-agency-annual-competitions/bpa-first-novel-award-2026/

Is the suspense of waiting for the rest of the commended list driving anyone else out of their minds? With such a flimsy deadline for the full winners list, I am beside myself with anxious anticipation and it is stressing me out. Anyone else with me on this? Or are you just shaking it off?