Cornerstones: Our exciting partnership to find new, emerging talent
We've partnered with the Bath Novel Award to give all listees the chance to get their submissions and synopses read over by leading editorial director Monica Chakraverty
Dear all,
We hope you’re having a great week and enjoying the glimpses of sun that have come our way! We’re writing today with exciting news about our partnership with the Bath Novel Award.
Set up in 2013, the BNA is a £3,000 international prize for manuscripts by emerging novelists writing for adults. All about championing emerging talent, recipients include Abi Daré for the manuscript of THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE and new James Bond author Kim Sherwood for TESTAMENT. Cornerstones and the Bath Novel Awards have been partnered for many years, with one of the longlistees being referred for a free place on our Edit Your Novel course each year.
We are thrilled to have taken our partnership with BNA even further this year, with our editorial director Monica Chakraverty reading and giving feedback on the first ten (double-spaced) pages of text and synopsis for all longlistees. She’ll also supply a paragraph summary of what she thinks works best, along with some pointers if there are areas she feels could benefit from further development.
Monica has over twenty years’ experience as an editor in the publishing industry, and four of her titles have topped the Sunday Times Bestseller List. She worked as an editorial director at HarperCollins, where she commissioned and edited her own list, transforming manuscripts and original ideas into successful, desirable books for a competitive market. In her new role at Cornerstones, she works with Helen Corner-Bryant to introduce debut writers to agents via the scouting programme. This programme is by referral only, allowing Monica and Helen to champion authors who they believe have terrific, publishable books with huge potential.
“I hope my role will be to allow those who are so near the finishing line to have some positive, constructive feedback where needed, and also to make some suggestions when things feel slightly off course.”
You can apply for the Bath Novel Award with your opening 5,000 words and one-page synopsis. The Award is open to any manuscripts for adults or young adults complete at over 50,000 words, and the deadline to apply is May 31st.
Don’t forget that you’re always welcome to send in your first ten pages and synopsis for our initial feedback, and that any manuscript that has been through a full read through Cornerstones can be flagged for the scouting programme that Monica heads up. We’ll be here if you have any editorial queries – wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead.
Very best,
The Cornerstones Team