It’s the official opening day of the Romantasy Retellings Novella Competition!

Submit the 5k opening to your romantasy novella based on a fairytale retelling and you’ll be in with a chance to win a package of services to help you self publish, including full edits and proofreading, a cover or assistance with commissioning one (your choice), support with formatting and uploading to distribution platforms, as well as regular mentor sessions.

The full entry guidelines and terms and conditions can be found here, along with details of our Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake.

If you love the idea and want to give it a go, you don’t have to have your submission ready to enter immediately. The closing date is 30th November, and when you sign up for the annual subscription on the Mythic Alley Substack in order to enter, you get access to all the bonus content we are offering to give guidance on your craft and approaching the indie author life. Here’s what we have planned for our contestants just this week:

• Tuesday – a video chat with Emma Jackson, Jessica Haines and Kate Kenzie, discussing more about the competition and digging into our own indie publishing journeys. (Emma-Louise Smith’s thoughts to follow in a separate Substack)
• Wednesday – we’ll be kicking off our first Writing Sprint in the Substack Chat so you can hit the ground running!
• Thursday – Our first Q & A session (also in the Substack Chat) where subscribers can ask whatever questions they like about the competition, writing or indie publishing (or what to have for lunch – it’s up to you!)
• Friday – a Substack article all about how to engage readers from the beginning

Next week we’ll be offering a similar line up with a focus on character. Our aim is to provide the most relevant advice and information based on each period of the competition, so this six week submission window is all geared towards planning, getting started with your novella and polishing that submission, ready to submit.

Because independent doesn’t have to mean alone!

Subscribe here to reserve your entry place in the competition and receive our exclusive content for contestants.

Still not sure you’re ready to commit? Check out the SFFRomCast tomorrow when Mythic Alley will be discussing all the in’s and out’s of the competition.