The Crime Writers’ Association

Join the CWA

Join the CWA Who can join? We offer full membership for those in the UK and overseas who have had published a full length work of crime fiction or non-fiction, and provisional membership for those who have a contract from a recognised publishing ho...


Notes on Word Count for CWA Writing Competitions

Different competitions have different rules – and different levels of rigour in the way they apply them. For the Debut Dagger we are super-strict. We ask for entries not to exceed 3,000 words (1,500 words for the synopsis) by even a word. The ti...


Crime Writers in Residence – at home with Jim Eldridge

The CRA: Please tell us a little about yourself and the books you write. I have been a writer for almost 50 years, the first 30 as a scriptwriter, then writing children's books, and - since 2016 - writing historical crime fiction for adults. My curr...


Crime and the City Talk

Duncan Campbell – Crime and the City - City of London Police Museum, Guildhall Library December 8th, 6pm, Drinks reception 7pm From Thief-taker General to the Krays, from the world’s first crime reporter to the trial of the News of the World pho...


Social media guide

Social media guide Between Twitter and Facebook the CWA has close to 30,000 social media followers, and also runs a Facebook group with more than 2,000 members. We encourage all members to take advantage of this reach! Twitter The CWA accoun...


Trying Again, by Sherry Rankin

I do not have a risk-taking personality. The whole idea of attempting to find an agent and get published always seemed so daunting to me that, for decades, I was afraid even to try. I always loved to write, however. So a few years ago, I took stock o...


Bookshop of the Month – September 2021: Cogito Books

This month, author and co-Booksellers Champion, Vaseem Khan, writes about Cogito Books in Hexham, run by Claire Grint. Cogito Books is based in the rural market town of Hexham, in the beautiful county of Northumberland, home to castles and a nearb...


Manchester Libraries Crime Festival

A celebration of some of the best crime writers in Manchester and the North. Including panel discussions and a Murder Mystery Night! Manchester Central Library M2 5PD Book tickets: https://tinyurl.com/4y33kvbk Wednesday 16th March An author pane...


Clapham Book Festival and Crimeland, London

Just what makes writers locate their stories where they do? Clapham Book Festival tackles murder and mayhem head-on and brings together two writers, Vaseem Khan and Mark Lawson, to explore their literary landscapes. As they assess in particular the i...


CWA Christmas Party

It’s beginning to look a lot like… The supermarket shelves are full of mince pies, the lights on Oxford Street are twinkling and various celebrities are heading to the Australian jungle. This can only mean one thing. It’s time to book your t...


Join the CWA

Become part of a thriving community of successful crime writers with invaluable support, expertise and marketing opportunities for all our members.


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