Become a self-publishing Legend in The Guardian monthly contest

The Guardian newspaper is running a new monthly competition to find the best self-published novels and entries are open until April 18 for the first month’s award.

The paper is running the contest with publisher Legend Times. It is open to self-published novels written in  English or translated to English.

Entries will all be read by a panel of Legend’s readers who will compile a short list of of up to 10 titles a month which will be read by expert judges.

The prize for the winning entry each month is a book review in the Guardian, online or in the paper (surely that should online and in the paper?), according to the paper’s announcement of the contest, although the actual T&Cs make no mention of a review and say only the winner’s name and county will be published together with an extract from the winning work.

The entry period for The Guardian Legend Times Self-Published Novel of the Month will be open for the first fortnight of each calendar month.

Authors can submit one novel a month, in any fictional genre, and the book must have been self-published after December 31, 2011. Books must be an original work of fiction at least 40,000 words in length.

You can only enter once per month and you can’t enter the same book for more than one competition.

Books must not have been published or agreed to be published by a third-party publisher. You can submit in Word or PDF formats and should send a synopsis together with the novel.

Legend Press is an independent publisher which was set up in 2005 and focuses on literary and commercial fiction. Managing director Tom Chalmers says although the company is apprehensive about being flooded with novels, it will pledge to read all entries.

Entries for April should be sent to self-published@theguardian.com by April 18, with “Self-Published Book of the Month Submission” in the subject line.