Penguin Random House UK & BBC Studios Team for WriteNow

Penguin Random House UK is hosting this year’s WriteNow program, which aims to support underrepresented voices, in partnership with BBC Studios.

This year’s WriteNow will offer aspiring writers the opportunity for their writing to potentially take shape in both the written and visual form. The 2022-23 program will focus exclusively on commercial fiction, with editors looking for submissions of love stories, family drama, thriller, crime and comic novels in particular.

BBC Studios will be looking for standout commercial novels to adapt for the screen either by its in-house scripted units or the scripted independent production companies in which it has investments. BBC Studios and its invested indie labels will have an exclusive first look at the writer’s book, if acquired by a Penguin Random House imprint, for TV and film adaptations.

WriteNow will open for applications on November 7 and close at midnight on January 8, 2023.

Charlene Alcott, WriteNow alumnus and author of More Than a Mum and The Single Mum’s Wish List, said: “WriteNow is the ultimate boot camp for aspiring writers. I entered with a dream and left with a plan.”

Louisa Burden-Garabedian, senior social impact executive at Penguin, said: “We’re really excited about what WriteNow has on offer for writers this year, which comes following five successful cohorts and a recent program review to better understand where we should develop and improve the program’s focus. WriteNow is one of the ways we aim to ensure that the creators of our books represent U.K. society, and this partnership with BBC Studios will allow us to shine a light on the TV industry alongside publishing and offer writers unparalleled advice and insight as they set themselves up in a successful career as an author.”

Mark Linsey, managing director of scripted content at BBC Studios, said: “BBC Studios is a long-standing champion of new writing talent, and we are delighted to be partnering on this year’s WriteNow. With more platforms than ever before looking to commission top-tier content, the competition for IP has never been fiercer, and our producers are hungry for new, bold ideas to dramatize. We’re delighted to secure a first look on the WriteNow finalists’ books, which always produces such high caliber storytelling and can’t wait to see the shortlisted books.”