Summerhayes' author wins To Hell With prize

An unpublished author represented by Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment has won the inaugural To Hell with Prizes award for unpublished writers.

David Whitehouse won for his novel Bed, described by judge Greg Eden, Waterstone's
online editor, as an "external view of someone retreating into themselves...brilliant language and very expressive writing."

Whitehouse received £5,000 at THW's pre-LBF party on 18th April, and his novel will be published as special limited edition by the indie.

"While there are many awards for first novels, we wanted to help quicken the progress of a new writer who has found an agent, but has yet to score that crucial book deal," said Laurence Johns of THW.

Bed is the story of a man watching his morbidly obese brother Mal in the last stages of his life.

The judges were: playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah, Canongate editor Francis Bickmore, Waterstone's online editor Greg Eden and journalist India Knight.

The shortlist in full was:

A Man of Diminished Stature by Simon Hattenstone, submitted by Andrew Gordon at David Higham Associates

Bed by David Whitehouse, submitted by Cathryn Summerhayes at William Morris Endeavor Entertainment

Girl Ninety-Nine by Andy P Jones, submitted by Jon Elek at AP Watt

Gwupygrubynudnyland by Ben Hopkins, submitted by Patrick Walsh at Conville and Walsh

How it Ends by Sara Langham, submitted by Lucy Luck at Lucy Luck Associates