Spring Newsletter 2026
"We started the year celebrating an exciting publishing deal for Deborah Rogers Award winner, Saranya Murthi, and the news that both the David Miller Internship Programme interns have found impressive first jobs in the industry. Buoyed up by this success, we have secured the support of an impressive array of judges for the Deborah Rogers Award 2027 and formed a new partnership with New Writing North who will recruit for this autumn's David Miller Internship Programme." - Gill Coleridge, Founder of the DRF
Looking ahead
The David Miller Internship Programme runs from 7 September to 15 October – a busy six weeks of placements at literary agencies and publishers, including an invaluable visit to the Frankfurt Book Fair 2026. Applications are handled by New Writing North and are open until 22 May. Interviews take place on 1 July.
The Deborah Rogers Award 2027 Entries for the biennial award will be sought from 29 September to 24 November 2026. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in September 2027. The call for entries will be announced on our social media.
The David Miller Internship Programme 2026
‘The North is full of talented people but many struggle to make connections to access jobs in the publishing industry. Working with the Deborah Rogers Foundation and their esteemed network of industry supporters will allow us to open out new and exciting opportunities for people in the North. The reputation of the internships are of the highest calibre and the outcomes for those that benefit from the opportunities are second to none. I’m excited for whoever gets to undertake this opportunity and look forward to developing future work together with the foundation.’
Claire Malcolm, MBE, Chief Executive, New Writing North
The David Miller Internship Programme (DMIP) is dedicated to opening doors for individuals from under-represented groups in the publishing rights sector. For our 2026 programme, we are thrilled to announce a new partnership with New Writing North to recruit two candidates specifically from the North of England.
Now in its fifth year, the DMIP supports two paid internships in London over a six- week period (September-October). A highlight is always the fully-funded visit to the Frankfurt Book Fair. The two interns are given mentoring and guidance throughout their placements, payment at the London living wage, as well as accommodation and expenses.The DMIP typically involves placements at 8-10 leading London agencies and publishing houses. This year, we are delighted to be working with industry friends David Higham, Eccles Fisher, Faber, Greyhound Literary, ILA, Lutyens & Rubinstein, PenguinRandom House, PEW Literary, Profile Books and RCW.
An update on last year's interns
Danielle Olanipekun completed the David Miller Internship Programme in 2025 and has since joined Curtis Brown as a literary assistant. Our other intern, Shreya Ganguli is now working in the Rights department of HarperCollins.
‘The experience I gained at the Deborah Rogers Foundation was invaluable in my job search, particularly the exposure to rights, getting hands-on experience as well as the mentorship and experience within office settings with industry professionals. It gave me unique insight which came up repeatedly in interviews and helped me speak confidently about the industry.’ - Danielle
Rent a Room?
We are once again looking for potential hosts who can offer a room to an intern for the duration of the programme. Interns often choose to leave London at the weekend. The DRF pays a contribution to expenses and ensures that the interns are well-supported throughout the process. If you would like to know more, please get in touch with Ali Menzies, administrator.
Success for Deborah Rogers Award winners
In our last newsletter we shared the news that Saranya Murthi's unpublished novel, Ratri, had been judged winner of the 2025 Deborah Rogers Award. It was with great pleasure therefore that we read in the Bookseller that Ratri has since been acquired at auction by Chatto & Windus who plans to publish in May, 2027. Thanks to our chair of judges, Erica Wagner for mentioning this exciting fact in her column for the Observer.
From the Bookseller - 'Kaiya Shang said: “We could not be more excited by Saranya Murthi’s extraordinarily vivid, immersive and transporting voice. She’s done something so clever and unusual, carefully braiding body horror elements into a literary coming-of-age novel, which creates such a distinct and original debut – one we can’t wait for everyone to discover.”'
This news has been quickly followed by the Bookseller's announcement that Weidenfeld and Nicholson has acquired June Aming's Yellow is Not for Girls Like Me, also for publication in 2027. June's debut novel was shortlisted for the 2025 Deborah Rogers Award.
Of her novel, June Aming said: 'Many of the things that my character Elsie experienced, I did too. Albeit decades later. I enjoyed writing her journey, and in many ways it was cathartic for me. My wish is that the bumps and bends in this novel resonate with the reader’s own life story, perhaps in ways that they never imagined.'
Alexa Von Hirschberg, publishing director at W&N said: 'I fell for Elsie’s distinctive and dazzling voice from the first sentence. This emotionally powerful, witty, lyrical and historically fascinating debut is an intoxicating combination of dark and light, and for fans of Ayanna Lloyd Banwo and Ingrid Persaud.'
The Deborah Rogers Award 2027 - our three judges have now been confirmed and will be introduced in our Summer newsletter.