Mail on Sunday Novel Competition 2009/10

Jay Mandal

I understand that details for the new competition will be announced in the MoS dated 6th September.

St Force

tell me more about it when you find out more. I'm intrested in this...

Jediya

Thanks for the heads-up, Jay, will keep an eye on this.

SusieM

Thanks for this Jay - well spotted.

Carol

If the details are online I'll let you know.

ceka

Thanks, Jay. You do keep ahead of the game, don't you!

febes

Wow Jay! Thanks for that. Will definitely want to find out about that one :_

Stirling

Thanks Jay (might stand a chance of entering this time!)

Dudess

Ta muchly, Jay. Means I'll have to buy the Mail though, eh? Scares the life out of my boyfriend's parents, that newspaper does, making them think Engerland's gone to wrack and ruin. They've not left the country in 40 years, mind.

Viv

The winners of last year's will be announced in the same issue (the theme was HEAD). Look out for the Mail 2 supplement that comes with the main paper and has all the book reviews and crosswords in - that's where they will publish it. Winners will have been told by now, so I know it's not me this time! I wonder what this year's theme will be. The year I won this - a long long time ago - the theme was POWER, and all 6 shortlisted entries interpreted it very differently. Very nice award ceremony and lunch, with judges and agents. But in all these years they have never increased the first prize - £400 in book tokens and an Arvon course.

Jay Mandal

You won! Wow!!!

Phots Moll

Thanks, Jay.

Didn't realise they had a theme - how long does that give us to write the novel?

RichardS

You sure that's the same thing Viv? I've just done a search for previous years and found this;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/books/article-443515/Could-publishing-sensation.html

The prize is a publishing deal and there's no theme.

Phots Moll

Yeah, that's the comp I was thinking of.

Viv

No, that's not the one Jay is talking about - or me.
This is an annual comp run by the Mail on Sunday (not the Daily Mail) for just the opening to a novel. It's been running about 20 years, and you don't have to write the rest of the novel, although it's a great boost to actually make you do it! They set a one word 'theme' and you have to incorporate the word in your opening, which is only 150 words max. Quite hard to grab attention in so few words. Fay Weldon and John Mortimer (now sadly died) have always judged it along with a different guest judge each year, and you get to meet them at the winners lunch. It was James Herbert when I won. I came second three years after I won it, and the judge then was Sue Townsend. They get around 5000 entries.

Phots Moll

Oh! Never heard of this one. I'll look out for it.

Thanks.

LilyC

It sounds fantastic. Can't wait to hear more.

Col B

I entered this once...think I came 5,000th!!!

Will be giving it a go.

SusieM

Col, I think I was right behind you and I'll also be giving it ago, see if I can make 4999th

Jay Mandal

Don't forget to get your copy of The Mail on Sunday. This year's word is LIGHT. Full details on page 12 of Section 2.

Viv

OK, I have details for those who don't want to buy the paper. It's on page 12 of the Mail 2 Supplement if you do buy it! Also has the winning entry from last year, based on the word head. I know the lady who has come third - and it was me who pointed out the competition to her!!

Write the opening lines of a novel - between 50 and 150 words - introducing the word LIGHT. Use it as a verb, noun or adjective, set the action in sunlight or by moonlight, whatever you like. Winners get book tokens (£400 first, others between £150 and £300). Judges are Fay Weldon, James Buchan and Deborah Moggach.
Send typed entry or clearlly written with name, address, email address, tel no, all on the same page to
The Mail on Sunday Novel Competition
P O Box 75
Rochester
Kent
ME2 2DB.

Closing date 30 October.
Good luck everyone!

Carol

Jay is that the main body of the paper or one of the magazine supplements?

megrose

Just had a brisk walk to the shops - half a mile each way - to buy the paper. Good exercise, so I'm told! Thanks for the heads up, Jay. :-)

Jay Mandal

Carol, it's not the main paper or the You magazine. It's another 'paper' which has 2 on it. It's probably enclosed in a polythene wrapper inside the main paper.

Viv

Forgot to add that the winner gets a place on an Arvon course too.
The piece in the paper is very small so easy to miss! All the details you need are as above though if you don't want to buy it.

megrose

Just had a browse through the Mail on Sunday - after cutting out the competition details. Princess Michael of Kent's son is getting married - she took charge of the wedding planning and had a £40,000 budget from the bride's parents. Apparently, the wedding is tens of thousands of pounds over budget and far too many guests have been invited for the size of the venue. They're worried about running out of champagne. Goodness, it's a completely different world, isn't it? You don't get this sort of news in The Guardian. :-)

Claudia

Viv, do the terms and conditions state whether this is only open to UK residents? Thanks.

Wordy

Thanks for the details, Viv and thanks Jay for alerting us to this comp. I remember entering this several years ago when the theme was water. Everyone in the family had a go and we came up with very different takes on the theme.

Jay Mandal

Claudia, I think Viv's probably put everything - it's very loose/vague. Good luck!

Viv

Yes, Claudia, there are no real terms or conditions, so if it doesn't say you can't enter I would assume you can!

Claudia

Thanks Jay, thanks Viv. I always have to check because quite frequently competitions like this aren't open to non-UK residents.

Nefertari

This may be a silly question. Does it need a title?

Jay Mandal

Probably doesn't matter either way.

ceka

Viv, Jay, thanks. I think TeamTB has a goodly number of interested players in this one ...

Viv

No, it doesn't need a title.

Nefertari

Thanks Viv. Does it have to be double spaced?

Viv

Doesn't say so. As they are even prepared to take handwritten entries, I don't think it matters too much as long as its readable!

Phots Moll

Thanks - I'm going to have a go.

Jay Mandal

^

Jay Mandal

And again!

Mutley

I'm trying to write an entry but it just isn't coming together at the moment. Nothing like the pressure of a postal strike to put me off!

Mutley

Quick question - do I give it a title?

Jay Mandal

Up to you! Hang on, I'll just see if the previous winner gave it one.

Jay Mandal

None was mentioned.

writebag

Have the winners been announced yet?

Carol

Not heard anything. I think there is a couple of months to go.

Phots Moll

I read somewhere that they don't announce the winner until the start of the next competition.

Viv

That's right. But I think the winners and shortlisted entrants themselves do get to know shortly before their names appear in the paper. That's what happened when I got through before anyway. A friend of mine was in the final 6 last year and was taken out for a nice lunch. I think the next comp and the results tend to appear around August. Long wait yet.

ceka

OK, so it's August now - have we all bombed?

SusieM

I'll give it till September and then put a cross on the spreadsheet.

Lolli

I think we may have all bombed, but the new comp should be out in early Sept, judging by last year's timing, so perhaps we should be patient a little longer. It would be nice to know what was the winning entry and also have a go again this year