An unpublished novel exploring cancel culture in the post-#MeToo era has won the inaugural Libraro prize, a £50,000 award set up to “sidestep the traditional barricades of the book industry” by allowing readers to select a shortlist from manuscripts uploaded to a platform directly by writers.
British author Donna Fisher won the prize for her novel Sheep’s Clothing, which follows a singer and her on-and-off friendship with a bestselling author who is accused of sexual assault.
Fisher will receive a £50,000 prize package, including £30,000 in prize money, £20,000 in marketing support, and the option of a book deal with publisher Hachette UK.
“Sheep’s Clothing is a remarkably assured and engaging novel of the post #MeToo era,” said Joanne Harris, chair of judges. “Reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six, it is well-written, provocative and timely. The judges commented on its originality, its well-drawn characters, its compulsive, page-turning quality and its strong narrative voice.”
The novel was selected from a six-strong shortlist drawn from more than 2,000 submissions on the Libraro platform, a community-driven digital publishing initiative with more than 15,000 members. The shortlist was picked by readers, before being judged by an industry panel led by authors Joanne Harris and Elly Griffiths; Deborah Maclaren, chief executive of book recommendation platform LoveReading; and book blogger Zubs J Malik.
Sheep’s Clothing follows Harriet, a singer who has long believed her emotionally charged friendship with a bestselling author is destined for a happy ending. But when Jed is accused of sexual assault on the eve of Harriet’s professional comeback, she is forced into a public reckoning in which she is expected to condemn him.
Fisher has previously been shortlisted for the 2025 Bridport short story prize and has had work broadcast on BBC Radio. Her self-published novel Queentide won a LoveReading Indie Books award in 2021.
Other shortlisted titles included The Last Canary by Ben Daniels, Yours, Everlasting by Natalie Gordon, Love Lost by Mary Minnock, An Oath of Malice by B Robinson and The Lost Zodiac by TJ Windwood.
Alongside the main award, the £10,000 Libraro reader engagement prize for reading and commenting on submissions was awarded to Holly Hughes, a creative writing master’s student in Cork, Ireland.
The Libraro prize is open to anyone aged 18 or over, worldwide, regardless of previous publishing history or professional representation.
