BRITAIN’S
BIGGEST CRIME PRIZE SEARCHES FOR THE NEXT BESTSELLING WRITER OF COLOUR.
The Joffe Books Prize is looking
for a talented new crime fiction writer of colour, with one of the UK’s largest
literary prizes for the winner.
This year the Joffe Books Prize judging
panel includes A.A. Chaudhuri, bestselling author of She’s Mine, and literary
agent Gyamfia Osei from Andrew Nurnberg Associates.
The prize invites submissions
from un-agented authors from Black, Asian, Indigenous and minority ethnic
backgrounds writing in crime fiction genres including: electrifying
psychological thrillers, cosy mysteries, gritty police procedurals, twisty
chillers, unputdownable suspense mysteries and shocking domestic noirs.
The winner will be offered a
prize package consisting of a two-book publishing deal with Joffe Books, a
£1,000 cash prize, and a £25,000 audiobook offer from Audible for the first
book.
The submission period ends at
midnight on 30 September 2024.
HOW TO ENTER
Entrants are invited to submit
their full-length manuscript, written in English, along with a synopsis of the
book and author biography, to prize@joffebooks.com.
This prize is open to UK
residents and British citizens (including those living abroad) only. The
opening date for entries is 15 May 2024. The competition closes 30 September
2024, 23.59 GMT. No entries received outside this period will be accepted.
The full Terms & Conditions
can be found on our website: www.joffebooks.com/terms-and-conditions
ABOUT THE PRIZE
The winner will be offered a
prize package consisting of the following: a two-book publishing contract with
Joffe Books on its standard author agreement terms; a £1,000 cash prize; a
two-year membership to the Society of Authors; a £25,000 audiobook contract
with Audible for the first book. The prize is a package and can only be
accepted in its entirety.
The prize will be offered to the
selected winner. Joffe Books may choose an alternative winner if acceptance is
not confirmed within one week.
Northumberland-based Christie J.
Newport won the inaugural prize in 2021, followed by Sam Genever in 2022 and
Renita D’Silva in 2023. Christie’s winning entry and debut novel, The Raven’s
Mark, is available online and in all good bookshops now!
THE JUDGES
The 2024 judges are A.A.
Chaudhuri, Gyamfia Osei, Emma Grundy Haigh, Jasmine Callaghan, Jasper Joffe and
Kate Lyall Grant. The winner of the competition will be selected by these
judges based on the quality and commercial potential of the work.
A.A. CHAUDHURI, BESTSELLING
AUTHOR OF SHE’S MINE: “I am so incredibly thrilled and honoured to be a Judge
on the Joffe Books Prize Panel. Since its inception in 2021 this fantastic
competition, which continues to go from strength to strength, has allowed a
plethora of exceptionally talented writers of colour in the crime fiction genre
to shine through, and I’m beyond excited to be a part of that process this
year.”
GYAMFIA OSEI, LITERARY AGENT:
“I'm delighted to be judging the Joffe Books Prize this year alongside A.A.
Chaudhuri and Emma Grundy Haigh. The cohort of writers were brilliant last year
so I can't wait to dive into the 2024 entries!”
EMMA GRUNDY HAIGH, EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR AT JOFFE BOOKS: “The Joffe Books Prize, now in its fourth year, just
keeps going from strength to strength. The prize is dedicated to amplifying #ownvoices
and publishing truly excellent crime fiction. With Audible’s involvement, it is
also the largest prize package for crime fiction in the UK. We have great plans
for this year and the addition of Jasmine Callaghan as one of the judges is
just the start!”
JASMINE CALLAGHAN, PROJECT EDITOR
AT JOFFE BOOKS: “I couldn’t be more excited to join the panel of the Joffe
Books Prize. I feel honoured to be taking part in the competition, which is
actively addressing the lack of diversity in publishing and amplifying
underrepresented voices with real passion. I know this is going to be the best
year yet.”
ABOUT A.A. CHAUDHURI
A.A. Chaudhuri is a former City
lawyer, turned thriller writer. She is the author of The Scribe and The
Abduction, featuring feisty lawyer Maddy Kramer. Her first highly acclaimed
psychological thriller, She’s Mine, was named the L.J. Ross Book Club pick of
the month. Alex lives in Surrey with her family. Besides being an avid crime
fiction reader, she enjoys fitness, films, anything Italian and a good
margarita!
ABOUT GYAMFIA OSEI
Gyamfia Osei represents an array
of brilliant authors writing across adult and children's books, including Dean
Atta, Busayo Mataluko and Frances Mensah Williams. She is a keen advocate of
commercial fiction and, in the crime and mystery space, particularly loves cosy
crime, domestic suspense and thrillers with a strong romantic thread. She is
always looking for well-plotted, fast-paced narratives with authentic
characters who lodge themselves in her mind long after she’s finished reading.
ABOUT JOFFE BOOKS
Joffe Books is one of the UK’s
leading independent publishers of excellent commercial fiction, especially
crime and mystery fiction. Joffe Books is renowned for working closely with
authors from across the world to create fantastic books and turning them into
bestsellers. Since 2014, Joffe Books has published more than 500 books by more
than 70 authors and has sold over 10 million books. The publisher’s roster of
award-winning authors and New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestsellers
includes Joy Ellis, Faith Martin, Robert Goddard, Rick Mofina, Volker Kutscher,
Simon Brett and Stella Cameron. Joffe Books won Trade Publisher of the Year at
the Independent Publishing Awards in 2023 and was a finalist for Publisher of
the Year at the Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards 2023 and shortlisted for
Independent Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2024 for the fifth
year in a row.
While Joffe Books maintains open
submissions for all authors, this competition is designed to offer an
opportunity to Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, who are particularly
underrepresented in crime fiction publishing.
