Madeleine Milburn’s Summer Writing Competition: Make Us Scared

Madeleine Milburn’s are thrilled to open entries for their Madeleine Milburn Summer Writing Competition, 2016. A world-renowned literary agency based in the heart of Mayfair, London, they represent a dynamic and award-winning list of authors published in the UK, US and international markets. The agency offers the highest level of care to a boutique list of authors, working together editorially and developing their work across all media.  They are dedicated to each talented author we represent, managing their writing careers with passion, skill and ambition.

Now they are keen to find a great new unpublished writer who can amaze them with an incredible voice, writing and premise. The Summer Writing Competition is open for adult novels with the theme of ‘Make Us Scared’. That can be anything from gritty crime and suspenseful thrillers to dark narratives, it’s completely open to your interpretation and can even cross genres.

They want it to be a book they cannot help but tell people about, a book that draws us back to reading when they take a break and a book which leaves them with a lot to think about.

JUDGES:

This year’s judges of the Madeleine Milburn Summer Writing competition are two of our Sunday Times bestselling authors Fiona Barton, The Widow and C.L. Taylor, The Accident, The Lie and The Missing.

Fiona Barton was discovered from a writing competition herself after being shortlisted for the Richard and Judy Search for A Bestseller in 2014, and The Widow is still the bestselling hardback debut of the year in the UK. C.L. Taylor is a two -time Sunday Times Bestselling author, with over half a million copies of her books sold. Her books are consistently featured on the top 10 eBooks on Amazon.

PRIZE:

The top five entries will be selected by the Madeleine Milburn agency for the shortlist. A winner will be chosen by Madeleine Milburn and our guest judges, and they will receive a prize of £500 and an offer of representation by the agency. All five shortlisted entries will receive comprehensive written feedback from the agency. They will offer representation to entrants whose writing they love. If you are offered representation by another agency while the competition is running, please let them know and we will withdraw your entry.

ELIGIBILITY

To enter, you must be un-agented and the work submitted must be unpublished (work from which an extract has been published in a literary magazine is fine). The prize is open to writers from anywhere in the world, but the work must be written in English.

HOW TO ENTER:

Entries are open from Friday 22nd July and the closing date is 1st September 2016. The shortlist will be announced on 8th September with the winner to be revealed on 6th October 2016.

They ask for a cover letter including a brief author bio with contact details, one-page synopsis, and a full manuscript to be submitted (or a minimum of 30,000 words if the novel is nearing completion).

To find out what they are looking for and for more tips on your writing and submission, head to Writer’s Corner on their website, and when you’re ready to enter submit your manuscript to competition@madeleinemilburn.com