The Joffe Books Prize is on the look out once more for a talented new crime fiction writer of colour. On the 1st June the Joffe Books Prize opened for submissions of its third consecutive year. Offering one of the UK’s largest literary prizes for the winner, this prize is open to UK residents and British citizens (including those living abroad). The winner will be offered a prize package that includes a two-book publishing contract with Joffe Books as well as a £1,000 cash prize, a two-year membership to the Society of Authors, and a £25,000 audiobook contract with Audible for the first book.

The inaugural Joffe Prize winner in 2021 was Christie J. Newport, whose winning entry and debut, The Raven’s Mark is available now. Newport was followed by Sam Genever as the winner in 2022. The prize invites submissions from unagented authors from  Black, Asian, Indigenous and minority ethnic backgrounds writing in crime fiction genres. 

Joffe Books is one of the UK’s leading independent publishers, having published more than 500 books by over 70 authors. As well as the roster of award-winning authors, Joffe Books won Trade Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards in 2023 and has been shortlisted for the Independent Publisher of the year at the British Book Awards in 2023 for the past four years. They deliver excellent commercial fiction with a focus on crime and mystery. Joffe books is well-known for working closely with authors from around the world in order to help in the creation of fantastic books and transform them into bestsellers. Joffe Books maintains open submissions for all authors, but this competition was designed in order to offer opportunities to Black, Asian and minority ethnic writers, who are particularly underrepresented in crime fiction publishing. 

The judges for the Joffe Books Prize 2023 are Nadine Matheson, bestselling author of The Jigsaw Man, Literary Agent Nelle Andrew, and Joffe Books’ Emma Grundy Haigh, Jasper Joffe and Kate Lyall Grant. Discussing this year’s prize Nadine Matheson says: “I’m beyond excited to be judging the Joffe Books Prize. There are so many talented writers and the Joffe Books Prize is the perfect way for the voice of an exciting new writer to be heard. I’m looking forward to being part of the journey.”

Editorial Director at Joffe Books and also a member of this year’s judges, Emma Grundy Haigh said: “I am thrilled to see the Joffe Books Prize enter its third year — it’s been amazing to see how much it has grown. The prize underscores our commitment to amplifying a far greater diversity of talent, and we’re reaching more crime writers of colour than ever before. With Audible’s involvement, we now also offer the largest prize package for crime fiction in the UK. I can’t wait to dive into this year’s submissions!”

Nelle Andrews represents internationally bestselling and award winning authors across both fiction and non-fiction including Sara Collins, Jing-Jing Lee and Beth Underdown. In reference to her role as a judge this year, she shares: “I am really excited to be part of the judging panel for this prize. It had such a stellar year last year and I can't wait to discover the next cohort of new voices this year.”

Submissions for this year’s competition close on the 30th September at 23:59 GMT. To enter you’ll need a full-length manuscript, written in English as well as synopsis of the book and an author biography. If you want to find out more about the prize, click here for the full Terms and Conditions and click here to head to the Joffe Books Prize submission page. 

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