**Ever dreamt of landing a book deal? The Grazia and Baileys Women’s Pr ize for Fiction First Chapter competition could be your big breakthrough! **
Who hasn’t fantasised about chucking in the day job to write a bestseller? Well, Grazia – in partnership with Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction – is giving you the chance to do just that, with our First Chapter new writers competition, now in its fifth year.
Helping us find a new female writing star is Jojo Moyes, author of 11 acclaimed novels (most recently The One Plus One), who has written the opening paragraph of a story – and we’re challenging you to finish the first chapter. The sky is the limit for your inspiration, just keep to 800- 1,000 words and send it to us by 8 May.
The winner will join us at the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction awards party at Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank on 3 June, where they’ll receive their £1,000 prize and have their talent flagged up to the biggest names in literature.
**The story so far… **
Jojo Moyes has started the story The New Friend, now it’s up to you to finish the chapter. Afterwards, Edie thought back to the times she had bumped into Nina, and wondered how many of them had been accidental. Suddenly, Nina just happened to be everywhere: in the supermarket or the car park of the gym, always with something nice to say – ‘Gosh, I love your hair!’ (Edie had never met anyone who used the word gosh without irony before) – so that she found herself subconsciously looking out for her, and oddly pleased when she arrived. The first time Nina had asked her to coffee, they both laughed. The slightly English embarrassment of it; like a first date.
How to enter...
Following Jojo Moyes’ lead, write your first chapter to between 800 and 1,000 words. Include a short autobiography (no more than 200 words), a passport photo of yourself attached to a sheet of A4 paper, your full name, address, mobile phone number, occupation and date of birth. Read our terms and conditions*, then send your entry to Emily Phillips, Grazia, Endeavour House, 189 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8JG or email us at firstchapter@graziamagazine.co.uk by 8 May.
What you’ll win...
The winner will receive £1,000 and have their chapter published in Grazia. They will also be invited to the prestigious awards ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall on 3 June to pick up their award on stage (hotel and travel for two will be included). Two runners-up will have their chapters published on graziadaily.co.uk. All three winners will receive the six Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction 2015 shortlisted books.