Richard & Judy 'search for a bestseller' with Bonnier Zaffre

Bonnier Zaffre is offering a publishing deal worth £50,000 to a first-time author with the help of Richard and Judy.

Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan, who hold a book club with WH Smith, today (10th March) launched a competition to find a debut bestselling writer, who will then go onto get a publishing deal with Bonnier Zaffre for world rights, plus specialist advice from literary agency Furniss Lawton.

"Search for a Bestseller”, supported by WH Smith, is open to submissions from unpublished writers from today (10th March) until 31st May 2016.

To enter, writers must submit 10,000 words, plus a synopsis of the novel, that "must be a piece of original fiction" and be "aimed at adults". 

The couple will lead the selection process, helped by editors from Bonnier Zaffre and agents at Furniss Lawton. 

Tracy Rees, 42, from Swansea, won the couple's last "Search for a Bestseller" competition in 2014 with her novel set in the 19th-century called Amy Snow. She secured a deal of equal value with then-sponsor Quercus as part of the competition that launched in August 2013.

Mark Smith, chief executive of Bonnier Zaffre, said: "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."

Madeley added: “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!”

The Richard and Judy Book Club first launched in September 2010 after the couple left their presenting roles on Channel 4, during which they used to front a weekly 15-minute book club. They have since launched Spring (January), Summer (May) and Autumn (September) book clubs with WH Smith.