Get writing!

Following its successful launch last year, the Historical Association and Amberley Publishing are delighted to announce details of the competition for this year. The aim of the competition is to find the best unpublished history book either from an aspiring or an established author.

Whether you have a completed manuscript or just an outline of the book you want to write, we want to hear about it. This is your chance to become a published history author and to find a wide readership for the subject that fascinates you.

Jon Jackson, Publishing Director at Amberley, says, ‘This competition taps into enormous grassroots interest in local and national history. We are looking for a winning entry that tells a new, fascinating story.’

Proposals can cover any aspect of history and the competition is free to enter and open to everyone. The winning author will receive a £1,000 advance and a contract with Amberley Publishing, who will publish, promote and distribute the finished book. The winner will also have the opportunity to write an article about their book for The Historian.

Author Amy Licence says, ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for a new author to debut their talent, and just the sort of competition I wish had been around when I was starting out. I’m very excited about this chance to help discover the authors of the future.’

The winning author will receive a publishing contract with Amberley Publishing and a £1,000 advance.

How to enter

You should include:

• A 200-word blurb.
• A chapter plan with a brief description of what will be covered in each chapter.
• A 50-word biography of yourself including any relevant experience.
• 2,000 words of sample writing from the start of the book.
• Some sample images, if images are integral to the book.

Deadline for entries: 1 June 2017.

The winner will be announced in the July 2017 issue of The Historian magazine.

Please email your submissions to competition@amberley-books.com or post them to:

Competition, Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 4EP. www.amberley-books.com