Richard & Judy 'Search for a Bestseller' competition returns

Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan are launching their third “Search for a Bestseller” competition to find a promising first-time writer. The prize is a £30,000 publishing deal with Bonnier Zaffre with specialist advice from literary agency Furniss Lawton.

The competition is supported by W H Smith and will open to unpublished writers today (19th April 2018). Writers must submit 10,000 words, plus a synopsis of the novel and the work must be a piece of original fiction aimed at adults. The full terms and conditions can be found on the Richard and Judy website.

Madeley and Finnigan launched The Richard and Judy Book Club in 2004, estimated to have generated over £60 million in book sales, and are now both authors in their own right.

The couple will lead the selection process, helped by editors from Bonnier Zaffre and agents at Furniss Lawton. Aspiring authors have until 14th June 2018 to submit their entries, via Richard and Judy's website. 

The winner's deal is worth £30,000 for world rights. The competition was won by Tracy Rees and Caz Frear in 2016 and 2017, respectively, when a £50,000 publishing deal was up for grabs.

Kate Parkin, executive director of Bonnier Zaffre, commented: “We are thrilled to be working with Richard and Judy and our friends at W H Smith on the next ‘Search for a Bestseller’. Our 2016 winner Caz Frear’s Sweet Little Lies has been a huge success and secured publishing deals round the world. We can’t wait to discover the new talent that we know is out there…”

Finnigan said: “This is a wonderful chance for someone not only to become a published author, but to see their debut novel turned into a bestseller.”

Madeley added: “Our previous competition winners, Tracy Rees with Amy Snow and Caz Frears with Sweet Little Lies, saw their novels fly off the bookshelves in their hundreds of thousands. This is a life-changing opportunity.”