News

Check in regularly for the latest news from the First Pages Prize.

Suzanne Bailey 2021 2nd Place - on motivation and encouragement

“[The First Pages Prize] gave me the motivation to keep working on my novel this past year. I think without that encouragement, this past year would have been a wash for me as far as writing goes. “ says Suzanne Bailey, 2021 2nd place winner. “I’m surprised at how motivational it has been to hear, ‘Hey, this is good,’ from people who only know me from my writing.”




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Carrie Cogan 2020 2nd Place - on gaining confidence, the developmental edit & agent consultation

“The First Pages Prize genuinely seems to care about fostering their winners’ writing, which was evident to me from the first contact,” says Carrie Cogan, 2020 2nd prize winner. “Do it. Even if your novel isn’t complete or perfect. Try and make sure your opening pages are actually your most compelling—or, to put that another way, make sure your novel begins where it should.”

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P.J. McKay 2020 1st Place - on trusting your instinct, deciding on those first pages

“Trust your gut feel. Step away from being the author and think of what’s important to readers,” says P.J. McKay, 2020 1st place winner. “Your first pages can reveal a lot in a short space of time and I think it’s important to take time over them to ensure you are delivering up that strong opening which grips your reader and draws them into the story’s world.”

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Alan Sincic 2021 1st Place - on getting started, on keeping going

“Maybe all you’ve got right now is an opening chapter, but who knows where that can lead? I’ve always felt that, if you are a careful craftsman in even the smallest of things, nothing is ever wasted. The time you spend today—whittling away, one sentence at a time—might well be the beginning of something great,” says 2021 1st place winner Alan Sincic. “I say go for it!”


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