CONTEST CLOSED - WATCH THIS SPACE FOR NEWS

Win a £10,000* Publishing Contract

Calling All Budding Travel Writers and Bloggers... "X-Factor" for unsigned non-fiction authors

If you are a talented unsigned blogger, travel writer or expat with a story to tell about your time in Spain then read on to discover how you could win a publishing contract with NativeSpain.com worth £10,000.

If your entry is chosen as overall winner then not only will you get your work professionally edited and published (available via Amazon, Borders, Waterstones, Tesco and Bookworld Espana etc.) but you will also receive a generous royalties package, complete with press releases, marketing support (from a publisher famous for its Amazon bestsellers) and prominent exposure on the NativeSpain.com and BookShaker.com websites.

What's Your Story?

More and more people of all ages are choosing to relocate to Spain and immerse themselves in this wonderful culture for extended periods of time. We call this process of extended travel with a willingness to integrate - "Going Native"

Whether your stay is a month, a year or a lifetime we want to hear your story.

• Why did you choose to live in Spain?
• How did you find adjusting to your new surroundings?
• What are some of the oddest differences between your culture and the Spanish way of life?
• How did you make it all happen and what trials and tribulations have you had to overcome?
• What have you learned about yourself and the world in general since moving to Spain?
• What part of Spain do you now call home?
• What do you love about it?
• What do you loathe?
• What funny anecdotes, adventures and stories can you share?
• How did your family, friends and loved ones react to the move?

What We're Looking For

The NativeSpain brand is quirky and intimate with attitude. Winning entries will demonstrate the author's own unique take on their chosen region(s) in an entertaining, emotive and informative way. Don't be afraid to share your opinions, even if they are controversial, as we want to see your attitude show through. We're not looking for perfect grammar or spelling either. In fact, the more conversational and natural your writing style is - the better. Feel free to think up a quirky title for your entry and be sure to include plenty of details about yourself on your profile page.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Subscribe to this group (follow the link at the top of the page or click here)
2. Create a diary (blog), book (this allows you to order and organise your content logically) and ensure you select (as a minimum) "Travel Writing Contest" as the audience for any content you create.
3. Users can rank all your content and you are encouraged to invite friends, contacts and subscribers to vote for your entry at the site. The most popular entries will be shortlisted for final judging by our selected panel.
4. Entries of under 20,000 total words by the competition deadline of end of April 2008 will not be considered for the first prize but may still be published as a runner up. So make sure you add plenty of content to be in with a winning chance.
5. Be wacky, quirky and interesting with your entries. We're already producing regional guides so add your own personality to your work and have fun!

RULES

• Entries are being accepted until the end of April 2008.
• Excerpts of your work (blog, book, story etc.) must be published on the NativeSpain.com website
• Your work should have a minimum final word count of 28,000 words and a maximum of 34,000 words
• The final winning entry will be chosen by a board of 3 judges.
• The winner will be announced on this webpage and sent a contract before the end of June 2008.
• You can enter multiple manuscripts into the competition.
• Entry is only open to active NativeSpain members.
• Your entry must be entirely your own work.
• This competition is only open to first-time authors - anyone without a book publishing contract.
• There is no cash alternative to the prizes offered.

PRIZES

• First Prize winner will receive a publishing deal worth £10,000* (* this figure represents our investment of time and expertise and is not indicative of how much the author will be paid. The final amount the author earns could be signifiantly more or less than this amount)
• Runner Up Prize winners (if quality is high) will be published in a "Native's Stories" collection and will get exclusive author discounts on copies of the book plus their name in print.

View and review all competition entries so far