Record entries for Walter Scott Prize

The award in Scott's honour will be presented in Melrose this summer

A record number of entries have been submitted for the Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction this year.

Organisers said the entry was up 40% on last year as they announced the 13 contenders on the long list.

The judges said it showed historical fiction was continuing to "ride a wave of publishing success".

A shortlist will be announced in April, with the overall winner being unveiled at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose on 15 June.

The winner receives £25,000, while each shortlisted author receives £1,000, making the prize amongst the richest in the UK.

The books on the longlist are:

• The Clocks In This House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks

• Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore

• Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

• The Last Man In Europe by Dennis Glover

• Sugar Money by Jane Harris

• Prussian Blue by Philip Kerr

• The Draughtsman by Robert Lautner

• Grace by Paul Lynch

• The Wardrobe Mistress by Patrick McGrath

• Miss Boston and Miss Hargreaves by Rachel Malik

• The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers

• The Horseman by Tim Pears

• The Bedlam Stacks by Natasha Pulley

"In our longlist, we have attempted to represent different styles - from lyrical to experimental, and from epic to intimate," said a statement from the judges.

"All human life is here, from outlaws making a living forging coins in Yorkshire's badlands, to post-war London theatre society.

"We hope that in representing such a richness of styles and diversity of settings, the Walter Scott Prize can bring to public attention new work, while at the same time rewarding writers at the top of their game."