Our mission in life is to show children and young people the benefits of reading and how much fun there is to escape into the world of story – and we are thrilled to be announcing a new imprint for very young readers – Mini Guppy!
With the latest data showing children’s enjoyment of reading lower than ever and with the demand for comic books at an all-time high, there is a huge need for funny, entertaining, highly illustrated, colourful books for ages 5 and up. Providing a stepping stone between picture books and chapter books, these small tactile books with short chapters, interactive illustrations and carefully chosen vocabulary are perfect for emerging readers – ready to build a firm literacy foundation and most importantly, cement the joy of reading.
Our first series is AMELIA CHEESEHEART INVESTIGATES – a very young graphic novel set in a museum, telling the tales of courageous mouse, Amelia and her bestie Webster, who investigate mysteries set in each exhibition. With fun non-fiction facts at the very end, young readers will love the fun, gentle illustrations, and the satisfaction at having read a book all on their very own.
‘A joyful and accessible read.. an adorable comic filled with age-appropriate action and embedded in friendship’ Inis magazinestarred review
STORIES FOR CHANGE Competition!
📢 Calling All Young Writers. Enter the Stories for Change Competition. 🌍✍️
Guppy Books and the Federation of Children’s Book Groups are thrilled to announce Stories for Change – a short story competition for children aged 7-12, inspired by the themes of National Share a Story Month 2025 and Maggie Blue and the Lost Child by Anna Goodall.
This year’s NSSM theme, “Changing the World, One Book at a Time”, celebrates the power of storytelling to inspire environmental awareness, hope, and action.
In collaboration with acclaimed author Anna Goodall (Costa Book Award-shortlisted Maggie Blue series), we are inviting young writers to craft a 500-word short story inspired by their local environment. Whether it’s a school playground transformed by a secret garden, a mission to clean up a polluted pond, or a story of friendship sparked by a shared love for nature, we want to hear young peoples’ vision for change – big or small!
🌿 Themes: The environment, climate change, hope, and action 📖 Who can enter? Children aged 7-12 📅 Deadline: 11th April 🏆 Prizes: Your story read by Anna Goodall, a writing ‘mini masterclass’ from Anna Goodall, signed copies of the Maggie Blue series and more …
Join us in celebrating the power of stories to change the world by sharing the competition with your schools, families and networks. Go to the FCBG website to download the submissions form and for all details!
And the 2024 Guppy Open Submission Winner is…!
HUGE congratulations to Ellen Haggan, whose novel BLACKMOOR has won the 2024 Open Submission Competition! The judges and I loved the spirit of this original and exciting fantasy novel, with such brilliantly drawn characters and a hugely exciting plot that propels the reader through the story. Huge congratulations to Ellen!
And this year, we also had a very worthy runner-up – Amelia Etherton with ALL THE WORDS FOR STUPID – a moving story set in Ireland which manages to deal with some very important themes with sensitivity, empathy and humour too – congratulations to Amelia.
A huge thanks to our ever-wonderful panel of judges: author and editor, Linda Sargent, Golden Egg editor Adamma Okonkwo and Andrea Reece, all round children’s literature wonder. It was so interesting to discuss the shortlist and their insights as ever, were thought-provoking and insightful.
And last but not least, thank you to all the shortlistees. I will look forward to discussing your books with you in editorial chats if you would like, and thank you for entering the competition and being so patient with the timing!
Guppy’s 5th Birthday Party!
We had a wonderful evening last week, celebrating the fifth birthday of Guppy Books.
The party took place in St Luke’s Chapel in Oxford, and was filled with authors, illustrators, agents, colleagues and supporters – and what a warm joyful occasion it was.
We celebrated the many successes that Guppy has achieved over the past five years – fifty books published, many awards won, numerous shortlistings, national reviews, international translation rights sold and over 150,000 books sold in the UK alone. Small but mighty, we are so proud of our successes even despite the world events and challenges of the past five years. Here’s to the next five years!
Some recent Guppy award news!
We attended the fantastic Week Junior Award ceremony earlier in October, and were absolutely thrilled that the two shortlisted Guppy titles each won their category – the fabulous MEXIKID: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR by Pedro Martín won the very first Graphic Novel Award (a new category this year) – ‘This is an amazing book!’ said the judges. And the magical PIZZA PETE AND THE PERILOUS POTIONS by Carrie Sellon won the Junior Fiction Award – ‘exceptional’ said the judges. Huge congratulations to the marvellous Pedro and Carrie – such entertaining books and such deserving winners.
And on the 4th November, the illustrious 2025 Carnegie nominations were revealed – and again, much excitement at Guppy headquarters as three titles received FOUR nominations! 100 TALES FROM THE TOKYO GHOST CAFE written by Julian Sedgwick and manga illustrated by Chie Kutsuwada received nominations for both the Carnegie Writing and the Carnegie Illustration Medals; APOCALYPSE COW by O R Sorrel has been nominated for the Carnegie Writing Medal; and MEXIKID: A GRAPHIC MEMOIR by Pedro as above has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Illustration Medal!
BRAVO and congratulations to our AMAZING authors and illustrators who are, quite frankly, smashing it!
Guppy Open Submission Shortlist announcement!
Well, it has been extremely difficult but finally we have whittled down the longlist to a shortlist of nine fabulous young adult stories. Thank you so much to all who were longlisted – the novels were all of such a high standard and hugely enjoyable to read. Now it’s the judges turn to agree on a winner – we hope to announce a winner towards the end of November.
The shortlisted authors and their books are, in no particular order:
Ellen Haggan Blackmoor
Lucie Bowins Elderwitch
Nell Griffin Plan A Plan B
Amelia Etherton All the Words for Stupid
Sanam Akram Madi and the Moon
Heather Grainger Lost and Found
Esther Scherpenisse Cinders and Stars
Caroline Icke Killer Queen
Sarah Bates All Your Numbered Bones
Congratulations to you all!
Revealing the 23 writers on the Guppy Open Submission YA longlist 2024!
Thank you so much for sending in your entry for Guppy’s open submission window. We were so impressed with the standard of writing, the original ideas and the incredible energy that went into all the submissions.
Huge congratulations to those who made the longlist! You will hear more about the next stages individually by email.
I have said this before many times but it’s always worth repeating: for those who didn’t make it, during my career, I have said no to SO many books that have gone on to do great things; if you don’t find yourself on this list I hope you don’t feel too disappointed. The standard of writing was very high, and I was really impressed with the level and commitment to writing for young adults.
LONGLIST in no particular order
Amy King Love You. Hate You.
Helen Price Forgive me, Father
Clare McCarron You Have My Heart
Ellen Haggan Blackmoor
Kae Tan Unprecedented Times
Lucie Bowins Elderwitch
Nell Griffin Plan A Plan B
Amelia Etherton All the Words for Stupid
Sanam Akram Madi and the Moon
Heather Grainger Lost and Found
Eve Chancellor Two Brothers
Jennifer Hicks The Fame Game
Dani Castonzo The Mermaid Seekers
Megan Pyper A Song for Solispel
Yesret Bi Displacement
Bibi Anisah Mohamoodally Never Let Me Down Again
Esther Scherpenisse Cinders and Stars
Caroline Icke Killer Queen
Lis Maimaris My Father’s Ghost
Sarah Newman Fishsong
Sarah Bates All Your Numbered Bones
Mandy Wilson-Garner MAD
Carrie Stewart The Silence
Guppy Open Submission Competition 2024 update
We are really enjoying reading all the fantastic YA submissions we received last month – what a lot of talent there is out there!
Thank you all for your patience. We’ll be announcing a longlist next Friday 26th July, and a shortlist at the end of August.
Please keep an eye on social media, plus an announcement about this year’s judges!
The Guppy Open Submission Competition 2024 is here!
It’s that time again – where we get ready to open the portholes here at Guppy Books and welcome submissions from unpublished and unagented authors for our annual competition. This year it’s the YA competition – where writers of novels for young adults have the chance to win a publication deal with Guppy Books and join our small but mighty team. On June 6th it will be the publication day of APOCALYPSE COW, the 2022 winner of the last YA Guppy Open Submission by the incredible author O R Sorrel – could your novel be the next winner?
The Open Submission window will be the week of 17th June, from 9am on Monday 17th June to 5pm Friday 21st June.
We would like to see the first few chapters or up to 2000 words of the novel (but don’t worry too much about word count going over, this is an approximate number of words). Please also send a short synopsis. Please submit in a Word or pdf document to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk during the Open Submission window only.
Writers who have been traditionally published in other genres are unfortunately not eligible. This competition is open to self-published authors. Please send your submission to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk during the specified dates only. Any entries sent before or after this time will not be counted. ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON. At longlisting stage (late July) we will ask the longlistees for a nearly-finished/full novel to be sent.
Any other enquiries, please email submissions@guppybooks.co.uk.
We do not charge an entry fee, though we would invite all entrants to buy a book published by Guppy Books if they can (available from all bookshops and online retailers as well as the Guppy shop). We strive to be as open as we can and encourage all aspiring writers to apply.
A winner will be announced in the autumn of 2024, after whittling down to first a longlist and then a shortlist – please keep an eye on social media and the Guppy Books website for updates along the way. We hope to announce the longlist by end July.
All shortlisted authors will be offered an editorial meeting with Bella Pearson. The winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books (with no obligation to accept).
GOOD LUCK!
Independent Publishing Awards
We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the Bookseller Newcomer Award in the Independent Publishing Awards, with a ceremony on 24th April to celebrate the breadth of independent publishing here in the UK. You can see all the shortlists here – and we’re looking forward to celebrating with our wonderful colleagues next month!
The Guppy Open Submission winner is…
Congratulations to the wonderful Janeen Hayat, whose book EVIE AND MARYAM BREAK THE CODE has won the 2023 Open Submission Competition! The judges and I all loved the relationship between Evie and Maryam and the themes of family history, giving readers an insight into colonial India as well as the impact of past on present; the two girls are beautifully drawn and I’m so excited that it’s our winner.
A huge thanks to the panel of judges: author and editor, Linda Sargent, Golden Egg editor Adamma Okonkwo and Scott Evans, primary teacher and blogger. They are wise and thoughtful and their insights and advice was invaluable – I’m very grateful to them all.
And thank you to all the shortlistees for their brilliant entries; I look forward to discussing each of their submissions in editorial chats, and also am very grateful for their patience during the judging process.
Nick Ward, author of the Charlie Small series, talks about his life as an author
Where did the idea for the Charlie Small books come from? I had always loved books as a child, the feel and smell of the pages and knowing that by opening the cover and staring to read I could be transported to another, more exciting world. Every day I felt I was on the edge of adventure, especially on our holidays in Cornwall.
Some of my favourite memories are of getting up early in the morning with my brother, and paying a fisherman to take the two of us across the bay in a little dinghy, to Looe Island. It’s amazing that we were allowed to go! There were no lifejackets, no mobile phones to contact our parents, and no way to get back to the main-land until the same fisherman picked us up in the afternoon. The island was owned by two eccentric sisters, and was a haven for sea birds.
The feel of the place has stayed with me ever since, and perhaps influenced the sort of books I loved: Treasure Island, Moonfleet, and The Island Of Adventure. Other favourites included the Narnia series, and The Wind In The Willows.
All books that, in one way or another, opened up alternative worlds. Exciting trips to remote islands apart, my adventures when young more often involved trekking across fields to catch Crested Newts in Newt Pond, fishing in our local canal and sailing our raft along the brooks that cut across the springy-turfed fields behind our house.
Our raft was a present from our parents and consisted of a wooden platform with two large inflatable cylinders attached underneath. It wasn’t very easy to steer, in fact it was more scary than exciting, but we had hours of fun paddling about in the shallows, pretending we were setting off on a dangerous voyage. It was always important, though, that we were home in time for tea!
These experiences provided inspiration for the starting point of Charlie Small’s amazing adventures. He sails his raft along a stream, swollen and flooded after a storm, and finds himself on a stretch of water he doesn’t recognise. Attacked by a ferocious crocodile, Charlie is catapulted, quite literally, into another world. In his attempt to find his way home and get back in time for tea, Charlie travels from world to world and from adventure to adventure. Will he make it home? Will he escape the gruesome creatures and baddies that live in these worlds? I wonder!
As for me, I still like to walk beside rivers, their winds and meanders promising all manner of adventures, just around the next bend.
Guppy Open Submission Update!
A huge thank you to everyone who submitted to our competition – we had well over 400 entries, which is amazing! We’ve been reading away and slowly whittling down to a longlist, which will be announced on TUESDAY 25th JULY. So do keep your eyes on the Guppy Twitter account and we’ll make sure the longlist is posted on here first thing.
The standard has been incredibly high this year and it has been such a pleasure to read so many good stories. And that makes our job of longlisting very hard indeed! I hope those of you who don’t make it on to the longlist are not too disappointed – and thank you again for entering.
The Guppy Open Submission competition for middle-grade writers is back!
In April, we were over the moon that Nadia Mikail’s YA novel, The Cats We Meet Along the Way, won the Waterstones Overall Children’s Book Prize 2023 – it was a huge accolade for Nadia and shows the great love that booksellers have for her beautifully original book. And it came from the very first Open Submission Competition we ran here at Guppy Books in 2020. It is an extraordinary novel and was chosen from nearly 400 submissions.
The winner of the 2021 middle-grade competition was the incredible James Dixon with The Billow Maiden which we published in 2022, a critically acclaimed and beautifully evocative novel, and 2022’s worthy winner Olivia Collard’s YA novel will be published by Guppy in spring 2024. Not before a runner-up in the 2021 competition, Carrie Sellon, has her book Pizza Pete and the Perilous Potions, published in June this year by Guppy. All these talented writers submitted for this competition and we are very grateful that they did!
And now, we are throwing open the portholes again… Between 12th and 16th of June 2023, we ask all unpublished and unagented middle-grade writers to submit their novels for consideration in the competition. We strive to be as open as we can be with as few barriers to entry as possible, and encourage all aspiring writers to apply.
Please email your submission to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk between 9am GMT on Monday 12th June and 6pm GMT on Friday 16th June2023.
To submit, please include the first 2000 words of your middle-grade novel (or thereabouts – if it’s a bit less or more due to chapter breaks, that’s fine), plus a synopsis. Please don’t worry too much/spend much time on the synopsis – we want to see it in order to get a sense of what happens in your story, but your writing itself is much more important.
Please email as a Word document. ONE SUBMISSION PER PERSON. Any enquiries, please email submissions@guppybooks.co.uk.
A winner will be announced in the autumn of 2023, after whittling down to first a longlist and then a shortlist – please keep an eye on social media and the Guppy Books website for updates along the way.
All shortlisted authors will be offered an editorial meeting with Bella Pearson. The winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books (with no obligation to accept).
We do not charge an entry fee, though we would invite all entrants to buy a book published by Guppy Books if they can (available from all bookshops and online retailers as well as the Guppy shop).
The Cats We Meet Along the Way shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Award!
We are over the moon that Nadia Mikail’s incredible book has been shortlisted for the Older Readers’ category of the Waterstones Children’s Book Award – what an accolade and so thoroughly deserved. The Waterstones Children’s Book Award is designed to support new writers and is chosen by the booksellers themselves, so it’s a very special one to be shortlisted for. Don’t miss this book! As one of the booksellers says: ‘A beautiful testament to family, friendships and what you choose to value when everything is ending. Think They Both Die at the End meets Jenny Downham.’
THE CATS WE MEET ALONG THE WAY IS LONGLISTED FOR THE BRANFORD BOASE AWARD!
The Branford Boase Award is unusual in that it celebrates the role of the editor as well as the author. It is awarded to a debut author and their editor – and we’re thrilled that CATS has been longlisted. This moving and thrilling YA novel about a family mending themselves before the imminent ending of the world has had such a wonderful response from readers, and it is so good to see it getting the recognition it deserves. Congratulations to Nadia and Bella! You can order it here.
GUPPY OPEN SUBMISSION COMPETITION 2022 WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
We are thrilled to announce that OLIVIA COLLARD and her fantastically funny, bonkers, original novel NOT WITH A BANG has won the 2022 Open Submission Competition!
And the worth 2022 runner-up is HANNAH EKEKWE with the emotionally truthful and utterly engaging GUM.
The judges and I agreed that these two novels were so strong and so impressive – NOT WITH A BANG is fierce and intelligent, and made us all laugh out loud, impressing us with its zing, originality and glee; GUM carried us along on an emotional journey with such a strong and compelling young adult voice. Two budding authors of the future to watch out for… congratulations to both Olivia and Hannah!
A huge thanks to the panel of judges: Linda Sargent and Adamma Okonkwo, two brilliant editorial brains who have judged this competition for three years now; Caroline Fielding, librarian extraordinaire (and ex-Carnegie judge) and Peter Simmonds, bookseller at The Bookshop on the Green and creative writing student. Their contributions have been invaluable, and I’m very grateful to them all.
And thank you to all the shortlistees for their brilliance and also their patience during the judging process.
Two stunning titles out in October!
We are proud to be publishing two very different but equally brilliant books this month – firstly Ghostlight, an upper middle-grade/early teen thriller, perfect for those who love Ghostbusters or Stranger Things – a fast-paced ghost story that will have readers on the edge of their seats! And Louisa Reid’s latest verse novel, a stunning and essential novel tackling the subject of sexual abuse and what can be done about it – unmissable.
‘With a high-stakes premise, harrowing growing pains and moments as chilling as midnight ocean spray, Oppel plays his readers’ nerves like an out-of-tune harp’ New York Times
‘An exceptional story of courage and faith.’ Lovereading October Book of the Month and Staff Pick
‘A raw, unflinching verse novel for 14+ filled with white-hot, justified rage.’ Guardian
AVAILABLE IN ALL BOOKSHOPS OR DIRECT FROM GUPPY THROUGH THE SHOP
GUPPY OPEN SUBMISSION – shortlist announced!
It has been an extremely difficult job, but we have whittled the longlist down to a fabulous shortlist of eleven. Thank you so much to all who submitted such a dazzling array of stories – they were all such a high standard and hugely enjoyable to read. Now it’s the judges turn to agree on a winner – watch this space for more news in the autumn…
The shortlisted authors and their books are, in no particular order:
Hannah Ekekwe, GUM
J L Bleakley, EVERMIST
Catharine Johnson, SACRIFICE
Mel Green, CONTROLLERS
Olivia Collard, NOT WITH A BANG
Jonathan Sellars, THINGS HARRY OLIVER KNOWS
Tasmia Tahia, UP, RISING
Monique Turner, THE ISLAND OF INFLUENCERS
Ellen Haggan, THE WATCHERS
Charlotte Comley, POOKA
Sammy Chen, AND ALL SIMILAR THINGS
Huge congratulations to these eleven fabulous writers!
Announcing the Guppy YA Open Submissions Longlist 2022!
In May 2022, Guppy Books opened its portholes for unpublished and unagented young adult writers – and we had an amazing response! With around 220 entries, it was exhilarating to see the talent and creativity demonstrated. We have managed, with difficulty, to whittle down the entries to a longlist of 24, as listed below.
Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for sending in your entry for Guppy’s open submission window. I was so impressed with the standard of writing, the original ideas and the incredible energy that went into all the submissions. It was a hard task to choose the longlist, and it’ll be harder still to choose the shortlist. I’d also like to say thank you to six graduates of Oxford Brookes who provided some invaluable help.
Huge congratulations to those who made the longlist! You will hear more about the next stages individually by email.
For those who didn’t make it:during my career, I have said no to SO many books that have gone on to do great things; so if you don’t find yourself on this list I hope you don’t feel too disappointed. It was a pleasure to read all the submissions; the standard of writing this year was particularly high, and I was really impressed with the level and commitment to writing for young adults. If you didn’t get through, please take heart – there were so many that very nearly did and it was a tough choice.
Thank you again for your participation.
With all best wishes
Bella Pearson
Publisher Guppy Books
GUPPY OPEN SUBMISSION LONGLIST 2022
In no particular order:
Sorrel Shamel-Wood OFF TRACK
Aerin Apeltun TWELVE COFFINS, SEVEN LILIES
Hazel Compton THE DROWNING TOWN
Charlotte Teeple-Salas CHIMERA MOON
Jo Baker CITY OF DARK INK
Sammy Chen AND ALL SIMILAR THINGS
J L Bleakley EVERMIST
A D Stuart FIRST LOVE CAN BE MURDER
Lou Renn CLICK
Rebecca Perkin HALF UNDONE
Catharine Johnson SACRIFICE
Jonathan Sellars THINGS HARRY OLIVER KNOWS
Ellen Haggan THE WATCHERS
Bibi Anisah Mohamoodally NO ORDINARY GIRL
Olivia Collard NOT WITH A BANG
Tasmia Tahia UP, RISING
Mel Green Controllers
Julie Farrell We are Fractals
Hannah Ekekwe Gum
Monique Turner The Island of Influencers
Jo Howard Legal Walls
Andrea Hutchinson One in Fire
Charlotte Comley, Pooka
A NEW LOUISA REID NOVEL IS ON THE WAY!
We are over the moon to be announcing the publication of a new young adult verse novel by the acclaimed Louisa Reid – ACTIVIST. This is a stunning, powerful and hard-hitting tale of hidden abuse, secrets and lies set in a secondary school, out on October 12th 2022.
Artwork by Yuzhen Cai, designed by Ness Wood
Louisa says of the book:
In June 2020 when survivors of rape culture began to tell their stories via the website, Everyone’s Invited, I, like many, was aghast. How in the 21st century were young people being failed so badly by their society? I channelled the anger I was feeling into writing my latest verse novel, Activist. The title of the novel makes it clear that this is a story about rising up. I’ve seen first-hand the incredible force for good that our young people are; their energy, empathy, resilience and creativity are a continued source of amazement and inspiration. I wanted to ensure this story showcased the determination with which young activists are ready to challenge the multiple inequalities of our world. As Cassie, my brave and bold protagonist says: the war’s not won. But with characters like the activists I have imagined ready to stand up and fight, I truly hope it could be.
We are also reissuing her first two Guppy novels, with a brand new matching cover look: Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week and Empathy Day Book, GLOVES OFF.
Artwork Yuzhen Cai, design Ness Wood
And court-based drama and 2022 Empathy Day book, WRECKED.
Artwork Yuzhen Cai, design Ness Wood
Out on October 12th 2022!
The Guppy Open Submission Competition for YA writers is now open!
The portholes of Guppy Books are open to all unagented and unpublished YA writers who have a novel to share!
Please email your submission to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk between 9am Monday 6th June and 6pm Friday 10th June 2022 (GMT).
Please include the first 2000 words of your young adult novel, plus a synopsis, preferably as a Word attachment. Entry is free, although we would ask you to support Guppy Books as an independent publisher by buying a Guppy book from any bookshop or online store.
We will be announcing a longlist in early July, a shortlist in late July, and a winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books in the autumn. Please keep an eye out on social media and our website for confirmation of future dates.
Nadia Mikail, winner of the Guppy Open Submission YA Competition in 2020 with THE CATS WE MEET ALONG THE WAY, said:
“Winning the first Guppy YA competition meant the world to me. The competition was so easy to enter – the moment I saw it I knew I wanted to be part of it, and everything turned out way better than I expected! Working with Bella on the book has truly been the biggest blessing; she is delightful in every way and it has been such a fun, exciting, life-changing process. I learned so much and I still can’t believe I got to publish my book – I just feel incredibly grateful for it all!”
The Cats We Meet Along the Way has received incredible reviews including one from the Guardian, and will be published in the US by Macmillan in 2023; Nadia is working on her second book and it has been an absolute joy to be her publisher.
Nadia at her publication launch
THE 2022 GUPPY OPEN SUBMISSION COMPETITION FOR WRITERS OF YA FICTION IS BACK!
The portholes of Guppy Books are once again open to all unagented and unpublished writers who have a young adult novel to share! We are looking for the very best in YA writing; a story that captures the imagination, that reflects the world we live in and characters who leap from the page. Our first YA winner in 2020 was the extraordinary writer, Nadia Mikail, whose THE CATS WE MEET ALONG THE WAY was published to acclaim in February this year.
Bella Pearson will be running an ‘Ask the Editor’ Twitter chat on Tuesday 24th May from 6.30 to 7.30pm GMT to support and answer questions from aspiring writers. Do join us then!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENTRY:
Please email your submission to submissions@guppybooks.co.uk between 9am Monday 6th June and 6pm Friday 10th June 2022 (GMT). We will accept only one submission per person.
Please include the first few chapters of your young adult novel (up to 2000 words), plus a covering letter and synopsis, preferably as a Word attachment. If your work is longlisted, we will ask for a full manuscript.
We will be announcing the longlist in July and the shortlist in early August, at which point a panel of judges will read over the summer and choose a winner (to be announced at some point in the early autumn). The winner will be offered a contract with Guppy Books.
Entry is free, although (if you can) we suggest that you support Guppy Books as an independent publisher by buying a Guppy book from any bookshop or online store, or borrowing a Guppy book from any library. Please keep an eye out on social media and our website for confirmation of future dates and further information.
TSUNAMI GIRL SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL!
The Carnegie Medal (for writers) and the Greenaway Award (for illustrators) are like the BAFTAS or Booker of the children’s book world – so to have a book on this illustrious shortlist is a huge honour. We are so thrilled for author, Julian Sedgwick, whose powerful book Tsunami Girl has stolen hearts and minds alike – a beautifully-told story that is illuminated with incredible manga spreads by artist Chie Kutsuwada.
This is a story of a fifteen-year-old’s recovery from loss and trauma, through creativity, the ghost world and sheer courage. We are so proud to be its publisher – never before has a book containing manga been shortlisted for the Carnegie, and the originality and beauty of the writing shines through.
Lots of lovely award news! Tsunami Girl longlisted for the Carnegie Medal, Anna Goodall and Bella Pearson longlisted for the Branford Boase , and Guppy on the British Book Awards regional Small Press shortlist!
Like buses, lovely news has been arriving all at once this month; firstly, the news that MAGGIE BLUE AND THE DARK WORLD by Anna Goodall was longlisted for the Branford Boase Award – an award that celebrates both a debut author and their editor.
We are super thrilled too that TSUNAMI GIRL by Julian Sedgwick has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal – the most prestigious and long-running children’s book award in the UK run and chosen by librarians. We are all agog for March 16th when the shortlist will be announced.
And thirdly, we’ve just heard that Guppy Books is on the regional shortlist for the Small Press Award at the British Book Awards… what an honour and it really makes up for what has been a difficult start in the last couple of years!
Thank you to all my amazing freelance colleagues in design, rights, contracts, accounting, editorial, publicity and marketing, sales at Michael O’Mara Books. And all the incredible authors and illustrators who make up the list – it would of course be nothing without them.
The Cats We Meet Along the Way has been published – to great acclaim!
In the autumn of 2019, we published our first book, followed by another three – and then the pandemic hit. All plans were thrown up in the air. So we changed tack, and created a new competition for unpublished and unagented writers, casting the net as far and wide as we could. We had over 400 entries to the 2020 YA competition – writers sent in the first few chapters, which we whittled down a longlist of 40. And the shortlist of 11 was then judged by Bella and four industry experts: Tamsin Rosewell, bookseller and illustrator; Adamma Okonkwo, editor; Lucas Maxwell, school librarian, and Linda Sargent, editor and author. And from this, Nadia Mikail’s novel, The Cats We Meet Along the Way, shone through like a jewel. It’s an astonishing, heart-warming debut about the importance of family at a time of catastrophe. Nadia really is an author of the future.
We celebrated with Nadia and others last week – with a signing at Hatchards in Piccadilly, followed by a dinner at Dishoom. And I can’t wait to see how far this book travels!
Empathy Day – Guppy has two titles chosen for Read for Empathy Collection
With the circumstances our young people have been facing over the pandemic, there couldn’t be a more urgent time to nourish their empathy skills and create an empathy-educated generation.
We are so thrilled that Wrecked by Louisa Reid and Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada are in this year’s Read for Empathy collection – to have two titles on this amazing list is fantastic. EmpathyLab do an amazing job, and we’re happy to be supporting them over the next few years too.
maggie blue is on the costa children’s book award shortlist!
We are completely bowled over that Maggie Blue and the Dark World, the debut middle-grade novel written by Anna Goodall, has been shortlisted for the Costa Children’s Book Award 2021. It’s the 50th anniversary year of these awards, which celebrate the very best in fiction for children and adults. And to be one of four titles on the shortlist is simply amazing.
Huge congratulations to Anna, for writing such an incredible story – full of magic, originality and characters you would follow anywhere. Huge thanks also to Sandra Dieckmann for creating such a beautiful cover. All of us at Guppy Books are so proud to be publishing Maggie Blue and Anna.
two Guppy titles nominated for the Carnegie Medal!
We are over the moon that both TSUNAMI GIRL by Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada, and MAGGIE BLUE AND THE DARK WORLD by Anna Goodall, have been nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal 2022. The CILIP Carnegie Medal is awarded by children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children and young people. To be nominated at the start of the process is a huge honour and testament to the amazing storytelling of both books.
Ghost Scouts set to hit the screens soon!
We’re so thrilled that Threewise Entertainment have scooped up the option for film rights in Taylor Dolan’s awesomely wicked series, Ghost Scouts! Watch this space for future news…
