(Re)Presenting Romance: A mentoring scheme for Underrepresented Writers. HarperCollins and The Good Literary Agency in partnership with Stylist

Are YOU writing romance?
Do you love love stories?
We want to hear from you!

HarperFiction and The Good Literary Agency are proud to launch (Re)Presenting Romance: a mentoring scheme for underrepresented writers, supported by Stylist magazine, and author judges Sareeta Domingo, Talia Hibbert and Lindsey Kelk.

Launching on 11 April 2022, this scheme aims to develop and mentor romance writers from underrepresented backgrounds and open doors into the publishing industry. The scheme is open to writers underrepresented in mainstream publishing including writers of colour, disabled writers, LGBTQ+ writers and working class writers.

We are NOT looking for finished material, so if you’re only just starting out this is the scheme for you! There is no requirement to have a finished manuscript to enter and we would like to actively encourage those in the early stages of writing to apply.

We’re looking for all kinds of adult romantic fiction, with a particular interest in seeing romcoms. Unfortunately, we are not looking for fantasy/sci-fi romance.

All you need to do to enter is send us the first three chapters (between 5,000-8,000 words) of your romance novel, a synopsis, and a short paragraph about yourself, too. We want to get to know you!

Getting started

If you are looking for a place to start, we believe that there are three key elements that nearly all romances start with:

1. The love interests: who are your two main characters, and why are they going to fall in love?

2. The conflict: what is keeping these two apart? Is it circumstance, is it societal, do they think they’re unsuitable for each other, do they think they hate each other?

3. The trope: tropes are recognisable patterns which stories can fit into. Common ones in romance are enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, a fake relationship, etc - there are many to choose from! Not every book will have a recognisable trope though, and that’s ok!

About the prize

One overall winner will be chosen to receive a £1,000 writing grant from HarperCollins plus a year of mentoring (up to 12 one-hour sessions) from either Martha Ashby or Kemi Ogunsanwo.

Two runners-up will also receive a year of mentoring from Martha Ashby or The Good Literary Agency.

The competition will be judged by HarperFiction Editorial Director Martha Ashby, Literary Agent Kemi Ogunsanwo from The Good Literary Agency, Features Editor Meena Alexander from Stylist, and renowned authors Sareeta Domingo, Talia Hibbert and Lindsey Kelk.

How to enter

To enter please send the following to: representingromance@harpercollins.co.uk

*The first 5,000-8,000 words of your romance novel

*A short synopsis (max. 500 words)

*A short paragraph about yourself

Please read our full terms and conditions before sending your entry here.

NB: Winning the competition does not guarantee publication by HarperCollins UK or representation by The Good Literary Agency.

Key Dates

11 April – prize opens

1 August – prize closes

29 August – shortlist finalised and shortlistees notified

w/c 12 September – shortlist announced

17 October – winners announced

Meet the Judges

Martha Ashby is Editorial Director at HarperFiction, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. Her tastes range from commercial big-hitters to upmarket book club reads. She published the multi-million-copy bestseller Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and one of 2020’s biggest debuts, Saving Missy by Beth Morrey. From a book club read that prompts conversation to a high-concept contemporary romance, she’s looking for unique voices, cleverly plotted love stories and great characterisation, and wants to laugh out loud, swoon over every page and to be thinking about the characters in the book long after she’s finished reading.

Kemi Ogunsanwo is Literary Agent at The Good Literary Agency, a social enterprise literary agency dedicated to increasing opportunities for representation for all writers underrepresented in mainstream publishing including writers of colour, disability, LGBTQ+, working class and anyone else who feels like their story isn’t being told in mainstream publishing. Kemi is particularly drawn to distinctive voices, plot-led or unique stories that start conversations and have broad commercial appeal. She is keen to discover some romantic fiction with warmth, comedic flair and an engaging plot (but is open to being surprised by something unexpected!).

Meena Alexander is the Features Editor at Stylist, creating and commissioning content for a community of more than 400,000 readers every month. After growing up on a diet of romance novels that felt worlds away from her lived experience, she’s excited by the new wave of love stories that everyone can see themselves in. She's looking for writing that transports and inspires with creativity and wit.

Sareeta Domingo is the author of The Three of Us (previously published as The Nearness of You), and editor and contributing writer of romantic fiction anthology Who's Loving You. Her novel If I Don't Have You was shortlisted for the Diverse Book Awards 2021. Her books for Young Adults, published under S.A. Domingo, include Love on the Main Stage, shortlisted for the Lancashire Book of the Year 2021. She is also Fiction Editorial Director at Trapeze Books.

Talia Hibbert is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who lives in a bedroom full of books. Supposedly, there is a world beyond that room, but she has yet to drum up enough interest to investigate. Talia writes steamy, diverse romance because she believes that people of marginalised identities need honest and positive representation. Her works include Get a Life, Chloe Brown, The Princess Trap, and upcoming YA romcom Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute.

Lindsey Kelk is a Sunday Times bestselling author, podcaster and prolific tweeter. Born and brought up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, Lindsey has written seventeen novels for adults, including the I Heart series, the Girl series, and the children’s book series, Cinders and Sparks. A fan of lipstick, pro-wrestling and cats, she now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their two cats.

You’re probably already reading romance, but here’s a reading list of some of our favourites in the genre:

A Lot Like Hola – Alexis Daria

Anything Could Happen – Lucy Diamond

If I Don’t Have You – Sareeta Domingo

The Love Hypothesis – Ali Hazelwood

Book Lovers – Emily Henry

Get a Life, Chloe Brown – Talia Hibbert

The Kiss Quotient – Helen Hoang

The Woman in the Middle – Milly Johnson

On a Night Like This – Lindsey Kelk

Red, White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuisten

The Fake-Up – Justin Myers

Sorry Not Sorry – Sophie Ranald

Welcome to Your Life – Bethany Rutter

Seven Days in June – Tia Williams

Are YOU writing romance? Do you love love stories?We want to hear from you!