Latest News

Writing Competition - Win a Publishing Deal!

Published: 20 Sep 2014  - updated: 17 Nov 2014


To celebrate the 2014 Writing & Self-Publishing Open Day, SilverWood Books and Kobo Writing Life (KWL) are delighted to announce an exciting new writing competition.

The Open Day Writing Competition is geared towards original, unpublished or self-published, fictional, English language manuscripts. The First Prize will be a SilverWood-produced ebook published with KWL, plus [STOP PRESS] a paperback edition sponsored by Berforts Information Press, published and distributed by SilverWood Books. The Runner Up will receive the new Kobo Aura H2O.

Entrants are to submit a single page synopsis (no longer than 500 words) of the plot of the book they would like to publish along with first chapter (no longer than 5,000 words).
The deadline is 31 December 2014.


The Prizes...

First prize for the winning entry is an ebook publishing package provided by SilverWood Books, with an additional print edition sponsored by Berforts Information Press. The publishing package will include a full copy-edit, proofreading, ebook and paperback cover design, formatting and conversion to epub, with a corresponding print edition. Applicants can find more info about SilverWood Publishing Packages here.

Kobo Writing Life will support the title when the ebook is published on the Kobo Store, with promotion through Facebook and Twitter announcements, and a feature in the Kobo Writing Life blog, Kobo Writing Life Newsletter and Kobo Next Page.

SilverWood Books and Berforts will support the print edition, with UK wholesaler and retail distribution plus worldwide listing on online retail sites, Nielsen Enhanced Data Listing and SilverWood Books online bookshop availability.

The prize for the runner up entry is a brand new Kobo Aura H2O e-reader.

Key Dates for Your Calendar
  • Saturday 20 September 2014 at the SilverWood Writing & Self-Publishing Open Day - competition launched
  • 31 December 2014 - closing date
  • January through March 2015 - reviewing, reading and shortlisting by the SilverWood Books team
  • April 2015 - shortlist read and reviewed by the panel of judges
  • April 2015 - Winner and Runner Up selected and announced
  • September 2015 - publication of the winning entry
Want to Know More...?

To enter the competition and submit your manuscript please use KWL's online form. Entries must be submitted as a single Word document containing synopsis and first chapter with page 1 being the title page containing the entrant’s full contact details, title of work and author name. The manuscript submitted must be the entrant’s own work, and the entrant must own the copyright to all work in its entirety. The deadline to entry the Open Day Writing Competition is on December 31st, 2014.

Authors should visit Kobo Writing Life to read the full Terms & Conditions of the competition with a detailed description of competition period, eligibility, manuscript submission, prizes, etc.

The Panel of Judges

Dr Sanjida O'Connell, writer and television presenter, is the author of eight books, including the novels The Naked Name of Love and Sugar Island (published by John Murray) and four works of non-fiction, including, Chimpanzee: The Making of the Film (Disney) and Sugar: The Grass that Changed the World (Virgin Books).
Find out more at sanjida.co.uk. Connect on Twitter: @SanjidaOConnell

Shayna Krishnasamy is a writer of literary and young adult fiction. She holds an honours BA in English and Creative Writing, and a Master’s degree in English from Concordia University. Her fiction has appeared in The Fiddlehead and Geist. She has enjoyed great success publishing her fiction digitally, most notably through Kobo, where she is a consistent bestseller. She is currently at work on her third novel and lives in Montreal.
Find out more at shaynakrishnasamy.com. Connect on Twitter: @shaynakrish

Helen Hart, Publishing Director at SilverWood Books, is also the author of nine novels (HarperCollins, OUP, Scholastic), an Indie reviewer for the Historical Novel Society, and Partner Member with The Alliance of Independent Authors.
Find out more at helenhart.co.uk. Connect on Twitter: @SilverWoodBooks

To read more about the judges and their selection process, please click here.


About Kobo Writing Life (KWL)

For those who are not familiar with Kobo Writing Life, KWL is the Kobo’s digital self-publishing platform launched in the summer of 2012. KWL users can directly upload ebooks to the Kobo global platform. This way they can enter multiple markets, significantly increasing the visibility of their works and the odds of gaining new readers. The KWL platform has been localized to the following languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch.

Kobo Writing Life distinguishes itself by being free and collaborative. The author community is open and generous, and the tools are user-friendly. To find out more and sign up to Kobo Writing Life please click here. Connect on Twitter: @KoboWritingLife


About Berforts Information Press

Berforts is a long established book printing group in three locations within the UK, and SilverWood has been proud to work with the team there for some years, printing both short run and lithographic editions of SilverWood titles. The Berforts Group’s resources provide professional book printing for both hard and soft back books and journals. Find out more at berforts.co.uk. Connect on Twitter: @Berforts_Books

Dale Burgess, Sales & Marketing Manager at Berforts, says: "After working with SilverWood since 2010 on a range of print projects, we're delighted to be supporting the writing competition with them."

“If you’re thinking of self-publishing, I hope you don't go at it alone. With a team like SilverWood behind you, you have the support you need to publish the best work you believe in.”

J A Higgins