We’re excited to reveal our 10 shortlisted novel openings for this year’s First Chapter Competition. We read just under 300 chapters to get to this list and have enjoyed them all.

Well done to all of the writers who made our longlist and many congratulations to the writers of the following novels! Your first chapters have now gone to our judge, Sam Jordison at Galley Beggar Press, for him to make the final decision. Good luck!

Please keep the name of your novel under wraps until the judging process is complete!

Shortlisted Novels

• Bring Them to Light
• Countdown
• Down Came a Blackbird
• Northern Boy
• Sideslip
• The Grey Man
• The Limehouse Blues
• The Mirador
•  The Slighting of Livia Rathbone
• Wildwood