Independent doesn’t have to mean alone

Mythic Alley was founded by a group of fantasy romance writers wanting to self-publish but finding the cost of professional services prohibitive. We banded together to share the breadth of our skills and knowledge, in order to do justice to our stories, both for our readers and ourselves.

We are now launching the Romantasy Retellings Novella Competition with the same ethos.

Rather than a monetary prize, the Mythic Alley team are offering a package of services to help up to three winners* publish their romantasy novellas. Everything from edits, cover design, formatting guidance and mentoring, to the offer of publication under the Mythic Alley imprint, with the writer retaining full rights to their winning novella and 100% of their royalties.

Further to this, every £25 entry fee grants, not only the ability for writers to submit their work, but a year’s exclusive subscription to the Mythic Alley Substack, where we will be posting regular writing craft and self-publishing advice tailored to each stage of the competition and nurturing a writing community for independent authors of romance.

The submission window opens on 19^th October 2026 and closes at midnight on 30^th November 2026.

Submit the first five thousand words of your romantasy novella, retelling the fairytale of your choice, along with a two-page synopsis, to be in with a chance to win. Full entry guidelines can be found here.

We will also be open to donations to fund entry places for underrepresented writers. Every time the donation pot reaches £25, we will run a sweepstake in order to award an underrepresented writer a free entry into the competition. Full entry details for the Underrepresented Writer Competition Entry Sweepstake can be found here.

*At Mythic Alley we believe in supporting writers and showing their work is valued by ensuring their labour is fairly reimbursed. This is why we want to be transparent about the structure of our competition. In order for it to go ahead, we have to receive a minimum threshold of sixty entries to ensure that each member of the Mythic Alley team will be paid the bare minimum for their time spent working on the competition and providing services as part of the prize. That also means that if the “pot” of entrance fees doubles, we will offer the winning prize package to an additional winner – with a cap of three winners in total. So, spread the word!

The more people that enter, the more winners there will be! 

Keep reading below for the full Entry Guidelines, UWCE Sweepstake Guidelines and Terms and Conditions.

1. Entrants must submit the opening of a fantasy romance novella inspired by a fairytale. It does not have to be an obvious retelling – we welcome creativity!

2. Entries can be any subgenre of fantasy romance. Mythic Alley is open to cosy, dark, paranormal, epic, monster and subgenre mash-ups, as well as any fantasy subgenre we may not have thought of!

3. There are no spice level restrictions – spicy, open door, no spice, closed door – all are welcome. 

4. Romance means a happily ever after or happily for now must be planned for either the end of the novella or the series if the novella is planned to be part of one. 

5. To enter, entrants must sign up to the “Annual Subscription” on the Mythic Alley Substack for £25 or the “Founder Subscription” to donate and/or submit multiple entries (see points 8 & 9) 

6. The confirmation email for the subscription will include the link to the entry submission form. All entries must be submitted via the completed form, with the entry sample and synopsis attached in a single document with (only) the title of novella as the document’s saved name.

7. The entry form does not have to be submitted immediately upon subscribing. It can be submitted at any point in the competition’s submission window from Monday 19th October 2026 to midnight (GMT) Monday 30th November 2026 . 

8. If entrants wish to donate towards a place in the Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake, they must select “Founder Subscription” and pay £25 plus the amount they wish to donate (For example, one entry plus a £10 donation = £35) 

9. The winner(s) of an Underrepresented Writer entry will be gifted an Annual Subscription and access to the entry form to submit their entry. There are separate terms and conditions to entering the Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake which can be found on the Mythic Alley website, but (with the exception of paying the entry fee) the winner(s) of an Underrepresented Writer entry place must adhere to all the main entry guidelines.

10. If an entrant wishes to submit more than once, they must use the “Founder Subscription” on Substack for the full amount of the number of entries (3 entries – £25 x 3 = £75) and contact us directly at mythicalleybooks@gmail.com at the same time, to confirm this is the plan. Entrants who wish to submit multiple entries can still donate to the Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweeptaske, but that amount would also need to be added on top, and clarified via email. (For example, 3 entries + £5 donation = £80)

11. The submission entry must be the first 5000 words of the novella (within a 10 percent margin). 

12. The completed novellas must be 50,000 words (within a 10 percent margin).

13. Entrants must ensure the entry chapters are in Times New Roman font pt.12 and double spaced. They must also include a header with the title of the novella only. Entrants must not put their name anywhere on the document containing the entry chapters. 

14. The entry submission must include a two page synopsis of the novella in the same document as the entry sample chapters. This synopsis must detail the beginning, middle and end of the novella and confirm if it is planned to be part of a series. The synopsis must be written in Times New Roman 12pt font but can be single or double spaced.

15. All entries must be submitted by midnight (GMT) Monday 30th November 2026

16. All entries must be in English (but we welcome international writers)

17. If short-listed, the full length novella must be submitted by midnight (GMT) 1st March 2027. (Submission details will be given in the email the short-listed authors receive.) See point 12 for the novella word count threshold.

18. All work must be the entrants own and not produced via AI – this includes your own ideas as prompts for AI, then edited with “your words”. We do not class the use of spell check within Word as AI. If you have any questions about our AI usage prohibitions and what it does and does not include, please email us at mythicalleybooks@gmail.com for confirmation. Evidence of AI use will result in disqualification. 

19. The work must be entirely your copyright. Evidence of plagiarism will result in an instant disqualification.

20. Disqualifications from the competition will not be subject to refunds.

21. If you require any further explanation or assistance with any of these guidelines or the entry process, please contact us at mythicalleybooks@gmail.com and we will do our best to help.

1. When enough donations have been raised to allow for an Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake, Mythic Alley will make an announcement on their social media and website.

2. Requests to be entered into the sweepstake must be received by midnight (GMT) on the deadline day stipulated in the announcement. 

3. Any underrepresented writers wishing to put their name into the sweepstake for the competition will need to email mythicalleybooks@gmail.com using the subject line, “UWCES Request” from the email address they wish to be contacted on.

4. Mythic Alley considers the following as factors which contribute to a writer being underrepresented: 
   1. Having a chronic health condition or disability
   2. Coming from a working class background
   3. Identifying as part of a ethnic minority group
   4. Identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community
   5. Being diagnosed as neurodivergent
   6. Being a carer 

5. In the email, you must state which of the above factors contributes to you identifying as an underrepresented writer (it can be more than one). If you feel you are an underrepresented writer due to different factors, please do contact us via mythicalleybooks@gmail.com and we will consider amending the list stated in point 4. 

6. UWCES request information will not be shared with anyone other than the Mythic Alley team without the requester’s permission. The identity of the winner(s) of sweepstake places will not be shared, unless the entrant(s) go on to win the competition. 

7. The winner(s) of a sweepstake place are not prohibited from sharing that they have won an entrance place at any point. 

8. At Mythic Alley we ask that anyone who requests to be entered into the sweepstake is entirely honest in the representation of their circumstances. There will be no verification process as we wish to treat everyone with good faith. However, if information comes to light that any winner who has won a sweepstake place is not an underrepresented writer, they will be disqualified from the competition.

9. The winner(s) of the sweepstake place(s) will be awarded their entry, free of charge, via a “gifted” subscription to the Annual tier of the Mythic Alley substack. 

10. The winner(s) of the sweepstake(s) will be subject to all the same entry guidelines and terms and conditions as paid for entries (with exception of the entry fee). 

11. Underrepresented writers who request their name to be placed in the sweepstake, only need to email the Mythic Alley team once. If the requester does not win the first sweepstake and enough money is donated to facilitate a further UWCES, their name will be automatically entered unless they email Mythic Alley to let us know they no longer wish to be entered for the chance of winning. 

12. The winner(s) will be contacted directly as soon as the sweepstake has been carried out.

13. Mythic Alley will pick the winner(s) of the UWCES randomly. The result of the sweepstake is final. 
14. There is no cash alternative to the prize of winning an entry place in the competition.

1. Entries to the competition must not, in any way, have been generated by AI. Discovery of the use of generative AI for any part of a submission will result in disqualification from the competition with no refund of the entry fee.

2. If entrants have any queries about what constitutes the use of prohibited AI, they must contact Mythic Alley at mythicalleybooks@gmail.com to verify they are not contravening the guidelines, prior to submitting their entry.

3. Mythic Alley will not use AI in any part of the competition process or feed any of the entrants work into an AI program. All administration tasks, reading, evaluation and decisions will be carried out by a member of the Mythic Alley team. 

4. Mythic Alley will not use AI to edit manuscripts or produce art work using generative AI, as part of the competition prize. The proliferation of unlabeled AI into certain spaces, such as stock image libraries, can make it difficult to promise 100% avoidance but the Mythic Alley team will always do their utmost in this regard.

5. The entry fee must be paid in full via the appropriate Substack Subscription. Annual for one entry place, Founder for multiple entry places and/or donation for the Underrepresented Writers Competition Entry Sweepstake.

6. Mythic Alley will not retain any of the rights to any of the work submitted, including the completed manuscripts of the winner(s). 

7. The winner(s) who publish their works will receive full royalties. Mythic Alley claims no royalty cut in any income received by the winner(s) for the publication of the winning title(s).

8. The prize is the services listed below in point 19 to support the winner(s) to self publish – there will be no cash alternative.

9. There will be no refunds of the entry fee. The competition is dependent on a minimum of 60 entries being submitted in order to cover the costs of the Mythic Alley team. If this number is not met, the entry prize will no longer be the package described in point 19 below, but – as an alternative – the Mythic Alley team will aim to arrange an online Q&A for self-publishing and writing craft for all entrants to attend as a group, or watch a video recording of. The Mythic Alley team will also choose at random at least one entrant to receive a developmental edit report of a full romance manuscript. 

10. This competition is open to international entrants but all submissions must be written in English.

11. Mythic Alley reserves the right to amend the deadlines to the competition to accommodate the team members work/life balance and any unexpected events. Mythic Alley will inform the entrants as soon as possible if a new schedule has been agreed.

12. While publication of the winning novella(s) will be planned for Autumn/Winter 2027, the timeline for distribution of the editorial and advice services that form the prize for the winner(s) is to be agreed between Mythic Alley and the winner(s) following the winner(s) announcement. It is understood that extenuating factors might cause delays on either side. 

13. Mythic Alley will not provide any feedback for entries which have not made the shortlist.

14. Entries that do not meet the entry guidelines will not be considered. There will be no refund of the entry fee.

15. Entries that are not submitted by the closing date of midnight (GMT) 30th November 2026 will not be considered. There will be no refund of the entry fee.

16. The short list will be announced on 1st February 2027 unless Mythic Alley has had to revise the schedule in accordance with point 11.

17. Following shortlisting, completed novellas must be submitted by midnight (GMT) 1st March 2027.

18. The winner(s) of the competition will be announced on 1st April 2027 unless Mythic Alley has had to revise the schedule in accordance with point 11.

19. The prize for the winner(s) of the competition will include the offer of the following services from members of the Mythic Alley team:

• A developmental edit of the novella manuscript
• A copy/line edit of the novella manuscript
• A proof read of the novella manuscript
• Guidance to help the winner(s) to create a cover design brief
• Cover illustrations and/or design by a member of the Mythic Alley team
• Support and advice regarding publication distribution options
• Assistance with formatting and uploading files to the distributor of the winner(s)choice
• Marketing advice based on the experiences of the Mythic Alley team
• Inclusion of the winning title(s) on the Mythic Alley website as part of the imprint
• A cover reveal
• Publication day posts
• Regular mentoring meetings to discuss any aspects of writing and publishing romance  

20. The winner is not obligated to use all of the services offered by Mythic Alley in point 19 as part of the prize, including publication as part of the Mythic Alley imprint. For example, the winner may receive the developmental, copy and proof edits, and then choose to seek traditional publication for their novella. 

21. Any publishing services outside of those included in point 19 will be the responsibility of the winner(s) to pay for. For example, advertising or a cover by a designer outside of the Mythic Alley team.

22. If any entry is discovered to have been plagiarised, they will be automatically disqualified. There will be no refund of the entry fee.
23. If the entrant was awarded the competition entry place via the UWCES and has been found to have misrepresented themself as an underrepresented writer, they will be automatically disqualified.

If you would like to receive a PDF copy of any of these guidelines or terms and conditions, please email us at mythicalleybooks@gmail.com with your request.