The portholes of Guppy Books are open to all unagented and unpublished YA writers who have a novel to share!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.