Impress Books

Impress Prize For New Writers 2012

Winner Announced

Congratulations to Elizabeth McLean who has won the Impress Prize for New Writers 2011. Her debut novel Imagining Vietnam will be published this year (2012). The shortlist is as follows:

On Mathers Land by Jennifer Young
Kelpkiln by Liam Murray Bell
Kai Tak by Ming Liu
Ancestral Voices by Elaine Lambert
Eyes of a Boy by Megan Wynne
Dark Mermaids by Anne Lauppe-Dunbar
Seeking Aisha by Elizabeth Davidson
The Dreams of the Black Butterfly by Mark Barrett
The Apothecary’s Secret by John Yeoman

Entries are now open for the 2012 Impress Prize for New Writers.

The final deadline for all received entries is 15th June 2012.

Overview

The prize is in its sixth year and its aim is to find exciting new, unpublished writing talent. The winner will receive a publishing contract from Impress Books and will be chosen from a shortlist by a panel of judges working in the book industry.

Previous winners:

2011: Imagining Vietnam by Elizabeth McLean

2010: This Farewell Symphony by Edmund Bealby-Wright (ISBN: 9781907605062)

2009: Homesick by Roshi Fernando (ISBN:9781907605024)

2008: SAS Operation Galia: Bravery Behind Enemy Lines in the Second World War by Robert Hann (ISBN: 9780955623998)

2007: Consider the Lilies by Carol Fenlon (ISBN: 9780955623912)

Testimonials

"Almost immediately after being informed that I had been shortlisted for the Impress Prize in 2007, the literary agent who had been considering my novel for some weeks, decided to take me on. This agent has since brokered me a two-book deal with Little, Brown. In many ways, it feels very much as though it all started with Impress."

Gabrielle Kimm, shortlisted author, Impress Prize 2007

"Winning the Impress Prize in 2007 changed my life. From being a 'wannabe' writer I became a real-life author and member of the writing community. Since Impress Books published Consider the Lilies I have been invited to read at literary festivals, universities, libraries and book discussion groups.

"As a result of winning the prize and being published I was encouraged to work on a second novel and have signed up with a well established literary agency.

"The Impress Prize offers a chance to break into the highly competitive world of publishing."

Carol Fenlon, 2007 Winner

Rules of Entry and Eligibility

The prize is open to ANYONE aged 18 and over who has not published a book-length publication before.
Entries can be both fiction and non-fiction.
Submissions must be received no later than the 17th June 2011.
Entries should comprise of a book proposal and a sample chapter of no more than 6,000 words.
The proposal should include the following information;

Name and contact details of author (including email, mobile number and landline number)	Author biography	Rationale for publishing the book
Synopsis and/or contents	Market readership	Illustrations (if appropriate) and proposed length

The sample chapter should be;

Written in English
Printed in 12pt typeface
double spaced on single sided A4 sheets
Maximum 6,000 words long
Developed such that it can be published in the following year,2012

Entries may be emailed as an attachment, but preferably posted to;

Impress Books

Innovation Centre

Rennes Drive

University of Exeter Campus, EX4 4RN.

Enrolment Fee

There is a £10 enrolment fee to cover the administration costs of the prize. You may pay by cheque (made payable to Impress Books Ltd) or you can pay online by credit, debit card or PayPal account using the button below:

Contact

If you are interested in entering and would like to receive more information about the prize and what we are looking for in the winning entry, please email richard@impress-books.co.uk