What are the Unbound Firsts T&Cs for 2025 submissions?Updated 2 years ago

1. This imprint is managed by Unbound, operating under the online trading name of United Authors Publishing Ltd.

2. Our 2025 Unbound Firsts titles published under this imprint will be selected via an open call for submissions that will run from October - November 2023.

3. This imprint is exclusively for writers of colour. This term commonly refers to individuals who are not white, and who are subsequently marginalised and under-represented in publishing.

4. Applicants must be aged 18 or over.

5. Applicants can be based in the UK & ROI.

6. Multiple submissions are not permitted.

7. Applicants must not have previously published a full-length work of fiction or non-fiction. The exception to this is self-published full-length works.

8. Applicants who have not published a full-length work of fiction or non-fiction but have previously published other creative works – play scripts, radio plays, poetry collections, individual short stories or academic writing – are eligible to submit to Unbound Firsts.

9. The applicant must be the sole author of the work submitted to Unbound Firsts.

10. Applicants can be agented or unagented. Their agent can apply on their behalf.

11. You must have a completed book to apply to Unbound Firsts.

12. Each submission should contain:

a) your name / agent’s name;

b) your email address / agent’s email address;

c) a short summary of your book;

d) the first 10,000 words of your book This must be presented in size 12 font. We request that you use a legible font i.e. Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri. We also request you use either a Word document or PDF file.

13. Your book can be either adult fiction or adult non-fiction. We accept short story collections.

14. All applicants reserve the right to withdraw their submission at any stage of the competition before its closing date. To do this please contact [email protected].

15. All submissions must be submitted via Typeform. The submission portal will close at midnight on 30th November 2023. We cannot accept late submissions in any circumstances.

16. Unbound’s commissioning team will decide on the shortlist and final selections.

17. All applicants will be notified of the status of their submission for the first stage by the end of January 2024. If you haven’t been shortlisted for Unbound Firsts, we are unable to give you any feedback on your submission. Our decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

18. If you are shortlisted for Unbound Firsts, we request that you send us your full manuscript within one week of notification. This must be presented in size 12 font. We request that you use a legible font i.e. Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri. Please ensure your name and the page number is on each page of the manuscript.

19. Writers selected to be published for Unbound Firsts will be notified by mid-March 2024.

20. Shortlisted writers not selected to be published will be offered a manuscript assessment from Unbound’s editorial team followed by a chat with an editor. We aim to deliver this to these writers in April 2024.

21. Unbound Firsts authors will be invited to attend an onboarding workshop in April 2024, which will include an introduction to the different stages of publishing your book and the opportunity to ask our team any questions you may have.

22. Writers selected to be published by Unbound Firsts will sign a contract with Unbound in which the author will agree to: xxxxxxxx.

a) undertake editorial work on their manuscript with Unbound’s editorial team;

b) undertake promotional and publicity responsibilities;

c) commit to Unbound’s publishing schedule.

23. Each writer selected to be published will receive a fee of £1,000. This will be payable to you directly upon signing the contract.

24. The two manuscripts selected will be published in 2025. Unbound will undertake to sell these titles in the UK trade, making them available to all the major physical and online book retailers in partnership with PGUK.

25. Writers published under the Unbound Firsts imprint retain the copyright in their work, but grant Unbound the exclusive rights to publish and license the publication of the work in print, digital, and audio formats in all languages across the world.

.24. Writers selected to be published under the Unbound Firsts imprint will receive a publishing agreement which guarantees a royalty paid on all copies sold (expressed as a percentage of Unbound’s net receipts for each sale). Royalties due will be confirmed and paid in the Unbound Author Statement issued every six months at the end of March and September.

25. Unbound reserves the right to investigate any irregularities that may arise and to terminate the publishing agreement (and ask for repayment of the fee) if the author is found to be in breach of any of the terms and conditions as laid out in this document or the warranties made as part of the publishing agreement.

26. All writers who submit to Unbound Firsts, including those that have been submitted via their agents, agree to the terms and conditions of the imprint.