TLC Free Reads
Through this Arts Council England-funded scheme, Literature Works is proud to offer low-income writers in the South West the opportunity to get free professional, constructive feedback on their writing via The Literary Consultancy, the UK’s leading editorial consultancy.
The scheme is open to writers across all forms and genres and is a brilliant opportunity to progress with your writing.
You’ll need to decide which kind of feedback you wish to apply for, then download and complete the application form (link here and below), and e-mail it along with other required documents to info@literatureworks.org.uk by 1st December 2024.
Who is TLC?
Established in 1996 as the first service of its kind, The Literary Consultancy (TLC) offers a range of services for writers including manuscript assessment, mentoring, and events. TLC services are available to all writers, at all stages of development, writing in English. TLC has helped hundreds of writers on to publication, but its main aim is to support writers developing their work and honing their writing craft.
What are TLC Free Reads?
Subject to eligibility and a selection process, each work will be carefully matched to one of TLC’s 80+ professional readers, and writers can expect to receive feedback in the form of a written critique. The notes you receive are intended to help you develop your writing further.
We can offer Manuscript Assessments, Submission Package Reports and Editor One-to-Ones. Read below to find out more and decide which would be right for you.
MANUSCRIPT ASSESSMENT
A manuscript assessment will help you understand where your work currently sits in relation to the commercial literary market place, and offer practical developmental advice for next steps.
Find out if a Manuscript Assessment is suitable for you by clicking here.
SUBMISSION PACKAGE REPORT
For this service, TLC will match the writer with a TLC Industry Editor who will read their first 8,000 words, synopsis, and ‘Dear Agent’ letter, providing them a written report and mark-up or commentary on the submission material.
This service is for writers who have a completed manuscript and are looking to refine and polish their submission to maximise their chances of success.
Find out if a Submission Package Report is suitable for you by clicking here.
EDITOR ONE-TO-ONE
TLC are also offering editor one-to-ones. For post-feedback support, trouble-shooting, or generating ideas, writers can book in a one-hour session with a TLC Editor.
One-to-ones are also popular with writers who have had an editorial service and need post-feedback support. TLC will provide you with goal-setting worksheets and a recording of your session, so you can watch back at any time. You will have one hour with your editor plus one hour of prep time where your editor reads up to 2,500 words (or the equivalent in poetry/script/treatment).
Find out if an editor one-to-one is suitable for you by clicking here.
Literature Works will select candidates by assessing samples of your writing, those selected will be asked to submit further work. This is a competitive process and eligible applicants will be chosen based on artistic merit.
The Free Reads scheme particularly welcomes applications from writers belonging to groups currently under-represented in publishing including disabled writers, neurodivergent writers, Black, Asian, and Global Majority writers, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Testimonials
‘The scheme is something I would never have had access to outside of this. Being able to have my work critiqued by a professional has given me confidence and enthusiasm for my work and talents as a writer.’
‘This has genuinely been one of the most useful and rewarding opportunities I have received in a decade of professional practice in the arts.’
How to apply
If you are interested in applying, please fill in the application form and read the details below carefully. Download a form by clicking the buttons below:
Please submit each of the following via email to info@literatureworks.org.uk:
• Your completed application form
note: ‘Regional writing partner’ at the top of the form should be listed as Literature Works (South West).
‘Submission length’ refers to the length of your final submission.
• A one-page covering letter stating why a Free Read would be useful to you at this stage in your career and addressing your qualification in the low-income criteria.
• A one-page synopsis of your work
• A sample of the work you want to be assessed by TLC (max 75 lines of poetry, max 3 pages for prose, max 10 pages for scripts). All submissions must be double-spaced, in a 12 pt font.
• Paperwork confirming low income criteria (qualifying paper work is outlined in the application form and low-income, as defined by TLC, is outlined below.)
Applications must be submitted digitally via e-mail – we are not accepting printed submissions by post.
If you are offered a Free Read, you are gaining access to TLC’s standard manuscript assessment services on a bursary basis. To read more about TLC’s services, click here.
You cannot apply for a Free Read two years in a row.
TLC Submission rules and guidelines can be found here.
What is ‘low income’?
Current UK government guidelines suggest that low-income (household) equals 60% of the median household income. This is only a rule of thumb, but is a helpful guideline when assessing applications. According to the latest figures this would put the national low-income threshold at roughly £18,000 per annum income, with the London low-income threshold £23,000 per annum and below. For the purposes of the Free Reads scheme we are referring to earnings in the last full financial year.
There are some helpful calculations here to show how these margins are measured by the Government across the country. If you are a full-time student or pensioner, or in receipt of any kind of Universal Credit, you are eligible to apply for a TLC Free Read. You may also submit HMRC self-assessment paperwork to show you are low-earning if self-employed and not in receipt of income support.
We understand that in the current cost of living crisis, loss of income has affected many communities and individuals particularly hard. If you are eligible on this basis, please simply submit a one-paragraph statement outlining your circumstances. This information is completely confidential, but is a necessary requirement of our funding relationship with ACE, to show that the scheme is genuinely serving those most in need. You can find out about storage of personal information in the TLC privacy policy here.
