A publishing house has launched a prize for new crime writers from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Run by Old Street-based Joffe Books, the competition offers a two-book publishing contract to one worthy winner.
The publishers are looking for a crime writer of colour currently without an agent, whether they have been previously published or not.
The judging panel will include bestselling crime writer Dorothy Koomson – author of My Best Friend’s Girl and The Ice Cream Girls – and literary agent Susan Yearwood.
Dorothy Koomson said: “I think crime fiction in all its glory could really benefit from more stories by traditionally underrepresented writers out there. This competition is one way of doing that.”
Joffe Book’s commissioning and managing editor Emma Grundy Haigh said: “If we are to create meaningful, long-lasting change within our industry, it is not enough to claim to have an open-door policy.
“It is our responsibility to actively seek out writers from communities that are underrepresented in our genre and support them in building sustainable careers.”
The closing date for entries is September 30, 2021.
For more information on Joffe Books’ new writing prize, visit http://www.joffebooks.com/prize.
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