Past Competition July 2011:
The Flipback Shades of Grey Postcard Challenge

For other competitions, go to my Competition Page



The flipback edition of The Last Dragonslayer

Flipback books are a new publishing idea - compact books (5" by 3") you can really fit into a pocket to take anywhere. They need no batteries, and no WiFi connection - staggering!

For the first crop of Flipbacks published by Hodder, they have selected some of the best books from the finest writers ... and me. I've been sent two, so I am keeping one and offering the other as a glittering (yet diminutive) prize for the winner of the latest Fforde competition.

All you had to do is to write the first line of Shades of Grey on a postcard in the smallest handwriting that you can and send it to me.

Many thanks to all those who sent in postcards but out of the dozens received, we selected three that were of particular merit.

In third place, Steve James, whose handwriting was the best of the bunch, although his entry not quite the smallest:



In second place, Emma Warren, who not only managed to write in a particularly teensy-weensy fashion, but also decorated her postcard in a Shades of Grey Yateveo themed design, and added a 'Thomas' stamp for added bizarreness:



But in first place the judges were unanimous. Of an intricate design that must have taken hours to draw, we have regular contributor Rowena Sudbury, who not only wrote the first sentence (many times) in words too small to read without my most powerful reading glasses, but incorporated it all in a design that I thought reminiscent of the very best illustrator-engravers of the 19th century. It is a staggering piece of work, and deservedly wins the Flipback book.



Congratulations to our winners, and many thanks to all who took part. The first signed Flipback goes to Rowena.



For other competitions, go to my Competition Page

THESE WERE THE RULES:

The Prize is a Flipback edition of Shades of Grey stamped with my 'First Signed' stamp, and signed - to you, if you want, or to 'lucky ebay winner' or whatever you want. There are no runner-up prizes.

The entry must be handwritten.

The first line of the book to be written is: "It began with my father not wanting to see the Last Rabbit, and ended with me being eaten by a carnivorous plant."

The criteria is not necessarily the smallest, but also the neatest. Entries will be judged on their merits of smallness, style, grace and artistic interpretation.

Entries may be selected to be viewed on my website, and it is a condition of entry that you are happy for this to be done.

Winner will be announced on the 1st July 2011, to coincide with the launch of the Flipbacks. (Only two weeks, so hurry!)

Entries on a postcard, please, to: Po Box 165, Hay on Wye, HR3 5WU.

If you want your entry returned, please send it in an envelope with another, pre-paid envelope inside that. Competition only open to those within the Hodder sales territories (UK, basically)

If you want to know more about Flipbacks which are launched on the 30th June, go to the Flipback Website where, amongst other things, you can download the Launch Brochure.