Posted in Blogging

The Debut Dagger is now open…

logoYes it’s that time of year again.  The Crime Writers Association 2015 Debut Dagger competition opened on the first of the month and runs through until Midnight on January 31st 2015. Not sure what to do with your NaNoWriMo manuscript when you’re done?  Well now you’ve got another eight weeks to polish it up, send off your synopsis, and you never know….

 

For 15 years the CWA has been encouraging new writing with its Debut Dagger competition for unpublished writers. The submissions are judged by a panel of top crime editors and agents, and the short listed entries are sent to publishers and agents.

The Debut Dagger is open to anyone who has not yet had a novel published commercially. All shortlisted entrants will receive a professional assessment of their entries. Winning the Debut Dagger doesn’t guarantee you’ll get published. But it does mean your work will be seen leading agents and top editors, who have signed up over two dozen winners and shortlisted Debut Dagger competitors.

But entering the Debut Dagger is more than just entering a competition. You can also join our community, via the Facebook Group giving you the opportunity to ask questions, share your experiences and helping out your fellow writers.

Entry to the competition costs £25 and submissions can be made here

Manuscripts should be 12pt, double spaced, in an easily readable font such as Times, Arial or Helvetica. They must fall within the prescribed word limits. Manuscripts must not include the author’s name or contact details, only the title of the work which will be allocated a unique CWA reference number.

Full Terms & Conditions of entry can be found here.  Good Luck to all of you who enter!

 

Posted in Blogging

The Dagger in the Library 2014 – choose the long list

Dagger-in-the-Library-300x320Together with Dead Good Books, this year the Crime Writers Association is giving UK readers the chance to vote for their favourite author to be added to the long list for their 2014 Dagger in the Library award.

 The Dagger in the Library is one of six highly prized CWA Dagger Awards, which have been awarded to crime writers since 1955. It is a unique literary award in that it offers a chance for readers to nominate their favourite British crime fiction authors. Nominations close on September 1st 2014 and the Dagger winner will be chosen by a panel including previous winners, CWA representatives and UK librarians. The Dagger in the Library is awarded not for an individual book but for the author’s body of work to date and helps emerging authors gain deserved recognition and publicity for their writing. Previous winners of the CWA Dagger in the Library award include Belinda Bauer, Steve Mosby, Mo Hayder, Colin Cotterill, Stuart MacBride and Alexander McCall Smith.

Make sure you vote, your favourite crime author needs YOU! As the award is for a body of work, nominated authors should have published at least three books. To nominate an author, simply fill in the nomination form here Nominations close on September 1st 2014 and the Dagger winner will be chosen by a panel including previous winner Steve Mosby, CWA Director Lucy Santos and UK librarians.

As an added incentive there’s also the chance to win £200 worth of books, just for taking part.