Hi there all! I received some (not M&C) competition feedback this morning. I've had bad experiences with feedback in the past, with comments that had little to do with my manuscript or were bland generic restatings of the submission guidelines. In this case the reader clearly had read and commented directly on the submission, praised the prose, the plotting and the use of formatting and epistolary elements... Once my heart settled a little I realised that it gave me absolutely nothing to work on, nothing to improve. It's not as though it was the greatest thing their readers had ever seen, I didn't make the list let alone place. Where do you go for constructive feedback? Are there competitions and publications/sites that you've found helpful on the past? Does the necessity of payment go hand in hand with people just wanting to please you?

Anyone else taking part today, over on Bluesky and X?

Further News April/early May.

Hi all! Anyone know when the long list/winners will be announced or if I missed it somewhere? On the website it says the winner's would be announced yesterday. (Completely understand any delays, just want to know when my anxiety should spike 😂)

Just completed manuscript for science fantasy/ magical realism novel 113000 words, many drafts/self edits, and now asking beta reader feedback. Considering my publishing journey and looking at: Copy edit/ proofread/ I have some cover design ideas/ author website(poss on Squarespace)/ looking at Wattpad, substack, linking to some reader groups,/ then thinking start with ebook on Amazon, then judge where to upload to individually, or use distributor service. Any ideas/feedback on others own journeys/plans would be interesting to hear