The year 2026 is the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, beginning on February 17, 2026. It’s a special year associated with heightened energy, passion, independence and transformation, due to the combination of the Horse's natural traits and the powerful Fire element. It is a time for dynamic change, innovation, and bold action.  

That’s why Firehorse Books is taking the initiative to launch this writing contest for writers who are about to complete their first novel in English. Instead of just one lucky winner, we are looking for three winning debut novels worthy of publication. In other words, the three new authors will have their novels published by Firehorse in the year of the Fire Horse!

Instead of waiting in the slush pile at another publishing house, by entering this competition, your manuscript will be read promptly by a team of three, and within 3 months you will know whether or not you’ve been selected. 

Over the following seven months, the three lucky winners of this contest will then get the opportunity to work closely with Firehorse as their novel makes its way into print. By February 2027 the three winners will have their first published novel in their hands!

The deadline for entering the competition is midnight UTC time on 17 February 2026, and the rules and submission guidelines can be found here. We are excited to get to work on your novels!

All entrants must be 18 or older at the time of entry.

All manuscripts must be written in standard English.

Manuscripts will only be accepted until 23:59 UTC on 17th February 2026.

All submissions need to be made via our web portal; no postal submissions will be accepted. 

Manuscripts need to be submitted in .docx or .pages format, please note that .pdf formatted submissions will be disqualified. 

Entrants must include a maximum 500 word synopsis of their novel pasted at the start of their manuscript, ie not as a separate file. 

The word count for your novel must fall between 45,000 and 90,000 words.

The judges’ decision is final.

We are looking for submissions driven by an exciting, original hook or concept, that feature strong, believable characters even if there are unbelievable/magical realism elements to the story, whose overall tone is optimistic and curious about the world, and whose plotting is engaging, dynamic and delivers a satisfying ending.

Please note that picturebooks and chapter books for young children are not eligible. Memoir, biography, autobiography and narrative non-fiction are also ineligible, although we welcome anything else that falls within the definition of a novel, including novels-in-verse. 

In short, we are seeking novels aimed at children (middlegrade, 8-13 years), young adults (YA 11-25 years) or that would be classed as book club fiction or literary adult fiction.

Above all, we are open to submissions from anyone and everyone with a compelling story to tell and a voice that people want to listen to. 

The fee for entering is £30, to enable our paid team to read all entries properly and write a feedback email to every entrant. 

The three winners will have their books professionally published and selectively promoted by Firehorse by 5th February 2027.

Our three winners will be notified by email on 17th May 2026.

Contracts will adhere to the Society of Authors’ ‘CREATOR’ guidelines, and need to be signed along with final versions of manuscripts being signed off by both parties by 5 July 2026, to ensure that final publication can take place not later than 5th February 2027. 

Authors will only be asked to assign worldwide English-language rights to Firehorse for the duration of the contract; all translation and other rights will remain with the Author. Copyright remains with the authors.

Once final manuscripts have been accepted, Firehorse will register each winning author’s book on Nielsen, assign it an ISBN, arrange for it to be copy-edited, designed and proofread prior to publication, including preparing all tagging and metadata, for both print-on-demand paperback and ebook versions, and arrange its global distribution as a Firehorse title via IngramSpark. 

Authors will be required to give approval to design and copy-editing decisions in a timely and expeditious fashion. 

Firehorse will prepare and issue an AI (advance information sheet) to booksellers and retailers about each of the three novels, and prior to publication will send out individual Press Releases to relevant media and trade titles. 

Authors will each receive 10 complimentary copies of their book. 

Firehorse manages sales of all books via IngramSpark, and the authors will receive 20% of net sales of both paperbacks and ebooks.

The three new Firehorse Authors will be featured on the Firehorse website, promoted by Firehorse on social media, and presented at selected events and Book Fairs in 2027.   

Firehorse Authors will be expected to engage actively with their readers, create their own websites and post on their social media platforms before and after their books’ publication. 

Firehorse Authors will be able to access additional outsourced services with our tried and tested partner organisations to enhance their sales and marketing, eg work with a professional company to create a book trailer, organise a virtual book tour, and manage author PR. This will be at their discretion and the services will be procured under separate contracts between the Author and the partner service providers.

Firehorse plans to host a live event in February 2027 to showcase the three novelists.