Thanks to everyone who entered this year’s WMCNA. We are very proud and honoured that so many of you chose to enter. Indeed, we were slightly overwhelmed with the final number of 447 entries that we received, which is more than 200 more than last year!

As a result, this announcement has been slightly delighted to ensure every entry was read 4 times, twice by an experienced adult reader or by a kid reader, in your target audience (as much as was possible).

We received wide variety of entries, from PB up to YA, from Historical to Futuristic.

Funny was the biggest genre (143 entries – 32%), followed by Adventure (129 entries – 28.9%) and then Fantasy (last year’s most abundant with 119 entries – 26.6%).

23% of novels entered featured a BAME main character.

In terms of age groups, check out the lovely pie chart below, which shows us that PB’s were the most populous with YA taking a big reduction from last year.

One thing that was noted by our readers, and especially by kid readers (who found many of the MG entries inappropriate for their age group) was that many of you are labelling your YA novels as MG. We understood this to be a direct correlation, if not causation, resulting from the much talked about decline in YA sales in the UK.

It’s not a problem for an adult reader mostly, but do take care with your content if you’re moving from YA to MG please. Do your research as to what is appropriate to include and what is not. You may receive notes on this in your feedback.

So, to our longlist, well we have 53 entries on it this year (as you know, we like a LONG longlist, to encourage as many of you as we can to keep going with those novels.) as well as a list of Readers Favourites, which include both entries which longlist and some which didn’t, in the hope, again, that it may provide you with some comfort and encouragement.

Our list has 20 PBs, 3 CBs, 18 MGs and 12 YAs. This reflects quite well the entry numbers and ensures we have the best from each category on the list, though this was how the numbers fell naturally once we counted 2 factors – the average reader score (top 30 included) and those with 4 YES votes (an additional 23).

1 writer has 4 novels on the list, and 1 writer has 2 novels.

If you have been longlisted, please reply to Stuart’s email (which you will receive shortly) with your full manuscript by 11.59pm on Sunday 1st March, 2020. This is the same for PB writers, as you may have made small changes since you first submitted.

And if you’re on the list, as reading is blind, do not mention your title on social media please. But definitely DO celebrate being on the list.

And do remember, whatever the result, you will all have your feedback on the way. (Please allow at least 1 week for this to be distributed. If you are on the longlist, you will not receive your feedback until your participation is finished.)

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Here’s the longlist

“It’s weird,” said the beard.

49 Sisters

A Bundle Of Fluff Isn’t Nearly Enough

A Half-Pint of Hero Blood

A Murmuration of Starlings

A Sea Full of Wonder

A STORM WALKING

AGAINST ALL ODDS

ARCANIUM

Childish Spirits

DEXTER AND THE DARK UNICORN

Dexter Drake and the Devils of Endling

Duet

Edie, Dan and Laura

Endless Earth

Faruq and the Wiri Wiri

Finlay And The Sandy Beakers

Grow Me a Rainforest

Hattie the Housefly

I love you, Sunshine

Jackie and the Cosmic Beanstalk

Kali’s kismet

Legs

Little Seed

Magpies

Mirrored Snow

Molehill Mountain

My Mummy’s a Witch

OTHERWORLD: THE WHITE RAVEN

Playdate in Space

Pupil K

QUACK-A-DOODLE-MOO

Shadowchild

SKINBAGS

Smoke and Mirrors

Soar

Sticky Lizzy

The Angel’s Tear

The Curry Catastrophe

The Eternal Return of Clara Hart

The Failed Genius Club

The Far Side of the Galaxy

The Giants of Machu Picchu

The Girl Who Talked to Ghosts

The Go Away Rain Dance

The Lord Of The Hat

The Memory of Swimming

The Mind-Boggling Adventures of Cark Parker

The Pumpkin’s Wish

The Witch with an Itch

Timewave

Uniquehorn Unicorn

Witch is Not Going to the Doctors

Well done to everyone on the list! 🎉

Here’s our Reader Favourites

(this is just for info and to give those who didn’t make the longlist an extra boost! And please note that not every reader listed a favourite)

Adult Readers:

49 sisters

A Bundle of Fluff Isn’t Nearly Enough

A Half Pint of Hero Blood

A Scarf for Sorcha

Dexter and the Dark Unicorn

Duet

Endless Earth

Grave of Horses

My Name Is Sunshine Simpson

Old Pirate Jim And The Buckets Of Gold

Pupil K

Seajet Jo

The Lord of the Hat

The Second Choice

The Snow Circus

Timewave

Witch is Not Going to the Doctor’s

Kid Readers:

49 Sisters

A Half-Pint of Hero Blood

A Lifetime Dwells Within

A Taste of Home

Black Sheep

Captain Granny

Cessation

Dogs of Doom

Endless Earth

Faruq and The Wiri Wiri

Grow Me A Rainforest

Half Witch

Harley Hunter Boxer Detective

Hattie the Housefly / The Puddle Monsters

Legs

Little Seed

Magical Ghanapati

Maya’s Remarkable Music Tree

Miss Elder’s Fairy Tale Academy

Mist of Change

Night-song

Party Animal

Say

Sun Soul

The Battle for Lawrie Lewis

The Curse of the Goldicoot

The Fairy Who Flew To The Moon

The Giants of Machu Picchu

The Grail In Between

The Great Sky Squabble

The Lights of Altero

The Umbra Tales

Toast and Peanut Butter

Twmbalwm Tale

Witch is not Going to the Doctor’s

If you have got to this point, and not seen your novel listed, I am truly sorry. I’d love to have listed a 100 more, but we must also keep the standards high, too.

But here’s my emotions to you all right now – I know how tough it is:

Keep writing – keep writing that story, whatever the feedback says. Yes, make the adjustments (or not – read my post on this) and get on with finished, polishing and making that book the very best it can be.

After all, many of you will still go on to get agents and get published. One factor which will separate those of you who will and those who won’t – persistence. Please persist, please keep trying, please keep going and get in touch with me in a year or 10 and tell me all about it. I’m rooting for you.

May the Force be with each and every one of you!

And to our readers, our adult ones listed below and our 100 or so kid readers, thank you for making this possible. Here’s to the longlist reading next!

Alexandra Page, Clare Helen Welsh, A.J. Sass, Carolyn Ward, Anna Orridge, Anne Boyere, Dale Hannah, Ellie Lock, Emma Finlayson-Palmer, Emma Read, Florianne Humphrey, Hannah Kates, Julie Sykes, Jodi Herlick, Julie Marney Leigh, Kathryn Lougheed, Kathryn Clark, Lindsay Galvin, Lydia Massiah, Melissa Welliver, Stephen Catling, Alison Donald, Polly Owen, Fiona Barker, Jenny Moore, Bonnie Swanson.