CWA Debut Dagger 2017
For 15 years the Crime Writers Association has been encouraging new writing with its Debut Dagger competition for unpublished writers.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.
You can also join our free mailing list The Debuts to receive news, tips and exclusive content.
The CWA Debut Dagger is kindly sponsored by Orion Books.
Only unpublished authors are eligible to enter for the CWA Debut Dagger.
Online entry is a two-stage process. First you must pay the £30 submission fee. Once your payment has gone through you will receive an automatic email with your submission number and a link to the submission form.
- Entrants should submit the opening of a proposed crime novel (up to maximum of 3,000 words) together with a synopsis (500 to 1,000 words) of its further development.
- Entrants can be self-published, and have self-published any number of books, but the entry you submit must not have been published in any form. You must not have a publishing contract at time of submission.
- A shortlist of entries, selected by professional readers, will be forwarded to a final judging panel chaired by the CWA Chairman, and composed of crime fiction editors from major publishing houses and authors' agents.
- The winner will receive a prize of £500. There are no cash alternatives to non-cash prizes.
For more details http://www.thecwa.co.uk/the-daggers/categories/debut/
