Join the CWA – Self-published membership

Thank you for your interest in joining the CWA. Membership is subject to meeting the membership criteria and completing the application form does not guarantee membership. Please fill in your details below and a member of our team will get back to you.

Your details
Given name – first name*
Given name – middle names
Given name – surname*
Preferred pronouns
Email address*
Landline number
Mobile number
Twitter username
Postal address line 1*
Postal address line 2
Postal address line 3
Postcode/Zip*
Country*
Your author profile(s)
If your application is successful your name will appear in our “Find an author” database.
Would you like your author name to appear in our online database as your given name entered above?*
- Yes
- No – my author name should appear differently/I write under one or more pseudonyms
Add your author profile(s)
Name/Pseudonym – first name and middle names or initials Name/Pseudonym – surname Author website address
Main eligible work
The “main eligible work” is the work or body of work on which you rely as qualifying you for membership. It must be:
(i) a published full-length crime novel or work of crime-related non-fiction over 65000 words
or
(ii) a published body of work, all with a significant crime element, totalling a minimum of 65,000 words.
This total can be attained through one full-length novel or non-fiction work and/or several novellas and/or a collection of short stories or essays published in one anthology or a range of anthologies. The crime element must be evident in all pieces of work whether fiction or non-fiction.

The work or works may be for adults or young adults.
How do you wish to submit your main eligible work?*
- As a single published full-length novel or work of non-fiction over 65,000 words
- As a published body of work comprising several novellas, short stories or essays
Add work*
Title of qualifying work ISBN of qualifying work Publisher name if any (e.g. Matador) Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy) Approx. word count
Add work*
Title of qualifying work ISBN of qualifying work Publisher name if any (e.g. Matador) Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy)
The following questions are aimed at establishing your professionalism as a crime writer. Each criterion awards a number of points. To be eligible you must attain 8 points.
Sales: 2 points
To gain points, you will be required to provide evidence of sales of the main eligible work as statements from Amazon or from an author services publisher such as Matador.
You need only fulfil one of the following criteria for the 2 points, and additional points are not gained by fulfilling multiple criteria.
Over a 12-month period, can you demonstrate sales as follows? – Please choose one*
- I do not wish to declare sales
- 300+ print books
- Books with a min. 7000 pages read (per Kindle Normalised Page Count)
- 500+ ebooks
Details of sales*
Name of qualifying work ISBN of qualifying work
Please provide proof of sales*
Drop files here or

Max. file size: 16 MB.
Professional developmental editing: 2 points
Has the main eligible work been the subject of an independent professional critique and/or structural/developmental editing?*
- Yes
- No
Please provide details*
Name of editor or service URL Contact name Contact email Title of book or work(s)
Professional copy-editing: 3 points
Has the main eligible work undergone independent professional line or copy-editing and/or professional proofreading?*
- Yes
- No
Please provide details*
Name of editor or service URL Contact name Contact email Title of book or work(s)
Professional book cover design: 2 points
Is the cover for your main eligible work designed by a professional?*
- Yes
- No
Please provide details*
Name of designer or supplier URL Contact name Contact email Title of book or work(s)
Additional work: 2 points
Have you self-published another work that would itself satisfy the criteria for “main eligible work”?*
- Yes
- No
Add work*
Name of qualifying work ISBN of qualifying work Publisher name if any (e.g. Matador) Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy)
Writing awards: 2 points
An admissible award may be aimed at self-published writers or otherwise, and need not be a crime-writing award. The CWA Membership Secretary reserves the right to ascertain those awards deemed to be of sufficient standing and/or relevance.
Have your books won or been shortlisted for any awards?*
- Yes
- No
Name of award*
Organisation making the award*
URL of winners list
Winner or shortlisted*
Title achieving the award*
ISBN
Year*
Professional shop window: 2 points
Can you demonstrate that you have, and maintain a dedicated website or blog to your books or works (2 points)?*
- Yes
- No
Please add the URL*
Can you demonstrate that you have, and maintain a dedicated author page on Facebook or other major platform (1 point)?*
- Yes
- No
Please add the URL*
Membership of other organisations: 2 points
Membership of one of the below associations is sufficient to secure the maximum 2 points; additional points are not awarded for membership of multiple organisations. However, membership of organisations marked * will entitle you to a discount of 20% on your first ever year of CWA membership. Please tick all that apply.

If you are a member of a similar but unlisted organisation, please provide its name and details, and inclusion will be considered by the Membership Secretary whose decision on the issue will be final.
Are you a member of any of the following organisations?*
- I am not a member of any other organisations
- The Society of Authors*
- The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi)
- The Historical Writers’ Association*
- The Romantic Novelists’ Association
- The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain
- American: Mystery Writers of America
- American: International Thriller Writers
- American: Writers’ Guild of America (East or West)
- Canadian: Crime Writers of Canada*
- Australia: Australian Crime Writers Association
- Other
Other organisation name*
Other organisation website*
Testimonials: 1 point
Would three current members of the CWA recommend your crime writing?*
- Yes
- No
Please add CWA member details 1*
CWA member name Contact email
Please add CWA member details 2*
CWA member name Contact email
Please add CWA member details 3*
CWA member name Contact email
Permissions
I would like to share my correspondence details with libraries and book-related event organisers where there is a chance I might be asked to participate in reader-facing events (only my name, email and geographical area will be supplied)*
- Yes
- No
Areas of expertise
If you have specific areas of expertise which you are willing to share with other CWA members please tell us below. Please tick all that apply. Please note by selecting an area of expertise you are agreeing to share your contact details with other CWA members.
Areas of expertise
- Academia
- Advertising
- Anaesthetics
- Archaeology
- Art
- Aviation
- Balkan culture / Crime
- Biology
- British upper classes
- Business and management
- CBN Incidents
- Channel Islands
- Cars / Motorcycles
- Catholicism
- Chemistry
- Chloroform
- Coasts
- Cold War Era
- Constitutional and electoral
- Coroners and autopsies
- Crime reporting
- Education & examinations
- Environment
- European culture
- Farming
- Film, TV and radio
- Financial markets
- Firearms and ballistics
- Food, cookery and its history
- Forensics
- Forensics – 19th century
- France – Resistance Period
- Funerals and undertakers
- Germany
- History, Classical
- History, Dark Ages & Medieval
- History, C16 & C17
- History, Georgian
- History, Victorian
- History, C20
- History, European
- History, Rest of World
- Horse racing
- Ice Age
- Industrial Chemistry
- Ireland, Northern & Eire
- Law and legal history
- Medical
- Money laundering
- Mountaineering
- Music industry
- Newspaper journalism
- New Age practices and beliefs
- Organisation Development
- Ornithology
- Overseas culture & politics (non-European)
- Party politics & parliamentary procedure
- Photography
- Poisons
- Police procedure – historical to 1980s
- Police procedure – from 1990s
- Police Procedure – 1990s to present
- Prisons – historical
- Prisons – present
- Probation
- Psychology
- Publicity, PR and promotions
- Roman Britain
- Religion
- Scandinavia
- Scotland
- Space
- Spiritualism
- Social media
- Spy / Intelligence Fiction
- Technology
- Theatre and acting
- Training
- Translator
- Transportation of Dangerous Goods / Hazardous Chemicals
- US culture and education
- US Police Proecedures
- US Pop Culture
- Wales
- Websites and digital
- Other
Other expertise (please specify)
Volunteer your skills
Do you have skills, experience or qualifications in any of the following fields which, if invited, you might be willing to volunteer to help the CWA?
Skills, experience or qualifications
- Accountancy
- Blogging/podcasts
- Broadcast media
- Company management (directorships etc)
- Events management
- Human resources
- Journalism
- Legal
- Marketing and social media
- Public relations
- Publishing (i.e. commissioning, editing or as an agent in traditional publishing)
- Running online readers’ or writers’ groups
- Self-publishing
- Web design
- Other
Other skills, experience or qualifications (please specify)
Any other comments about your skills, experience or qualifications?
Other information
How would you like to pay?*
To qualify for a membership discount please tell us your Society of Authors membership number*
How would you like to receive Red Herrings?*
Your answer affects your membership subs – see the table here
We have established regional chapters to help our members connect with other writers local to them. Would you be interested in joining your local chapter(s)?*
- Yes
- No
If you would like to join a chapter or chapters and agree to us sharing your contact details with the chapter convenors please select from the list below.*
- — UK chapters
- Dorset
- East Anglia
- East Midlands
- Ireland (Northern & Republic)
- London
- North Cotswold
- Northern
- Oxford
- Scotland
- South East
- South West
- St Albans
- St Albans City
- Wales
- West Country
- East Midlands
- Wye
- — International chapters
- Australia/New Zealand
- Gulf
- North America
- Scandinavia
- — Other chapters
- Neurodiverse
- Non-Fiction
How did you hear about us?*
Please let us know*
Have you previously been a member of the CWA?*
- Yes
- No
Privacy policy*
- I have read the membership privacy policy
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Name/Pseudonym – first name and middle names or initials	Name/Pseudonym – surname	Author website address

Title of qualifying work	ISBN of qualifying work	Publisher name if any (e.g. Matador)	Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy)	Approx. word count

Name of editor or service	URL	Contact name	Contact email	Title of book or work(s)

Name of designer or supplier	URL	Contact name	Contact email	Title of book or work(s)

Name of qualifying work	ISBN of qualifying work	Publisher name if any (e.g. Matador)	Date of publication (dd/mm/yyyy)

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Join the CWA – Self-published membership

Your details

Your author profile(s)

Main eligible work

The following questions are aimed at establishing your professionalism as a crime writer. Each criterion awards a number of points. To be eligible you must attain 8 points.

Sales: 2 points

Professional developmental editing: 2 points

Professional copy-editing: 3 points

Professional book cover design: 2 points

Additional work: 2 points

Writing awards: 2 points

Professional shop window: 2 points

Membership of other organisations: 2 points

Testimonials: 1 point

Permissions

Areas of expertise

Volunteer your skills

Other information

Join the CWA