S&S launches competition with Darley Anderson and Bradford Literature Festival

Simon & Schuster UK has launched a competition with the Darley Anderson Literary Agency and Bradford Literature Festival to find the next bestselling commercial fiction author.

The theme for the first 'Write Here, Right Now' prize is “new beginnings and discovery”, with writers encouraged to submit the first three chapters and synopsis of their work in any genre. The competition is live and open until 13th April and the winner will be announced at the Bradford Literature Festival in June.

A longlist of authors will be contacted in May and asked to submit their full manuscripts with the five-strong shortlist announced on 1st June.

The winner revealed at the festival on 30th June and the prize is the opportunity to be represented by a Darley Anderson agent.

The judges include Jo Dickinson, publishing director of fiction and audio at S&S UK, along with the publisher’s editorial director of fiction, Anne Perry, as well as Camilla Wray and Tanera Simons, both literary agents at the Darley Anderson Agency.

Perry said: “Open submissions are a brilliant way to discover new talent and encourage writers to take a chance with a project they’ve been working on.”

She said she was “absolutely thrilled” to team up with London-based Darley Anderson and the literature festival in Bradford “to discover and celebrate new voices from around the country”.

Darley Anderson agent Tanera Simons said: “We’d love to find an emotive, character-driven story that draws you in from page one and just doesn’t let you go. We want just as many entries as possible, from writers of all walks of life: we encourage anyone who is nervous to apply to just go for it.”

Bradford Literature Festival Director, Syima Aslam, described it as “an incredible opportunity to showcase the work of emerging writers and we’re looking forward to hosting the finale at this year’s festival”.

“At BLF we are committed to promoting diverse voices and can’t wait to see a plethora of cultures and experiences reflected in the submissions and to introduce our audiences to a fantastic short list of new fiction.”

Authors will be asked to email a cover letter, a synopsis and the first three chapters or 10,000 words of their manuscript before 13th April. The competition opened earlier this month.

For more information, visit the competition website.