A Letter from Richard and Judy
If there’s one thing we’ve discovered in picking winning titles for our
Richard and Judy Book Club, it is just how many fantastic new writers
are out there. Since forming the club with WHSmith, we are proud to
have launched the careers of a host of exciting debut authors. We were
also delighted with the well deserved success of the first winner of our
Search for a Bestseller competition
Tracy Rees – author of the Sunday
Times bestseller
Amy Snow.
So now it could be your turn to see your book in print. Together with
publisher Bonnier Zaffre, and WHSmith, we’re on the hunt for talented
new writers, and when we find one of them we’re going to put them
firmly on the road to a £50,000 publishing deal.
To enter, submit 10,000 words plus a detailed synopsis of your novel by 31 May 2016.
Are You our next bestseller? We want to meet you.
How do you enter?
To enter Search for a Bestseller simply fill in your details in the form below and upload your 10,000 word extract (plus a plot synopsis and short author biography within the same document) for consideration. Your entry must be submitted by the 31st May 2016 to be considered. Please read the full terms and conditions and FAQs before entering.
Fill out my online form.
FAQs
If I notice a mistake or would like to enter a different novel, am I able
to resubmit?
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to accept corrections to entries or more than
one novel per entrant.
Can my novel be in any genre?
We are accepting submissions for most fiction genres including crime fiction,
historical fiction, romance, thrillers and women’s fiction, but we are not
looking for science fiction, fantasy, children’s and teenage fiction in this
particular competition.
If I make it to the shortlist, how long does my novel have to be?
At least 80,000 words in length.
If my novel is shortlisted, when do I need to have completed the full
novel?
You need to have finished the novel by 12th December 2016, although
the winning entrant will have the opportunity to revise their work with
Bonnier Zaffre.
If I’m not successful, will I still get editorial feedback?
We have received a large number of entries to the competition so,
unfortunately, it is impossible to give editorial feedback to everyone
individually.
If I submit my novel to another publisher or literary agency after the
closing date, will my entry still be eligible?
Shortlisted entrants will be contacted by 30th June 2016. If you aren’t lucky
enough to be shortlisted, you will, of course, be free to submit to a publisher
or literary agency after this date.
If I enter the competition and win, do I have to be published by Bonnier Zaffre and represented by Furniss Lawton?
Yes. If you write the winning novel it will be published by Bonnier Zaffre and represented by Furniss Lawton.
In what format can I submit my extract?
We can accept a single Word document, preferably, or pdf, containing your extract, synopsis and biography.
If I am shortlisted but do not win, what will happen?
We will contact all shortlisted entrants once the winner has been chosen. Clearly any shortlisted extract will have been of a high standard and, whilst
under no obligation, it is possible that Bonnier Zaffre or Furniss Lawton will
want to talk to you further about your novel or writing career.
Will my book be published abroad?
Yes, Bonnier Zaffre will publish the winning novel in the Commonwealth,
and will also aim to secure North American and translation deals for the
book.
Who will handle film and TV rights in my book?
Bonnier Zaffre will handle the TV and film rights in the winning novel on behalf of the winning author.
Is there anyone I can call with questions? What do I do if I have a question you haven’t answered on the site?
If you have a question that hasn’t been answered elsewhere on the site,
please drop us a line at rjbestseller@jamesgrant.co.uk and we will get
back to you as soon as possible. However, this email is for help with
general questions about the competition and will not be able to answer
specific editorial queries relating to your entry or extract.
Terms and Conditions
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE ENTERING THE COMPETITION
The website: richardandjudy.co.uk/rjbestseller (the “Website”) is the website run by Richard & Judy, WHSmith and Bonnier Zaffre (“us”/”we”/”our”) for Richard & Judy’s “Search for a Bestseller”.
Competition: through the Website, we propose to run a writing competition in order to find a new, unpublished author to be called “Search for a Bestseller” (the “Competition”).
Competition period: the Competition begins on 10th March 2016 and ends on 31st May 2016 (the “Competition Period”). We will continue to accept Competition entries until the end of the Competition Period but we will not consider any entries submitted after this period.
By entering the Competition you accept, without limitation or qualification, the Competition terms and conditions set out below (these “Terms”) without modification. By entering the Competition, you acknowledge that you are bound by these Terms. This is the case notwithstanding any subsequent acknowledgement by you of these Terms.
Please note, any phrase in these Terms introduced by the term “include”, “including”, “in particular” or similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding that term.
THE TERMS
1: In order to enter the Competition, entrants must comply with these Terms:
1.2: be a resident of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland;
1.3: only one entry is allowed per person. Each entry must be made directly by the person entering the Competition;
1.4: have not previously submitted your partial novel (the “Extract”) to a publishing company, literary agency or previous iterations of the Competition, and have not previously had a novel published or released into the public domain in any format, including but not limited to the internet;
1.5: have not had any other novel published in any format whether under the entrant’s name or a pseudonym;
1.6: are not represented by a literary agent;
1.7: the Extract must be between 10,000 (ten thousand) to 12,000 (twelve thousand) words long and must be supported by your biography, of no more than 500 (five hundred) words and a synopsis of the complete novel of the Extract, of no more than 1,000 (one thousand) words, which can only be submitted on the application page of the Website;
1.8: the Extract must be a piece of original fiction, excluding science fiction, fantasy, children’s and teenage fiction;
1.9: the Extract is original to you and you are the sole author of the Extract and own all rights in the Extract, and that the Extract is in no way an infringement of any copyright, moral right, right of privacy or any other legal right of any person
1.10: have the right to enter the Competition and are not prevented from doing so by any other agreement.
1.11: any Extracts that are incomplete, illegible or indecipherable will not be valid and shall be deemed void.
1.12: agree to the following judging criteria:
(i) – we will shortlist several entries, the number of which will be at our discretion and shortlisted entries will be notified by 30th June 2016 and those entries that do not make the shortlist will not be notified; shortlisted entrants will need to submit a completed manuscript by 12th December 2016 to be considered for the Prize;
(ii) – the winner (the “Winner”) will be chosen by a panel of judges comprising representatives of Bonnier Zaffre, WHSmith PLC, James Grant Media, Furniss Lawton and Richard & Judy;
(iii) – there will only be one Winner and the decision of the judges is final. No correspondence shall be entered into about the judges’ decision;
(iv) – the Winner will be contacted in writing by us by 30th January 2017;
1.13: the Winner must respond to notification from us within 21 days to be eligible for the Prize (as defined below). If the Winner cannot be contacted or is unable to comply with these Terms, we reserve the right to offer the Prize to the runner-up selected by the same panel of judges referred to above;
1.14: the Winner must agree to:
(i) – personal appearances and other promotional activity including maintaining an active social media presence as required by Bonnier Zaffre or Furniss Lawton;
(ii) – their name and image being used for promotional activity by Bonnier Zaffre, WHSmith PLC, James Grant Media, Furniss Lawton and Richard & Judy; and
(iii) – sign a publishing agreement with Bonnier Zaffre to publish and represent the Winner and to act on his/her behalf for worldwide publishing and ancillary rights in the completed novel which must be of a minimum of 80,000 words in length, conform to the submitted synopsis unless otherwise agreed with Bonnier Zaffre and be of publishable quality;
(iv) – sign a representation agreement with Furniss Lawton to represent the Winner and to act on his/her behalf for worldwide publishing and ancillary rights in the completed novel as well as the Winner’s next work of fiction.
2: Only entries which comply with the requirements set out in these Terms and have submitted their Extract, Biography and Synopsis correctly through the application page will be valid and entered into the Competition.
3: The Prize: the Winner will receive a publishing contract worth at least £50,000 (fifty thousand pounds, comprising a non-returnable advance of £50,000 and potential additional earnings dependent on sales) and the Winner’s completed novel shall be published by Bonnier Zaffre and the worldwide publishing and ancillary rights shall be exploited by Bonnier Zaffre, subject to any editorial requirements and in a manner of Bonnier Zaffre’s choosing and the Winner shall be represented by Furniss Lawton, subject to the entry into appropriate agreements with such parties. The completed novel shall also be sold and promoted by WHSmith PLC in its stores. Bonnier Zaffre shall also endeavour to sell the completed novel through other retailers. The prize is as stated and is not transferable to another individual.
4: The entrant will retain all copyright in the Extract and the completed novel.
5: Eligibility: in addition to any eligibility restrictions set out in the above, the Competition is only open to a person who is not and whose immediate family members or those living in the same household are not employed by Bonnier Zaffre, WHSmith PLC, Furniss Lawton, Richard & Judy or any of their parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, or advertising or promotion agencies (the “Competition Coordinators”).
6: The Competition Coordinators will use, store or otherwise process any personal information that relates to and identifies you, including but not limited to your name, postal address, e-mail address, telephone number and any other information collected on entry to the Competition, to the extent reasonably necessary to run this Competition, contact you regarding its outcome and provide you with information about them or any of their services or products. The Competition Coordinators will only process your personal information for the purposes described in these Terms and will not give your personal information to any third parties.
6.1: Your information may, for the purposes set out in these Terms, be disclosed for processing to:
(i) – the Competition Coordinators’ employees, affiliates, group companies and their employees and successors in title to their businesses;
(ii) – third party consultants, contractors or other service providers who may access your personal information when providing services (including but not limited to IT support services) to the Competition Coordinators;
(iii) – government bodies and law enforcement agencies and in response to other legal and regulatory requests; and
(iv) – auditors or contractors or other advisers auditing, assisting with or advising on any of our business purposes, in any jurisdiction where we operate.
6.2: By submitting any personal information to us you consent to the use of the information as set out in these Terms.
7: These Terms and Conditions may be modified or cancelled at any time without warning. Bonnier Zaffre, WH Smith PLC, James Grant Media, Furniss Lawton and Richard & Judy assume no liability for loss or damage to submitted entries due to negligence when the works are in their possession. Bonnier Zaffre, WHSmith PLC, James Grant Media, Furniss Lawton and Richard & Judy may withdraw from this Competition due to unforeseen circumstances or unsatisfactory submissions.
8: These Terms and any disputes or claims arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contract disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with English Law.
The post Richard and Judy Search for a Bestseller 2016 appeared first on WHSmith Blog.