Peter James elected Chair of the Crime Writers Association for a second consecutive term

The CWA held their AGM at the Southampton Park Hotel this past weekend and unanimously voted in popular Chair Peter James for a second consecutive term.

Best-selling crime fiction author Peter (pic right) is only the second CWA Chair out of the past 59 to undertake a second term and the first in consecutive years.

Peter declared, “The Crime Writers’ Association, which includes many of our finest and most popular writers among its membership, is a wonderful and flourishing organisation.  I am deeply honoured to have been re-elected its Chair for this second term, and look forward to helping steer the way forwards through the challenging times we face in publishing, and to lead it into its Diamond Jubilee year in 2013.”

Photo left - Peter James the Creasey Bell, traditionally held by the Chair (CWA Conference). Handed over by Tom Harper.


Alison Joseph was voted in as the new Vice Chair, while Simon Kernick, Len Tyler, Diane Janes, Aline Templeton, Pauline Rowson, Chris Simms and Ilaria Meliconi were voted in as new members and officers of the CWA Committee. The Committee also voted to pass a new motion that allows new writers with a binding contract to become provisional members before the publication of their first crime novel.
Peter’s re-election as CWA Chair capped off a brilliant week for the brain behind countless hit crime novels after he attended last week’s London Book Fair as Monday’s Author of the Day, a hugely illustrious honour in worldwide publishing.

He met hundreds of influential publishing people at Earls Court Exhibition Centre with the public able to enjoy a lively chat hosted by fellow author Peter Guttridge that focused on his eighth Detective Superintendent Roy Grace book Not Dead Yet, which Pan Macmillan are launching on June 7^th with a large marketing campaign.

The CWA will be announcing the shortlists for seven of their prestigious Dagger awards at CrimeFest (24th-27th May) www.crimefest.com, kicking off over a month of crime events and competitions. Find out more at www.crimewritingmonth.co.uk

Footnote:
Join Bookman Graham Beattie and UK crime writer extraordinaire Peter James at the Auckland Writers & Readers Festival next month. for an hour of discussion about his career penning bestsellers with his detective, Inspector Roy Grace, on the case.