Start your first novel – you could win £20,000
AS The autumn evenings close in, there’s no better time to start writing that bestselling novel you have inside you — and win £20,000! The Daily Mail and
leading publisher Little, Brown launched our First novel competition in July but there’s plenty of time to get your entry in — the closing date is november 1 and all we need is 3,000 words and a synopsis of no more than 600 words.
Chase off the autumn gloom by imagining a heartwarming romance or embrace the cold with a blood- chilling thriller. if contemporary life inspires you, create a witty, modern dilemma or reach back in time and conjure up a historical novel full of colourful period detail and characters.
Any subject aimed at adults except science fiction, horror and fantasy will be considered by our panel of talented judges who are looking for originality, a plot that draws the reader in from the first page and compelling characters that we love — or hate.
Our winner will receive a £20,000 advance fee, will be taken on by top literary agency LBA and have their novel published by the highly respected Sphere, an imprint of Little, Brown. The winner will work alongside an experienced literary editor to help shape and polish the novel.
Previous winners have become successful authors — Louise Morrish had her Operation Moonlight published to great reviews in July (‘Wonderfully moving’ said Fern Britton) and previous winners Amy Lloyd and Lizzy Barber have both had novels optioned for film rights, so this could be a lifechanging opportunity.
Although entrants must be 18 or over there’s no upper age limit (experience is a valuable tool for the imagination). even if you don’t scoop the first prize, it’s possible you may be offered a publishing deal if the judges think your story has potential — this has been the case with several runners-up in the past.
So what’s stopping you? Get typing! The 3,000 words that you submit need to draw us in from the first sentence, while the 600-word synopsis needs to clearly describe the overall story: beginning, middle and end. (Don’t worry about giving the ending away — the judges need to see where you plan to take your story and characters.)
The judges you need to please are bestselling novelist Clare Mackintosh; ed Wood, publishing director at Sphere; Darcy nicholson, editorial director at Sphere, and hannah Schofield, a leading agent at LBA Literary Agency.
Completing the judges’ line-up will be Sandra Parsons, literary editor of The Daily Mail. All of them are looking for a distinctive author ‘voice’, fully-fleshed out characters that contribute to the plot and
an emotional heart that can move readers to laughter, tears or fear.
Remember to check all the competition terms below and online.
See the How To Enter box below which gives a short version of the terms and conditions, but make sure you read the full set of T&Cs online and agree to them before sending in your entry.
HOW TO ENTER: Please read carefully because any entries that do not meet the rules will be discounted.
Full terms and conditions which you must agree and be bound by are available online at dailymail.co.uk/novelcomp.
1 SUBMIT your entry consisting of the first 3,000 words and a plot synopsis in no more than 600 words written in the English language.
2 ENTRIES must be emailed to dailymailprize@littlebrown.co.uk and must be received by 17.30pm on november 1, 2022. Entries received after this date will not be judged. Do NOT SEND To THE DAILY MAIL.
3 ALL entries should include full name and contact details, including home and email address. You must also confirm you have read the terms and conditions available online.
4 SUBMIT one entry per person only. Multiple submissions will result in no submissions being accepted.
5 ALL entries must be original, previously unpublished works of
fiction for an adult reader and not under contract to any agent or publisher. All genres are considered apart from science fiction, fantasy or horror. Entrants must not previously have published a novel — this includes novels that have been self-published or available only as e-books.
6 ENTRANTS must not currently be represented by a literary agent.
7 WINNERS and runners-up will be notified by March 1, 2023. All entrants to be in a position to deliver their finished manuscript by november 1, 2023 should they win. The book will then be published within two years in the UK; placing in the publication schedule will depend on the book chosen as the winner.
8 THE competition is free to enter and open to anyone over the age of 18 who is a resident of the UK, apart from employees (and their families) of the Hachette group, Associated newspapers Ltd and any other company associated with the competition.