The Crime Writers’ Association

CWA announces new Treasurer

Belatedly (but no less importantly) we are delighted to announce Andrew Subramaniam as the CWA Honorary Treasurer. Andrew Subramaniam is a partner in HW Fisher & Company’s media group. As well as advising numerous authors and journalists, he ha...


Dagger in the Library

Dagger in the Library  The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established writer of crime fiction or non-fiction who has long been popular with borrowers from libraries. It also rewards authors who have supported libraries an...


The Entry Process

The Entry Process There are four kinds of Dagger, differentiated by how they are nominated. See below for an explanation of the different entry processes, and who may nominate for each Dagger. Please do not hesitate to contact the Dagger Liaison Or...


Debut Dagger Tips: Joanne Spain

Joanne Spain’s life was changed by her decision to enter the CWA Debut Dagger competition in 2013. She credits her experience with the CWA contest with helping to shape her now-flourishing writing career. Now, having secured a two-book deal with Qu...


Short story guide

Short story guide We accept short story submissions for the CRA website, to provide you with a platform to win over new readers and expand your fan base. It might also be useful to showcase your writing skills if you’re looking for a new agent or ...


The Debuts: What are you going to call it?

Choosing the title of your novel is almost as big a decision as deciding to write it in the first place. Do you go for something quirky and run the risk of people not understanding it – or choose a more obvious title which then doesn’t sound inte...


Private: Joffe Books New Publication Prize for Crime Writers of Colour

Joffe Books, in conjunction with bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson and literary agent Susan Yearwood, is seeking to discover a new crime fiction writer to join our bestselling list. We are launching a new writing prize for unagented crime fict...


Dagger in the Library

Dagger in the Library  The Dagger in the Library 2024 is closed. Thank you for voting! The Dagger in the Library is a prize for a body of work by an established writer of crime fiction or non-fiction who has long been popular with borrowers from...


Debut Dagger

Emerging Author Dagger (Debut Dagger) Announcements Congratulations to our 2024 Longlist Authors! See below for details. Shortlist: CrimeFest, Bristol on Friday 10 May, early evening Winner: Dagger Awards Dinner, evening of Thursday 4 Jul...


Murder By the Book

Crime fiction is the UK's most read, bought and borrowed genre. Cambridge University Library draws on its world-leading collections of British crime fiction to stage a murderously good exhibition! Bringing together literature, culture and heritag...


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