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Read Regional 2012: Open call for submissions for new books by Northern writers

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Open call for submissions for new books by Northern writers

Deadline for submissions Monday 30 April 2012

We are delighted to open the call for writers and publishers to propose their books for inclusion in the 2012 Read Regional campaign. The campaign has run successfully in the North East for three years and due to this success is now expanding into Yorkshire and Humberside.

Run in conjunction with 23 library authorities across the north of England, the project selects a set number of new books and promotes them widely across libraries, bookshops and festivals across the North. All participating libraries purchase bulk book orders and receive supporting marketing campaign materials. Selected authors will tour libraries to give readings and to meet book groups.

This year our Read Regional ‘reader’, an anthology of work from the selected writers plus biographical and book information, will be produced in conjunction with Living North magazine and distributed with the magazine’s October edition across the North East and Yorkshire regions.

Local Waterstone’s branches support the project too and behind the author’s tours and book promotions we run a wide-ranging local media campaign. The project is a great way to launch new authors or to promote authors whose profiles you are looking to build.

We are looking to include a variety of books in our 2012 campaign and welcome submissions of fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction.

Books submitted must be by a writer who currently lives and works in the north east of England or Yorkshire or Humberside. You can check the regions, as defined by Arts Council England, at www.artscouncil.org.uk/who-we-are/working-in-the-regions/.

The author must be available to participate in at least two events across the North East and Yorkshire between September 2012 and March 2013. Books must be available and in print from 28 May. Ideally, books will be in paperback; we will consider hardback books only in exceptional circumstances.

How to submit

If you would like to submit a book for consideration please ask your publisher or publicity manager to make this submission for you, or please send the following directly:
• A copy of the book (or proof copy/manuscript)
• A cover image
• A biography of the author
• A photograph of the author
• Information on the publication date and on any PR plans or author events that are already in place
• Cover price of the book

If you are applying directly as an author you must have the permission of your publisher before doing so – please read the small print below to see why.

Please submit books by post and the entry info by email to the following contact/addresses:

Read Regional submission
c/o Olivia Chapman
New Writing North
PO Box 1277
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE99 5BP

Email: [email protected]

If you have any questions about eligibility, please drop Olivia a line.

The small print

• If a book is selected for the campaign we will expect to purchase copies for 50% of the cover price
• Please note that we can only accept self-published books if they are available through library-approved distributors, as this is the way that books will be purchased. We cannot make any exceptions
• The selected books will be decided by the end of May