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The Irish Writer's Centre are open for submissions! Formerly known as 'The Novel Fair', the now revamped International Debut Novel Competition is an opportunity to 'jump the publication slush pile and meet agents and publishers face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom over the course of two days.' Best wishes to Damien Donnelly and team with this year's competition. He kindly asked me to write about my experience as a novel fair winner, it was a pivotal time and is still fresh in my mind.
I was lucky enough to be a finalist on the very first year of the competition. There were twenty of us. Basically, it was like speed dating for writers, agents and publishers - all first time novelists, we sat at our tables in the Irish Writers Centre in Parnell Square in Dublin, with freshly printed copies of our opening chapters and our hearts thumping.
Unaware of trends or publishing in general, (this was 2011) I had the notion that a true story from small town Ireland might not be of interest (never doubt your own work, it's like rejecting yourself in advance) and actually had to be persuaded to enter. The Herbalist was based on a true case in my hometown - a trial I came across in an old local newspaper, The Leinster Leader, while working on the archives. I really didn't know what to expect that day - it was the first competition of its kind in Ireland. The energy and kindness of the staff in the centre was just amazing. thinking about the warm welcome (and hot coffee) makes me smile even now. As each agent and publisher sat down across from me, it became obvious that they were as excited as the writers. All of us wanted this to be a success, all of us wanted to the work to reach readers.
We had ten minutes with each agent and publisher, after that a bell rang and off they went, sometimes taking a copy of those chapters, sometimes leaving a business card, sometimes leaving you elated, sometimes a little confused. I went from having never set foot in the Writer's Centre, to meeting the most high profile agents and publishers in the country over the course of one afternoon. My nerves! Like most writers, I was a little afraid of the word 'pitch' - so I gave them the gist of my novel (the exciting bits, in the language and mood of the novel) as clearly as possible, and the rest was up to them. That gist wasn't as casual as it sounds, I honed it down to five minutes and practised it over and over.
The buzz in the room that day was amazing, we could hardly hear ourselves. The thing about meeting an industry professional face to face, is you can see immediately what aspects of the novel, even what words, make their eyes light up. It sounds obvious, but I realised that day, that to successfully publish your novel, you were also expected to be able to have a conversation about that work, it's themes and subjects. The Herbalist was about women pushing against the rigid boundaries of 1930s Ireland. About Emily, a girl who wanted an awful lot more than the life mapped out for her. For anyone who finds that aspect difficult, it helps to practise talking to other people, or even your phone. Get excited about your book, if you're not - why would anyone else be? My fire came from the fact that "The Herbalist" was one of those stories that was pushed under the carpet, one that would never be told unless I wrote it.
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| First draft of The Herbalist written on my kitchen table |
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| 2013 Irish Edition |
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| 2025 International Edition |
I realise in retrospect, that I was very lucky with my first book - it often takes much longer to see the winning novel published, and signing with an agent and publisher after one meeting does not happen to everyone. In general, I think the industry moves slower now. There are varying timelines, and outcomes, but being listed or winning this competition is a huge thumbs-up, and often a stepping stone to publication. The Herbalist went onto be Penguin Ireland's best selling book that year and won Debut of the Year at the Irish Book Awards - kind of magical, for a book written long hand early in the morning and late at night while I juggled young children and work. I still have that "first edition", a battered but beloved notebook. The novel was sparked by a line in an old newspaper, and I still have that too. Along with my sketches of the Herbalist's tattoos.
I have gone on to complete two other novels - also based on true stories, the second was Her Kind, also based on a real trial, but this time a witch trial: the case of Alice Kyteler in Kilkenny. That was published in the UK and Ireland by the lovely people at Penguin. I published an edition for the US.
If I had any advise about the novel competition, I would pass on the words said to me all those years ago, 'go on, what have you got to lose?'
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Available to read from... |
UK Amazon
Barnes & Noble print
USA Amazon
All other e-book platforms
About the Competition
Run by The Irish Writers Centre, its an annual literary competition that awards twelve unpublished novelists with the opportunity to pitch their novels to leading publishers and literary agents. There are two Pitch Days (4 & 5 December 2025) the 12 winners are given the opportunity to skip the queue and pitch their novels face-to-face or zoom-to-zoom to publishers and agents.
'As a first-time novelist it can be difficult to know what an agent or publisher wants and so, in preparation, winners will participate in The Online Prep Day (28 November) where they will learn how to craft the ideal pitch and what to expect from their encounters during our Pitch Days.
submit 5,000 words and a synopsis
To find out more....
https://irishwriterscentre.ie/international-debut-novel-competition/
