It’s that time again! The Guppy Open Submission Competition is launching for 2025!
We’re thrilled to announce that we will be opening the portholes to unagented and unpublished writers in our sixth competition – this time for MIDDLE GRADE authors. Following hot on the heels of the publication of the wonderful EVIE AND MARYAM’S FAMILY TREE written by Janeen Hayat, we are excited to announce the dates for the next competition.
The Open Submission window will be the week of 16th June, from 9am on Monday 16th June to 5pm Friday 20th June 2025 GMT.
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 eligible. 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 2025, 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 the end of 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).
We look forward to finding our next winner! And good luck!
Winner Janeen Hayat and her wonderful middle-grade novel EVIE AND MARYAM’S FAMILY TREE was the 2023 winner of the Guppy Open Submission, and came out in the shops yesterday. Read more about it here!
Amelia Cheeseheart is the BA Indie Children’s Book of the Month!
We are so thrilled that the very first book in our Amelia Cheeseheart series, AND the very first in our new Mini Guppy imprint, is the INDIE CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR MAY! Hooray for the amazing Cat Weldon and Nene Lonergan, author and illustrator of this magnificent series.
Amelia Cheeseheart is an intrepid, courageous mouse who investigates mysteries at the museum where she lives, with her bestie, spider Webster. Funny, charming comic-style illustrations, this is a super young graphic novel perfect for children who are just learning to read, as well as older readers who want to dive into a gorgeous world of adventure, Egyptian fun facts, and friendship. Available in ALL GOOD INDIE BOOKSHOPS and in other places too.
Announcing a brand new imprint, MINI GUPPY!
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!
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!
What it means to win the Guppy Open Submission Award! OR Sorrel spills the beans.
Every day, I still wake up completely baffled that I won the Guppy Open Submission in 2022.
It’s especially bizarre that because I won the Guppy Open Submission, I now have a real book with pages and an amazing cover, and people I’ve never actually met have bought and read it.
My journey here has been long and strange – which is incidentally how I would describe myself.
My eldest sister did her degree in Creative Writing, which helped me realise that you can do a degree in something you actually enjoy and are good at, and don’t have to do a degree in Economics and Generalised Anxiety to please your estranged relatives. So, I did the exact same degree.
My mum then did a Masters in Writing for Young People, then entered the Myslexia Novel Competition and won it. Having completed my degree in Creative Writing without a personality of my own, I decided to do the exact same Masters and enter competitions my mum recommended.
My mum has excellent taste, as it turns out. Entering the Guppy Open Submission was by far the best decision I’ve made since I started taking Sertraline. It is so, so hard to break into the children’s book industry – there are so many people out there with ideas (almost) as good as yours, and most of what you hear is rejections and Deafening Silence.
Bella was so open and warm from the very beginning. She genuinely cares so much about every book she publishes, and works harder than any person should. The whole team at Guppy is amazing, and I’ve felt very important the whole time, despite absolutely not being their only client. They’ve got my very queer, absolutely bananas apocalyptic comedy noticed by people I’d never have imagined.
I now do things like walk into bookshops and sign their copies of my book as if that isn’t completely unhinged behaviour. I’m preparing for the panel I’m on and planning the workshop I’ll be running at YALC this year. I had my own table at Abergavenny Pride. I was on the Children’s Books Ireland Pride Reading Guide. I was a Debut of the Month and Star Book for Love Reading 4 Kids. And my book only bloody came out three weeks ago. I still can’t believe any of it.
For all the kind rejections, the less kind rejections, and the Total Ignoring, it was so worth it to enter the Guppy Open Submission.
You’ll never know what could happen if you don’t let them see your words.
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!
Learn TEN facts about Lisa Williamson! New series Bigg School is published this Thursday…
1 Lisa Williamson is a British children’s author. She has written four fiction titles for young adults and three non-fiction titles for younger children, including a biography of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Her latest book, Best Friends Forever is for children ages 8+ and is the first title in a brand-new series called Bigg School. Set at Henry Bigg Academy, every title in the series will explore the life of a different child in year 7.
2 Lisa grew up in Arnold, Nottinghamshire with her mum, dad and big sister Helen. Arnold is not very exciting (sorry, Arnold) so as a child Lisa spent a lot of time making up stories in her head to stop herself from getting bored. She also loved to draw, dance and trying to train (not very successfully) her rabbit Juniper to do tricks.
3 Lisa is also an actor and has starred in many musicals and pantomimes over the years, including Aladdin (three Christmases in a row!) and Peter Pan where she was flown across the stage on wires. She has also appeared in lots of TV commercials including the 2014 John Lewis Christmas advert (the one with the penguins!).
4 Lisa wrote her first novel for young adults, The Art of Being Normal after working at a clinic for children wishing to explore their gender identity. Hearing their stories inspired her to write a book from the point of view of a transgender teenager. She still gets letters and emails from young people discovering the book for the very first time.
5 As a child Lisa loved to read. Some of her favourite books growing up included The Magic Faraway Tree seriesby Enid Blyton,George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl, Please Mrs Butler by Allan Ahlberg, and Starring Sally J Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume. She also really enjoyed reading comics like Twinkle, Bunty and Mandy.
6 Lisa likes to write the sorts of books she thinks her younger self would have enjoyed – stories about ordinary children navigating everyday life. She believes that every child has a story worth sharing and loves getting under the skin of her characters and finding out what makes them special and unique.
7 The first book in the Bigg School series is about Lola, whose friendship with BFF Evie looks set to change when they find out they’re going to be in different classes when they move up to secondary school. The next book is called Double Drama (out in April 2024) and is all about Daniel, a young carer and inspiring actor. When Daniel gets the lead role in the school play he struggles to juggle rehearsals with his complicated home life, all the while hiding both from his gang of mates.
8 Lisa works on the Bigg School series alongside illustrator Jess Bradley. Jess also illustrates the well-loved Squid Bits for The Phoenix magazine. In Best Friends Forever Jess’s illustrations bring Lola’s story to life and really capture the characters. Lisa’s favourite illustration in the book is the one of Lola and Evie on the very last page because it makes her feel happy and sad at the same time. When she first saw it she got a massive lump in her throat!
9 When she was nine, Lisa won a McDonalds drawing competition. The prize was a party at McDonalds and a tour around the kitchens. It was one of the best days of her life.
10 Lisa’s favourite things are (in no particular order) chocolate ice cream, bookshops, board games, Christmas, the seaside, theme parks, baking, long walks in the woods, reading on trains and her whippet Nelson.
You can watch Lisa read an extract from Best Friends Forever here on the Guppy website and we have some fantastic Teacher resources too to accompany the series, take a look here.
Finding the Joy: Myles McLeod, one half of the Brothers McLeod, talks about why funny books are so very important…
Hands up all of you who think reading is a bad thing and should be discouraged? I’m guessing that’s none of you! No wonder we are all worried by the new survey from the National Literary Trust. They tell us more than half of children and young people do not enjoy reading in their free time. Even more sobering, their report says the number of 8 to 18 year olds who read daily in their free time has decreased 26% over the past 18 years. Now, hands up all of you who think laughing is a bad thing? I’m guessing that’s also none of you. But hands up those of you who think that drama is more important than comedy? Now, we’re not so unanimous.
Dramatic stories connect us to deep and powerful emotions. We read about injustice and complications and feel angry and sad on behalf of the protagonists. And we feel enormous relief when they win through, or grief when they ultimately fail. But funny stories just make us giggle a bit. So drama wins, right?
What does comedy have in its armoury to defend itself? I can think of at least three important points. The first is that comedy thrives in company. Reading a funny book with a friend or family member means you can laugh together. I recently received this note: “reading your books, laughing, and coming up with voices for all the characters stands out as some of the best times I’ve had with my kids.” I don’t think I’ve ever read such a lovely note. It makes me want to go and sit in a corner and have a little, happy cry. I know of another school who used our book as a class reader. Different children were in charge of reading different characters.
What a great (and funny) idea!
The second is that comedy books are eminently re-readable. My brother and I loved reading the Asterix comics when we were children. Some of the books actually fell to pieces because we re-read them so much. I’m not saying that dramatic stories can’t be re-read; I’ve done Lord of the Rings twice (what a show off!) But when you re-read a comedy, it’s a sort of self-care. It’s familiar like a blanket. It’s going to soothe you. (Favourites I’ve re-read recently are Cold Comfort Farm and the Adrian Mole books). I’d argue this is also useful as a reading exercise: reinforcing words, familiarising yourself with story structure and character.
Thirdly, comedy can be deep too. At its best it can be a safe space in which to examine our own flaws and the flaws of society. In Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton notes, ‘In the hands of the best comics, laughter acquires a moral purpose, jokes become attempts to cajole others into reforming their characters and habits.’ It also offers up the comforting idea that none of us are perfect.
That’s all very well, I hear a hypothetical audience member cry… but surely comedy can’t be used as a core text! The following appeared in a review of our first Knight Sir Louis book: “It is a hilarious book… I think my students would love it, but it will be a bit hard to use this as core text.” Reading this review made me feel sad. I thought it was a shame that a funny book packed with different types of writing (letter, dialogue only chapters, haiku, comic strip, diary, instructions, lyrics, fairy tale, gothic story) is considered unfit for use in an educational context. Especially, when they think the students would LOVE IT.
This speaks to a wider problem with comedy. Alexi Duggins, writing in the Guardian, notes, “essentially, there is no good reason for comedy’s inexplicable historic lack of recognition as high culture.” Aristotle didn’t help. He wrote the first works of literary theory. One on tragedy and one on comedy. At some point, the one about comedy was lost. It’s almost laughable.
If funny books are somehow considered lesser in the schoolroom and by the general public then it’s likely that belief will be passed on to the next generation. But, let’s remember funny books are ENJOYABLE books. They contain JOY. If we want children and young people to read for ENJOYMENT, then surely funny books should be a significant part of that programme?
Tickle your funny bones with The Brothers McLeod’s latest book, Knight Sir Louis and the Sinister Snowball, available from October 26th 2023!
