Competition deadline: 31st October 2022
Joffe Books is proud to announce that the second year of the Joffe Books Prize launched 1 May 2022. This year we are thrilled to welcome to the judging panel award-winning author Oyinkan Braithwaite and literary agent Ella Diamond Kahn.
The prize, launched in 2021, is a direct response to the paucity of diverse voices being published in crime fiction. It invites submissions from unagented 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 Joffe Books Prize seeks to discover a new crime fiction writer to join our bestselling list and champion authors from Black, Asian, Indigenous and minority ethnic backgrounds.
The prize aims to expand representation within crime fiction, to publish brilliant crime fiction talent and to support these authors in their journey to build a sustainable career. The winner will receive a £1,000 prize, a two-book publishing deal with Joffe Books, and a £25,000 audiobook offer from Audible for the first book.
Northumberland-based Christie J. Newport won the inaugural prize last year, and we are looking forward to publishing her debut this autumn. Of the 2021 shortlistees, three have gone on to receive agency representation and another will also be published by Joffe Books in 2022.
OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE, BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER, says: “It is great that Joffe Prize is dedicating resources to fulfil its commitment to diversify crime fiction. I am thrilled to be a part of the movement to help authors from minority groups achieve their dreams.”
ELLA DIAMOND KAHN, CO-FOUNDER OF THE DIAMOND KAHN & WOODS LITERARY AGENCY, says: “It’s really important to highlight and celebrate diverse voices in all genres of books in order to truly create a more inclusive publishing industry. The Joffe Books Prize is already proving to be a fantastic way of doing exactly that by discovering thrilling new crime writers. I’m so thrilled to have been invited to be one of the judges.”
EMMA GRUNDY HAIGH, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR AT JOFFE BOOKS, says: “I was overwhelmed by the outcomes of the first prize cycle — it’s been truly wonderful to see how the careers of the shortlistees are already starting to take shape. I’m elated that the Joffe Books Prize is entering its second year. The prize represents a small but vital step towards welcoming a far greater diversity of talent into crime fiction, amplifying underrepresented voices and continuing our commitment to widen access to publishing.
“This year, I am delighted to be joined by Oyinkan Braithwaite and Ella Diamond Kahn. Oyinkan hardly needs introducing: her breakout novel My Sister, the Serial Killer not only took the crime fiction world by storm, it shook the genre to its core. Ella is a brilliant advocate both for making publishing more accessible and for creating commercial fiction at its finest.”
Learn more about the shortlist and finalist of the first prize cycle.
THE PRIZE
The winner receives £1,000, a two-book publishing deal with Joffe Books, a £25,000 audiobook offer from Audible for the first book, a two-year membership to the Society of Authors and an editorial consultation with one of the judges. Shortlistees will receive editorial feedback.
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 1 May 2022. The competition period is 31 October 2022, 23.59 p.m. GMT. No entries received outside this period will be accepted.
Read the full Terms & Conditions here.
See here for further information.
