To celebrate the landmark moment of 300 students with commercial book deals, we’re running a flash fiction competition on the theme of ‘Landmarks’. This competition will run from Friday 15 May until Monday 15 June.
of helping writers tell their stories
former students with major publishing deals
We’re delighted to be celebrating our 300th former student to sign a commercial book deal.
Bethia Hale studied on our Writing Your Novel course in 2021, and now her debut novel Any Day Now has been sold to Phoenix by Curtis Brown’s Viola Hayden in a two-book deal, announced this week. Publisher Francesca Main acquired UK and Commonwealth rights. The book is slated for publication in April 2027. North American rights were pre-empted by Whitney Frick and Jenna Bush Hager for Dial Press x Thousand Voices from Grainne Fox at UTA. German rights have been sold to Rowholt at auction, and Portuguese rights to Leya. TV rights have also been optioned by Kudos (a Banijay UK company).
‘We’re so thrilled about Bethia’s deal – and delighted that she’s our 300th student to become a published author. This news comes just as we’re celebrating a big birthday: Unbelievably it’s 15 years since we welcomed our first group of students! It’s also the start of a new era for us as we’ve just completed a management buyout that means CBC is now majority-owned and led by its senior team, while still working as closely as ever with the wonderful book agents at Curtis Brown. Roll on the next 300!’
'Looking back, doing the Curtis Brown Creative Writing Your Novel course was one of the best things I could have done to develop my writing and push myself to finish a novel manuscript. It gave me confidence in myself and the story I wanted to tell, but more than that it introduced me to a group of incredibly talented writers whose feedback and encouragement shaped a rough first draft into what ultimately became Any Day Now. Seeing former classmates signing with agents and publishing novels they’d once workshopped in class was great motivation to keep plugging away, as well.'
The competition is open to writers aged 18 and up, currently residing in the UK or Ireland and writing in English.
Maybe you’ll write about a place of great significance: a monument, a crossroads, a treasured local haunt. Or perhaps you’ll explore a more personal landmark: a first, a farewell, a decision. Send us an original piece of flash fiction that plays with the theme of ‘Landmarks’.
It’s entirely up to you as to how you interpret our ‘Landmarks’ theme in your flash fiction piece: A group of friends get lost while climbing a mountain; a statue comes to life in the dead of night; a woman stages a surprise party for her partner’s big birthday only to discover she’s got the wrong day … Where will your imagination lead you, and what can you show us in 300 words?
Draft your best landmark-inspired flash fiction (max 300 words) and submit it during the competition window. We can’t wait to read what you create.
The winners of the Landmarks Flash Fiction Competition will be announced on Thursday 25 June. The winner and runners-up will be selected by the Curtis Brown Creative team on the based on the quality of the writing submitted.
Read our full competition T&CS before entering.