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Free Reads is for low-income writers based in the East of England, writing in English, who may not have the financial stability to afford TLC’s regular manuscript assessment fees (their commercial service is open to all). The scheme prioritises those from under-represented backgrounds (including disabled writers, neurodivergent writers, Black, Asian, and Global Majority writers, and members of the LGBT+ community).

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.

Please get in touch via [email protected] if you would like assistance completing the form.

You cannot apply for a Free Read two years in a row. You must be over 16.

Applications are assessed based on both the quality of the writing and the need of the applicant, and we prioritise writers who are from under-represented backgrounds. We will let applicants know whether or not their application is successful, and successful applicants should be ready to submit a full or partial manuscript on request. We have previously declined applicants who already have high quality manuscripts and who we believe should be directly approaching agents or seeking publication. Unfortunately we are unable to give feedback on unsuccessful applications.

What is the TLC Free Reads Scheme?

The Free Reads Scheme is a bursary scheme, funded by Arts Council England, and delivered by The Literary Consultancy. It 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.

What is The Literary Consultancy?

The Literary Consultancy (TLC) is the UK’s longest-established editorial consultancy, pioneering manuscript assessment and advocating for industry-level editing for all writers. We have helped thousands of writers to develop their work, with hundreds going on to find readerships and accolades: major book deals, theatre tours, poetry prizes, digital serialisation, and more.

In 2001 TLC received a small pilot fund. This enabled the provision of the first bursaried manuscript assessments for talented writers on low income. The scheme has since been expanded and is now known as the TLC Free Reads Scheme. The scheme is delivered in partnership with twenty-two literature organisations across all regions of England. It is the only Arts Council supported national bursary scheme for low-income and marginalised writers giving free access to high level professional editing services, supporting these writers with the development of their work.

What TLC services are offered via Free Reads?

Manuscript Assessment

Writers are provided with an editorial report by a professional editor, hand-matched by the TLC team and tailored to your writing. The report focuses on key areas for development in the manuscript. You will also receive documents to help you prepare for receiving the report, and to help you implement the feedback. TLC’s most popular editorial service, and the one most frequently offered via Free Reads.

You can read more about manuscript assessment here.

Submission Package Report

We will match you with a TLC Industry Editor who will read your first 8,000 words, synopsis, and ‘Dear Agent’ letter, providing you a written report and mark-up or commentary on your submission material. This service is for writers who have a completed and edited a manuscript already, and are looking to refine and polish their submission to maximise their chances of success.

You can read more about Submission Package Reports here.

Editor One-to-one

For post-feedback support, trouble-shooting, or generating ideas, 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 support with incorporating edits. We will provide you with goal-setting worksheets and a recording of your session, so you can watch back at any time.

You can read more about Editor One-to-ones here.

Am I eligible for a Free Read?

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. As the scheme is funded, we are required to collect anonymised data to ensure eligibility criteria are met, but if you have any questions about your eligibility that you would like to discuss with us in confidence, please feel free to get in touch directly on [email protected]. If you have a question about the application process, please get in touch with the organisation delivering Free Reads in your area in the first instance.

What constitutes ‘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 your 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 you are self-employed and not in receipt of income support.

We understand that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, loss of income has affected many communities and individuals particularly hard, and we want to be able to provide the scheme to those who are looking to develop their writing in the wake of the pandemic and whose financial circumstances might have been affected by the pandemic. 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 how we store personal information in our privacy policy here.

If you have any questions about your eligibility that you would like to discuss with us in confidence, please get in touch directly by sending us an email: [email protected]. If you have a question about the application process, please get in touch with the organisation delivering Free Reads in your area in the first instance, as application processes may vary.

What proof of income do you accept?

We accept any government paperwork which proves that you are a full-time student or pensioner (over 60), or in receipt of Universal Credit, Jobseekers’ Allowance, Disability Benefits, Income Support, Child Benefit or Working Tax Credits. You may also submit an HMRC self-assessment form to show you are low-earning if you are a freelancer and not in receipt of income support. If none of the above apply but you still believe your annual income is below £18,000, you may also write a letter outlining your circumstances and include other paperwork as proof of low income.

What kind of writing can I submit?

TLC accepts submissions of: 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. Please note that TLC co-ordinates the Free Reads scheme, but each of its delivery partners will have its own application process. If there are any restrictions on what can and cannot be submitted to individual delivery partners, this will be clearly outlined in the application process, so please read this carefully. Please do not submit your work directly to TLC for a Free Read.

What should I include in my synopsis?

Your synopsis should give the broad brushstrokes of your story – it should be slightly more detailed than a book blurb but doesn’t need to detail each character arc and backstory. TLC has a good ‘how-to’ on their website.

Will I get my whole manuscript read?

TLC receives a grant for Free Reads which is awarded on an annual basis and distributed between partners at the beginning of each financial year according to various criteria including need and reach. This funding is currently secure until April 2027. Our 22 Free Reads delivery partners are trusted organisations who work with writers across England. Each partner will have their own way of allocating their budget and we ask that writers please respect this; their decisions in these matters are final.

We cannot guarantee that each writer awarded a Free Read will receive a full manuscript assessment as our aim is to support as many writers as we can. Please do not be disheartened if you do not get selected; the process is highly selective, and we encourage you to apply to as many opportunities as you can.

Who will read my work?

If your work is selected by your regional delivery partner for a Free Read, the work will be handed to TLC and you will from that point on be in the care of TLC and its in-house team. The team will assign you a reader from its list of 90 professional readers. All TLC readers are given training and guidelines to support them in their delivery of the feedback, which aims to be personalised, market-aware, and suited to your level of work and aims and aspirations. We encourage you therefore to fill in the details on your Application Form carefully, to ensure we can send the most up-to-date information along to your reader. It might be important to note that TLC’s editorial feedback seeks to give every writer access to rigorous professional attention of the kind they would receive if working with a publisher. This kind of professional feedback is very different to peer feedback or writing group critique, and it can be a sensitive process. At TLC our commitment to you is to take you seriously, and engage critically with your work so that you can develop your creative practice with confidence, and a clear idea of where you are.

Will I get to talk to my TLC Editor?

Objectivity is the cornerstone of TLC’s manuscript assessment offer. We firmly believe that for this kind of intervention to work at its best, the reader needs to be free to make an independent assessment of the work in hand. We also believe that honest feedback is the best kind of feedback for a writer’s creative development in the longer term. For this reason, all feedback is monitored by TLC, quality-checked and proofed in-house, and reports are sent on to you by TLC. You are welcome to send a covering note with any specific questions at the point of being awarded a Free Read, should you wish to. If you have questions following your report, please be in touch with the TLC office in the first instance and please may we kindly ask you keep these brief to respect the Editor’s time.

What kind of feedback should I expect from my Free Read?

Like any other manuscript assessment that TLC provides, your Free Read may contain a combination of line edits and structural suggestions. It gives you an in-depth professional view on your work, to enable you to focus on improving your writing in a targeted manner.

As with any feedback on your work, please remember that this is only the opinion of a single person and it is always worth sourcing a number of opinions from trusted readers (people who will give you honest feedback) before you submit to an agent or begin the self-publishing process. We recommending reading this article, which documents the experience of one of our Free Read recipients Sally-Anne Lomas.

How long does the whole process take?

TLC aims to match Free Reads submissions to a reader within one week maximum. Once the work has been assigned, the process of receiving feedback takes around 4-6 weeks. Please refer to your delivery partner’s application process for a sense of their submission wait times, which you will need to incorporate into your timeframe for receiving feedback. If you have requirements which are time sensitive, we strongly recommend you speak to your delivery partner before submitting.