Next Chapter FAQ

Whilst the quality of the writing sample is important to your application, the impact of an opportunity like The Next Chapter on the applicant is also considered alongside the writing. Please ensure you have read the selection criteria carefully and understand what The Next Chapter provides for successful fellows.  

All applicants will be considered, but remember that The Next Chapter aims to celebrate writers who reflect the diversity of Australian identities and experiences, and to offer opportunities to writers from marginalised communities. As such, the recipients in any given year will include writers from a diversity of backgrounds. 

No. This program is open to all writers aged over 18, and applicants of all ages are encouraged to apply. 

Yes, as long as the sample you submit meets either the required word count for prose or the page count for graphic novels (15–30 pages of a work-in-progress). 

No, you don’t need any specific education qualifications or a record of previous publication to apply. 

Yes. Given this program is in part dedicated to writers who’ve had trouble breaking into the publishing industry, yours may be a harder case to make – however, we recognise and support the need for published writers to continue to build on their work and career longevity, so we’re open to hearing about what you feel you have to gain from this program. You can incorporate some published work as part of your sample, as long as it doesn’t make up more than 25% of the work. 

Yes, but we'll ask you to withdraw your book from submission with publishers if you are chosen for The Next Chapter program. If your work has already been accepted for publication or you are currently under contract with a publisher, you are ineligible to apply. 

Yes. In fact, you can enter the self-published work as your sample if that’s the project you’d like to develop further as part of the program. 

We do, but you'd need to be back in Australia in time for the start of the program (January 2027). Ideally, some elements of the program (workshops, training and other aspects of the mentorship) will be carried out in person rather than online – so people living overseas for the duration of the year-long program would be at a disadvantage. 

Yes. Travel commitments are not a compulsory requirement for The Next Chapter participants if personal circumstances preclude such activities. 

We may be able to tailor a mentorship around your specific needs. Just outline your circumstances in the space provided (‘Anything else?’) near the end of the application form. 

If you've applied in a previous year, you are permitted to enter again – but not with the same 10,000-word sample of writing, unless it’s been substantially reworked. If you aresubmitting a reworked version of the sample you submitted in a previous year, please use the ‘Anything else?’ field to indicate how the work has changed. 

Your writing sample may be made up of excerpts – but you should be sure that it offers a sense of the subject, tone and style of your work, and that at least 75% of it consists of the work you intend to develop as part of the program. You can outline or explain this further in your 200-word summary. 

Your sample can be made up of a combination of works – but most of the sample (at least 75%) must consist of the work you intend to develop as part of the program. Please do not include a synopsis or summary with your sample – the 200-word summary field can be used for this purpose. 

There are no compulsory formatting requirements. However, we recommend using 1.5 line-spacing, 12-point type, and Times New Roman or a similar easy-to-read font. 

Your work sample must be presented in English. Bilingual editions where one of the languages used is English are also eligible. 

You may utilise AI in your writing sample to a limited degree, but you must disclose how it has been utilised and what tools you used when prompted in the submission form.   

Any use of AI in your writing sample should be employed only as a creative device which is intended to complement your own writing, and its role in your work should be transparent and clearly identifiable to readers. We do not accept writing samples containing AI-generated content where it is unclear which sections were created by you, and which were generated by AI.   

If sections of your sample have been written entirely by generative AI, these must be clearly labelled. Though submissions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, as a general guide, The Wheeler Centre expects that AI-generated content will not form the majority of your sample.    

The Wheeler Centre may determine your submission to be ineligible if any of your writing sample submitted as part of your application includes undisclosed AI-generated content.  

If you use AI assistant tools for basic line editing tasks – such as Grammarly – you do not need to disclose this in your application.   

No. The Next Chapter program is in part set up to invest time in writers who may not have had a publisher back them before for various reasons. We aim to help each participant complete a finished work by the end of their year-long mentorship. By the end of that process, we will work with the writers to identify the best publication outcomes for their work, including introductions to publishers and agents. It may be that not all participants secure publishers immediately; part of the intention of the program is to give writers time and space to devote to their work regardless of commercial outcomes. 

We will certainly invite your input on the best mentor for you, but the final match will be made by The Wheeler Centre in collaboration with each recipient, based on suitability and availability. 

We will consult with you over the choice of your mentor and endeavour to match you with someone you feel comfortable with, even if they’re not always your first choice. 

You will meet with your mentor, either in person or online, at least six times across the 12 months of the program. We will endeavour to arrange for you to meet your mentor at least once in person, depending on your location and theirs.