The Crime Writers’ Association

Dagger for the Best Crime & Mystery Publisher

Dagger for the Best Crime & Mystery Publisher This prestigious Dagger (often referred to as simply the “Publisher’s Dagger”) is awarded annually to the Best Crime and Mystery Publisher of the Year. Publishers and specific imprints are n...


Criminal Critiques

What are Criminal Critiques? Criminal Critiques is the CWA’s critique service for aspiring crime fiction writers, to help you polish your writing and prepare your manuscript for submission to agents and publishers, or for competitions such as the ...


Byte The Book – Valued Voices: How Much is Your Writing Worth?

What's it all about?: Join us for the first of our events at the beautiful Home House (the site of the original Courtauld Institute). Our panel will be discussing the findings of ALCS’ Author Earnings Survey and asking such questions as, how much ...


2022 winning story

Locked In - Scott Hunter There’s something singularly evil about a crime carried out in secret, don’t you think? Especially if it is repeated on a regular basis. And especially if the victim is powerless to prevent it. Let me explain my cir...


Equality and Diversity Monitoring Form

Equality and diversity monitoring The CWA is committed to ensuring that it is an inclusive organisation, open to all and reflective of the communities we serve, and that its events and communications are representative of, and welcoming to, al...


Libraries

Supporting libraries The places where many of us first discovered a love of books, and the places that for many form the centre of their reading experience, libraries are a national treasure. The CWA does not assume a political role – we leave tha...


The Killer Women Festival of Crime Writing & Drama

CANCELLED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS Now in its fourth year, the capital’s only exclusively author-led festival will take place on Sunday 15 March 2020 - at Brown’s Courtrooms, Covent Garden, London. The 2020 festival will include appearances by, amongs...


CWA Debut Dagger Open for Submissions

Entries are being invited from uncontracted writers for the coveted CWA Debut Dagger Award.   Authors shortlisted for the Debut Dagger come to the direct attention of interested literary agents and publishers. M W Craven who won the 2019 Gold Da...


A Detective’s Take on Crime Fiction

CWA Scotland — A Detective's Take on Crime Writing 27 June 2024 at 7 pm with Iain Souter. Iain is a second-generation copper from a crop of three who followed their father into the service in Northern Constabulary… pre-Police Scotland. He...


CWA Debut Dagger Competition Now Open

The Crime Writers’ Association have opened their popular Debut Dagger competition for 2018. The competition is for the opening of a crime novel and any writer who has never had a traditional publishing contract for a full-length novel can enter, ev...


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