Supporting low-income writers in England to access expert advice and support on their manuscript
Are you looking for a constructive, detailed and professional assessment of your manuscript from a highly skilled editor? Are such services currently beyond your financial means? This scheme could be for you.
Each year NCW partners with The Literary Consultancy (TLC), supported by Arts Council England, to give free access to TLC’s industry-leading manuscript assessment service for up to ten writers. Free Reads is a national scheme, delivered by a range of literature development organisations, with NCW accepting applications from writers based in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk or Suffolk.
Apply now!
Submit your work for the chance to receive constructive, detailed and professional assessment of your manuscript from a highly skilled editor.
The deadline for applications is 10am, Monday 19 January 2026.
What is the TLC Free Reads Scheme?
The TLC Free Reads scheme is an Arts Council England-funded initiative that offers free access to TLC’s core services to writers who under normal circumstances might not be able to afford them. This includes bursaries for manuscript assessment, developmental editing, submission package reports, mentoring, membership to the Being A Writer community, TLC Events and Courses. Each year the scheme supports 100 writers editorially, and hundreds more through courses and events.
Who is Free Reads for?
TLC Free Reads has grown into an offer for writers that aims to facilitate access to professional and creative development opportunities to writers who would otherwise be unable to afford to pay for the service. The core demographic is therefore low-income, talented writers who are resident in England. As part of its commitment to supporting the widest range of literary voices possible, TLC is particularly interested in submissions from writers who feel under-represented in the publishing world, or those who feel they face barriers which make access to these opportunities difficult such as cultural background, mental health, or disability.
You can submit prose (fiction and non-fiction), short stories, children’s fiction including picture books, poetry, scripts, and screenplays. We are unfortunately unable to accept academic works for manuscript assessment.
You cannot apply for a Free Read two years in a row. You must be over 16.
What counts as low income?
Current UK government guidelines suggest that low-income (household) equals 60% of the median household income. If you are not sure what low-income means, the Citizens Advice Bureau has some useful guidelines here, and 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. You may also submit HMRC self-assessment paperwork to show you are low-earning if you are self-employed and not in receipt of income support.
If none of these apply but you feel you are still eligible, you may be asked to submit a signed declaration outlining your circumstances. This information will be anonymised and is confidential, but is a necessary requirement of TLC’s funding relationship with ACE, to show that the scheme is genuinely serving those most in need.
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Any questions?
If at any stage you have any issues with the application process, require individual support with it, or require any of the information in a different format, please get in touch with TLC directly on [email protected].
Not from the East of England? Find out more about TLC’s Free Reads scheme in other areas across England here.
From Free Reads winner to award-winning debut novelist
Claire Wade is the author of The Choice. Read about her TLC Free Reads experience, which led her towards winning the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition.
‘It really helped me clarify what I wanted from my story. The following year I won the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition with The Choice and went on to win the East Anglian Book Award 2020 for Fiction. Having feedback on your work is an essential part of developing not only your manuscript but also your writing technique. I’d highly recommend applying.’
Meet our former Free Reads winners
Congratulations to our four wonderful Free Reads winners for 2024/25: Maria Victoria Lightwood, Robin Young, Sabo Kpade, and Thea Smiley.
Find out more
I would certainly recommend any aspiring writers to apply for a Free Read. The constructive criticism I received resulted in a rewrite of my story which has just been published by novum, ‘Costly Truths’. They will be publishing my second novel soon, and I have just completed the first draft of my fifth! Without the support and encouragement of my writer’s group and your scheme, I doubt any of that would have happened, so thank you!
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