The Crime Writers’ Association

2024 Crime Writers’ Clinics

After the success of last year's Crime Writers' Clinics, the CWA is proud to announce the 2024 schedule of Clinics! These online events will take place from 8 October to 7 November, and are programmed and hosted by William Shaw. Tickets are £...


Emerging Author Dagger Checklist

Have you followed the rules? This is the easy bit, so don’t risk disqualification by exceeding the word limit (don’t do this, not by even a few words) or forget to take your name off the manuscript. Word count for the entry form is that o...


Emerging Author Dagger Submission Info

The deadline is Monday 28 February, 6pm GMT. Read the full rules here; remember eligibility has changed this year. You can purchase your entry voucher before you enter so as to make the process less stressful.   If you chose to pre-pay y...


First Monday

The next First Monday event is being held at the City University on 4th December from 6.30pm. The event this month is a real holiday treat! Not only do we have a cracking panel- Louise Jensen, Chris Whitaker, Susi Holliday, Mel McGrath, moderated by...


Ten Ways to Make Your Criminal Protagonist Fascinating by Dagger Longlister Judy Hock

By Judy Hock There’s always a crook in crime fiction, but what if that character is your protagonist? Readers need to care about the main character. Here are some tips for adding complexity and keeping your reader intrigued. 1. Make Them ‌a...


Crime Writing at Swanwick this Summer

Swanwick Writers’ Summer School runs from 12-18 August is pleased to be running two crime-related courses this year. Kate Bendelow, a serving Crime Scene Investigator with over fifteen years’ experience, will be running a course covering forensic...


Promote Yourself

Promote Yourself Members can take advantage of our wide range of platforms to promote your books. Here are some of the ways you can make best use of your benefits to promote yourself. New Book Announcement If you have a new book coming out, please...


Crafting Compelling Coppers – celebrate National Crime Reading Month with the CWA

Join the Crime Writers' Association as we celebrate National Crime Reading Month on Tuesday 15 June at 7.30pm. Authors Jane Bettany (creator of DI Isabel Blood), Liz Mistry (writer of the DI Gus McGuire and Nikki Parekh series), Roz Watkins (DI Meg ...


Private: Deadline Approaches for Booking Tickets to CWA Dagger Awards Gala Dinner

Midnight on Sunday, October 8 is the deadline for booking tickets to the CWA gala dinner on Thursday 26 October when the CWA Daggers will be awarded. Tickets should be booked by contacting admin@thecwa.co.uk . Full details are to be found on www.the...


Private: 2024 Dagger Nominations Open

Have you published an award-worthy book in 2023? The deadline for nominating and submitting books for the annual Daggers is November 15. Has your publisher nominated your book? If not, now is a good time to nudge them. Traditionally published a...


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