I have been asked to remind all budding novelists that Bonnier Zaffre are offering a magnificent prize for one lucky winner! Don’t delay you need to submit before 31 May 2016!
The couple behind Britain’s biggest Book Club, Richard and Judy, are offering a £50,000 publishing deal for first-time authors.
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan have launched a lucrative competition to find a new bestselling writer. The winner, who must be a first-time author, will win a £50,000 publishing deal with Bonnier Zaffre and receive specialist advice from literary agency Furniss Lawton.
”Search for a Bestseller”, supported by WHSmith, will open to unpublished writers on the 10 March 2016. Writers must submit 10,000 words, plus a synopsis of the novel. It must be a piece of original fiction that is aimed at adults. The full terms and conditions can be found here: http://www.richardandjudy.co.uk/rjbestseller.
After leaving their hugely successful Channel 4 TV series, where they fronted a weekly 15-minutes book club, the couple teamed up with WHSmith in 2010 to continue to share their passion for books. From day one, the Richard and Judy Book Club broke WHSmith records when it’s first recommendation, Sister, by Rosamund Lupton, made Number 1 paperback and became the fastest- selling title by a debut author in WHSmith’s 200-year history. Since then, the Book Club has gone from strength to strength showcasing an abundance of writing talent, from debut novelists to highly acclaimed authors.
Aspiring authors have until 31 May 2016 to submit their entries, via Richard and Judy’s website. The couple will lead the selection process, helped by editors from Bonnier Zaffre and agents at Furniss Lawton. The £50,000 publishing deal will be for world rights.
Mark Smith, Chief Executive of Bonnier Zaffre commented: ‘We are very excited to be teaming up with Richard and Judy to search for their next bestseller. At Bonnier Zaffre, we work closely with debuts and are proud to be involved with authors at every stage of their careers.’
Richard Madeley commented: “Judy and I are so excited to host the “search for a bestseller” competition, it gives us a chance to keep doing what we both love- reading and discovering a fantastic title for our devoted Book Club audience. We can’t wait to read the submissions!”
For further information please contact Emily Burns, Head of PR at Bonnier Zaffre Emily.burns@bonnierpublishing.co.uk or +44 (0) 20 7490 3875.
About The Richard and Judy Book Club
The Richard and Judy Book Club launched in September 2010 and since then has launched Spring (January), Summer (May) and Autumn (September) Book Clubs.
Following an overwhelming response from readers when it launched in Autumn 2010, the Richard and Judy Book Club broke WHSmith records when it’s first recommendation, Sister, by Rosamund Lupton made Number 1 paperback and became the fast selling title by a debut author in WHSmith’s 200-year history.
The accompanying Richard and Judy Book Club website whsmith.co.uk/richardandjudy, boasts an ultimate and exclusive guide to all the Book Club titles, as well as offering access to an abundance of additional content that covers everything you will ever need to know about the duo’s favorite Book Club books and authors. From news and reviews, exclusive content, sample chapters and archive material; to downloadable podcasts – the website has it all, adding even more value for bookworms across the country.
For further information or to get involved in Britain’s Biggest Book Club log on to whsmith.co.uk/richardandjudy.
About Bonnier Zaffre
Bonnier Zaffre is a division of Bonnier Publishing, which encompasses the children’s imprints Hot Key Books and Piccadilly Press and adult fiction imprints Zaffre, Manilla and Twenty7. Bonnier Zaffre combines brand new voices with established storytellers to bring a broad spectrum of high quality and innovative fiction to all ages. Bonnier Zaffre is also home to the Totally Entwined Group, a leading e-book publisher in the UK and US.
About Bonnier Publishing
Bonnier Publishing is the fastest growing major publisher in the UK, with group sales of £115m. It has divisions in Australia, France and the USA with 460 employees worldwide. In the UK it comprises imprints Hot Key Books, Piccadilly Press, Zaffre, Twenty7, Manilla, Totally Entwined Group, Templar Publishing, Blink Publishing, Studio Press, Weldon Owen, IglooBooks and Autumn Publishing. Its overseas imprints are The Five Mile Press & Echo Publishing in Australia, Paris based publishers Piccolia and Elcy, little bee books in New York and Weldon Owen US in San Francisco. It is ultimately owned by Bonnier Books, which is a top 15 world publisher with revenue of £550m.
About Furniss Lawton
Furniss Lawton was formed in 2012 by Eugenie Furniss, former head of the UK literary division of William Morris Endeavor (WME) , and Rowan Lawton, former agent at Peters, Fraser & Dunlop and WME. Between them, Eugenie and Rowan have 30 years’ experience in the industry and have represented 50 Sunday Times Bestselling writers.
About WHSmith
WHSmith currently operates over 1,300 stores, both in the UK and in international locations including Northern Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. The retailer occupies over 730 retail units in airports, railway stations, hospitals and motorway service areas and more than 600 high street stores. http://www.whsmith.co.uk serves customers online 24 hours a day.
So you talented people, dust of those manuscripts and submit – I for one can’t wait to see who wins!