the big bang!

The Black Spring Crime Series is delighted to announce that the inaugural judge for its new crime-mystery prize will be Lee Child - world-famous, best-selling author of the Jack Reacher series, whose books have sold over 100 million copies. 

The competition – The Big Bang! Black Spring’s Best Opening for a Crime/Thriller Novel Prize - is open to anyone over the age of 18 who wants to write in the English-language and has an interest in crime, thriller or mystery novels. 

We are looking for the best 50-200 words of an ‘opening’ for a crime-mystery-thriller novel/story. The work must be never-before-published (including online), original to the author, and ideally written for this prize. It need not be connected to a completed book. Indeed, we very much hope the prize encourages people to start a novel, with this first page – and maybe go on to complete it. 

Writers can enter as many times as they want. 

The submission portal will be here - https://eyewearpublishing.submittable.com/submit. 

Lee Child says, ‘Long ago people would say, “This is a great book, but you need to give it fifty pages.” That's crazy now, in our hyper-fast world. Now readers give you fifty words. Your first paragraph, basically. That's where you win or lose. It doesn't always need to be slam-bam, but it does always need to give the reader absolutely no choice but to race ahead. Send your entry in to Black Spring's contest, I’ll judge the best... and if you win, I'll be first in line to buy your book.’ 

The contest will open on September 7th and close on December 7th. 

All submission info can be found at the blackspringcrimeseries.com website; the entry fee will be £10. 

Rules - Lee Child will read and judge the best final 50 entries, and leading crime writer Luca Veste will be the sifting judge for the first stage of the competition. The winner will receive £200, a one-off, an hour-long online mentoring session with Luca Veste and be offered a publishing contract if they ever decide to complete the novel. 

The Black Spring Crime Series was recently endorsed by, among others, giants of crime Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Child, and Mark Billingham.

For any more information contact Jane Collins at Jane.blackspringpressgroup@gmail.com