Submit to Bread Alone — an essay collection from working class writers
Are you a journalist, novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter, or anyone else who puts together words for your profession or passion, and are from a working class background? Indie Novella wants to hear from you for an upcoming essay collection, to be published in 2025/26.
Published writers from working class backgrounds are disappearing with every passing year. The number of working class creatives and writers has been halved since 1970, according to research by the Office for National Statistics. 78% of working-class writers reported that their background hindered their career in a survey by The Bookseller. And 80% of all journalists come from upper class backgrounds according to the NTCJ.
In response, Indie Novella will publish an essay collection in 2025/26 spotlighting working class voices — both established and upcoming — titled Bread Alone: what happens when we run out of working class writers?
Details for submissions below
We are accepting essays upwards from 1800 words on the topic of writing and class. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned as a working class writer? What changes do you want to see in the arts and in culture? Have you had to leave behind your job or passion because of financial pressures? What’s does real social mobility mean to you, and how do we move beyond class tokenism? Are you struggling with unexpected emotions after ‘making it’ in your field? Entries should be non-fiction, but feel free to play with form — you could walk us through a perfect day in your dream life as a writer, or write an open letter. You could tell us a secret you’ve never shared before, or write an email to your younger self. Whatever your take is, send it our way.
Entries close 15 April.
If selected, your work will appear in this anthology of working class essays alongside invited established voices, due to be published in 2025/26.
With each submission please also share your full name and preferred pronouns.
Each selected essay will receive £100 payment if included in the final collection.
Complete the form below or email publicity@indienovella.co.uk.