In Stylist’s most exciting competition yet, we team up with powerhouse publishers Faber and Faber to find, and publish, a debut crime writer.
Faber and Faber is the company behind the careers of authors including PD James and Kazuo Ishiguro, and has published an impressive 12 Nobel Laureates and six Booker prize-winners which is why we've joined forces with them to find a writer who we believe is going to be the next big thing in crime fiction. The plotline could be anything, from grizzly serial killer to eerie suburban murder. The only requirements are that it must fall within the crime/thriller genre and that it has to feature a female protagonist (it isn’t just men who can solve crime, after all).
So whether you’ve been itching to write a book for years and just need that final push, are a huge fan of thrillers and think you could write one too, or just fancy the ultimate challenge for 2012, read on to find out how you could be in with a chance of winning (and becoming the next Jessica Fletcher...)
The competition
To enter Stylist’s Crime Fiction Competition you will need to complete the first 6,000 words of your original crime or thriller novel. The novel must feature a female protagonist. Alongside this you will need to submit an outline, no longer than 300 words, to show how the story will develop but which doesn’t reveal the ending, plus a 250-word biography of the central character.
The judges
The entries will be judged by an expert panel who will be looking for a story which excites, intrigues and surprises them. The panel includes:
- Ruth Rendell, award-winning author of over 60 crime fiction novels with book sales in excess of 20 million.
- Lisa Smosarski, Stylist’s editor
- Hannah Griffiths, publishing director, and Angus Cargill, senior editor, at Faber and Faber
- Sue Swift, head of literary acquisitions at Kudos Television and Shine Pictures – a company responsible for adapting crime novels for TV and makers of Spooks
The deadline
All entries must be posted (no email entries will be accepted) to Stylist Magazine Crime Fiction Competition, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA by 12 July 2012. The deadline will not be extended under any circumstances.
The prize
The winning author of our fiction competition will have their debut novel published by Faber and Faber publishing house and will receive a book advance of £5,000. The runner-up will receive a place on a three-month writing course of their choice – worth up to £1,750 – at Faber Academy, Faber and Faber’s esteemed creative writing programme. Upcoming courses include a three-month ‘Writing Crime’ course, led by author Dreda Say Mitchell. Visit faberacademy.co.uk for more details on courses, or follow Faber Academy on Twitter @faberacademy.
WHAT YOU NEED TO ENTER
- The first 6,000 words of your original crime thriller or novel which MUST feature a female protagonist
- An outline, no longer than 300 words, to show how the story will develop but that doesn't reveal the ending
- A 250-word biography of the central character
- A signed copy of the entry form
Download the entry form and the Terms & Conditions and once you have completed your submission, post it to Stylist Magazine Crime Fiction Competition, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA by 12 July 2012.
RULES & CONDITIONS
The competition promoter is Faber and Faber Ltd (“Faber”), Bloomsbury House, 74–77 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DA, United Kingdom and Stylist, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA.
THE PRIZE IS AS FOLLOWS:
- The Faber/Stylist prize is a publishing contract with Faber & Faber, including a non-returnable advance of £5,000 for world rights in the book.
- The judges of the prize will decide on a short list of a minimum of three and a maximum of six submissions. These writers will be interviewed before the final choice is made.
- The shortlisted writers and winner agree to the use of their name and photographs for publicity purposes in Stylist magazine during the competition
- The winning author must commit to one exclusive photo-shoot and interview with Stylist along with a webchat/video for Stylist.co.uk for the release of their debut novel and first press interview and photo shoot for every successive novel published, regardless of publisher.
ELIGIBILITY
a) The prize is strictly only open to authors who have not had a novel published before.
b) The decision of the judges on the eligibility of a book is final and binding.
c) Entrants must live in the UK.
d) All applicants must be over 18. Proof of age may be required.
ENTRIES
a) Each entrant should submit the first 6,000 words of a crime novel or thriller, along with a one page ‘pitch’ letter for the rest of the book which should include an idea of whether the book is the first of a series. They should include their name, contact details and date of birth
b) The submission must be original and in English
c) Writers may enter only one submission
d) Please ensure that a copy of the submission is made before posting because no entries will be returned
e) No email entries accepted
f) Please submit work double-spaced on A4 paper, single-sided with page numbers
g) Please include name/title on running header/footer
h) Submissions must be received by 12 July 2012. Please post submissions to Stylist Magazine Crime Fiction Competition, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA
i) The judges reserve the right not to award the prize if there is no submission of sufficient merit
j) Each entrant confirms that their entry will not infringe any law or regulation or third party right, including (but not limited to) the law of copyright or trademarks.
k) Stylist/Faber reserves the right at any time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, this competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control.
j) Faber shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside its reasonable control. Such circumstances shall include, but not be limited to, weather conditions, fire, flood, hurricane, strike, industrial dispute, war, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, inevitable accidents, supervening legislation or any other circumstances amounting to force majeure.
k) The Competition will be governed by English law.
l) Other conditions may apply
m) More information on the prize
Click here to download your entry form >>
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For inquiries: crimecompetition@stylist.co.uk
For submissions: Stylist Magazine Crime Fiction Competition, Shortlist Media, 26-34 Emerald Street, London, WC1N 3QA
Website: http://www.stylist.co.uk
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