Mystery Organizations

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The Private Eye Writers of America
The Private Eye Writers of America (PWA) is an organization devoted to private-eye detective fiction, and are probably best known for their annual Shamus Awards. Membership is open to fans, writers, and publishing professionals. There are three levels of membership: Active, Associate, and International.

Sadly, the PWA does not have any official web site, but you can (maybe get hold of them through Robert Randisi's wife (below).

Current President: Dick Lochte
Quarterly newsletter: Reflections in a Private Eye
Dues: $50 for Active or International membership, $40 for Associate
Awards: The Shamus Awards

For more information:

The Mystery Writers of America
The Mystery Writers of America are a professional writers group, and are well-known for bestowing the annual Edgar Awards are bestowed by and while the choices of nominees and winners may sometimes be rather bewildering, they remain the most prestigious awards in the entire mystery genre. Needless to say, practicioners of our particular sub-genre have been well-represented over the years.

Awards: The Edgar Awards

The Crime Writers of Canada
Please tell any bookstore clerks who don't know we exist that Canadian mystery writers are alive and well and kicking ass! Or maybe I should just do that myself, in the nicest possible way, of course (after all, I'm a Canadian, eh?). The Arthur Ellis Awards, commonly called the Arthurs, are awarded annually by The Crime Writers of Canada, for books published in the previous calendar year, that is, for example, the 1997 awards were for books published in 1996. They're named for the pseudonym of Canada's offical hangman.

Awards: The Arthur Ellis Awards.

International Thriller Writers Organization
The new kid on the block. The International Thriller Writers Organization was founded October 9, 2004, at a meeting at Bouchercon World Mystery and Suspense Conference in Toronto, Canada -- just in case there weren't enough organizations devoted to sub-genres of crime fiction, we now have one to presumably include all those crime writers who fall between the cracks. The ITW's goal is "to celebrate the thriller, to enhance the prestige and raise the profile of thrillers, to award prizes to outstanding thriller novels and authors, and to create opportunities for collegiality within the thriller community." One of the ways they intend to do this is to limit membership to those who have been professionally published -- ie: no self-publishers need apply. As their web site says, "ITW has a higher standard than do some other author organizations for professional publication or production, so just because a writer is admitted to other associations does not guarantee acceptance into.