Free Reads 2025 is now open for applications!
About Free Reads
Free Reads offers writers on low incomes the opportunity to receive professional, editorial feedback on their writing, alongside other support on their writing journeys.
Spread the Word is proud to be an official partner for The Literary Consultancy Free Reads scheme. In the last 15 years, we’ve supported 80 London writers with receiving professional, editorial feedback via Free Reads. Free Reads is managed by The Literary Consultancy (TLC) and funded by Arts Council England.
What you could receive?
- Manuscript Assessment
For writers who have a complete or partially complete manuscript that they would like professional editorial feedback on. Writers can apply for the chance to have a full or partial read of their manuscript and receive feedback by a TLC reader via an assessment report.
- Submission Package Report
For writers who have a completed manuscript, have already had editorial support, and are now looking to polish their submission package before sending it out into the world. Writers can apply for the chance to be matched with a TLC Industry Editor who will read their first 8,000 words, synopsis, and ‘Dear Agent’ letter, providing them with a written report and mark-up or commentary on the submission material.
- Editor One-to-Ones
Writers can apply for the chance to have a one-hour session with a TLC Editor for troubleshooting and to generate ideas. One-to-ones are also popular with writers who have had an editorial service and need post-feedback support, or who need motivation to get through writer’s block. The writer has one hour with their editor plus one hour of prep time, where your editor will read up to 2,500 words (or the equivalent in poetry/script/treatment).
- Power Hour
A one hour writing career consultancy call with TLC Director and coach, Aki Schilz.
NB: We will allocate these services based on the support we think will be most useful to you at this point in your writing journey.
Who is eligible for a Free Read via Spread the Word?
The scheme is open to London-based writers of fiction, non-fiction, short stories, poetry, children’s fiction including picture books, playscripts and screenplays. Free Reads particularly welcomes applications from writers belonging to groups currently under-represented in publishing including disabled writers, Black, Asian and Global Majority writers, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
To apply for a Free Read via Spread the Word, you must live in London AND be on a low income.
Low income is defined by one of the following criteria:
- You are in receipt of Job Seeker’s Allowance, Disability Benefit, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Universal Credit or Child Benefits
- You earn up to or less than the London Living Wage of £13.85 per hour or a £23,000 annual salary
- You are a full-time student
- You are aged 60 or over*
*You must have an annual income of £23,000 or less, including pensions and other forms of income.
If you identify as being on low-income but do not meet one of the criteria listed above, please get in touch. We can evaluate applicants’ eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
How to Apply
Please note, if you have not used Submittable before, that you will need to create an account to apply.
Key deadlines
Spread the Word’s Free Reads applications are open from 12pm on Tuesday 29 July until 12pm on Tuesday 7 October 2025.
What do you need to submit in your application?
- The first 1,000 words of your writing if it is prose fiction or non-fiction, or up to 20 pages if your writing is poetry or script writing
- A complete synopsis of the written work submitted. The synopsis must clearly show your story’s outline and should not exceed 1,000 words. We highly recommend that you check out our Pocket Guide to Writing a Synopsis before sending yours in: https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/a-pocket-guide-to-writing-a-synopsis/
- Documentation that shows you meet the criteria to apply for a Free Read. This may be in the form of a benefit letter, payslip, HMRC self-assessment paperwork/tax statement, confirmation of your student status or a pension. Please check out our FAQs for more information on this.
- A completed TLC Free Reads Scheme form (available to download here as a PDF and here as a Word document). For those wishing to apply for a submissions package report or an editor one-to-one, please complete this form. Where we ask you to write a brief statement in support of your application, please state which of the offers you are applying for, why this would be beneficial for you and your writing, and why the time is right for you to access this opportunity. On the form, where it asks if you’d like to receive information from ‘Your regional Writing Partner’ – that’s referring to us, Spread The Word.
If you have questions, read the FAQs. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please get in touch with Fisola Kelly-Akinnuoye at [email protected]
We look forward to receiving your submission.
Published: 29 July 2025