Dales’ publisher launches writing competition

Talented new writers have been invited by Dales publishing company Hartlington Press to submit a short story for a writing competition.

Grassington Festival, whose theme this year is the power of the written word, is also involved in the project which is open to all ages and aims to uncover new literary talent.

With three age categories, 8-12, 13-17 and 18+, Penny Hart-Woods of Hartlington Press anticipates a rich variety of stories to be submitted.  Would-be authors have until Friday 4^th July to draft their stories which must begin with the line ““My great aunt Mary sent me a letter. It said…” and can be between 500 and 4000 words long. The winner of each category will receive a Kindle Paperwhite and have their story published.

Hartlington Press, based in Hartlington near Skipton, specialise predominantly though not exclusively, in publishing for the rapidly expanding e-book sector and are particularly keen to foster new talent to satisfy a growing need for ‘instant purchase, instant download and instant gratification’. Outside this summer’s short-story competition they accept manuscripts for consideration and help budding authors with genuine talent to access the e-publishing market for their novels.

Penny Hart-Woods explains “There is a lot of creative talent out there which has not been discovered as most people don’t have the time, resources or confidence in their work to get it polished for publication. We are getting interesting submissions from all over the country but are particularly keen to work with Yorkshire authors, hence us launching the writing competition which will largely be promoted in the local region. There is not much external support for creative writing in schools and we are keen to address that, encouraging kids to get off the internet and into their imaginations.”

WordLab, the interactive printing press which will be housed in the Ladies Room at the Town Hall in Grassington throughout this year’s Grassington Festival fortnight is sponsored by Hartington Press. As part of the two-week programme of arts festival events, on 22 June at 8.30pm in the Octagon, Hartlington Press will be hosting a literary evening featuring readings from two contrasting recently published novels and an opportunity to hear Yorkshire crime-writer Lesley Horton speak about her work.  Prospective writers are encouraged to come along to chat about their own projects. Contact the Grassington Festival office on 01756 752691 or visit www.hartlingtonpress.co.uk for details.