• Our TLC Free Reads window is  currently closed to submissions. Look out for our next submission window in Autumn 2023

Free Reads is a free manuscript assessment scheme for talented authors on low incomes. It is specifically for writers who would have difficulty meeting the standard TLC cost and who would benefit from professional assessment.

The Literary Consultancy (TLC) holds a strong track record of helping writers get into print. They offer one of the UK’s leading manuscript assessment services providing expert, market-aware editorial advice to authors at all levels.

New Writing South works with TLC by offering a small number of Arts Council-funded Free Reads for talented, low income authors in the south east. The south east region covers: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.

If you would like to apply for a free read please firstly read the guidelines on the TLC website to check whether you are eligible. You can find the entry criteria here. Free reads are open to writers of fiction, poetry or plays.

Before contacting New Writing South please read more about what to expect from TLC’s Manuscript Assessment.