# Sisters in Crime > Nonprofit mystery and crime writing organization with 4,500+ members in 60+ chapters worldwide, offering grants, education, and community with no publication requirement. Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/communities/sisters-in-crime Website: https://www.sistersincrime.org Category: Author Communities (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/communities) Pricing: paid — $60–$95/annual AI-powered: no Tags: mystery, crime, thriller, suspense, membership, professional, genre, grants, nonprofit, networking, indie-author, women-writers Last verified: 2026-06-18 Best For: Mystery and crime writers at any stage; especially new and indie authors — no publication requirement, and $2,000 grants for writers of color and LGBTQIA+ authors Community Type: professional-org Genre Focus: mystery-crime Member Count: 4,500+ members Platform: website Sisters in Crime is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 by Sara Paretsky and other crime writers to advocate for gender equity in the mystery genre. Today it serves 4,500+ members in 60+ chapters worldwide, with no publication requirement — indie and self-published authors are welcome from day one. ## What You Get - **SinC LinC Community:** Member-only online platform (Tradewing) with discussion groups including an Indie SinC group for self-published authors - **Monthly SinC Bulletin:** Newsletter covering industry news, craft articles, and member announcements - **SinC Links:** Monthly curated news digest from the mystery publishing world - **"We Love" Newsletters:** Monthly outreach sent on members' behalf to librarians and booksellers, promoting new releases - **Webinar Library:** ~100 recorded craft and business webinars available on demand, plus live sessions throughout the year - **Monthly Write-Ins:** Online focused writing sessions - **Bouchercon Presence:** SinC sponsors events, write-ins, and meetups at Bouchercon (world mystery convention) — 2025 in New Orleans; 2026 in Calgary ## The Guppies: A Community Within the Community The **Guppies chapter** (sinc-guppies.org) is the most active subgroup for newer and developing mystery writers. With 900+ members, it operates largely independently with ~20 online classes per year, critique groups, beta reader exchanges, six published anthologies, and a quarterly newsletter called "First Draft." Guppies membership is included with SinC membership and is explicitly open to both traditionally and independently published authors. ## Grants for Members SinC offers meaningful financial support that most genre organizations don't match: - **Eleanor Taylor Bland Award:** $2,000 for emerging crime fiction writers of color (2025 winner: Tina Ehsanipour of San Mateo, CA, for "Between a Dream and a Curse"; awarded annually since 2014) - **Pride Award:** $2,000 plus a manuscript critique for emerging LGBTQIA+ crime writers (inaugural winner: C.J. Prince; 2025 winner: Lizabeth Engelmeier; max 2 novels or 10 short works published) - **Academic Research Grants:** Up to $500 for researchers studying women or underrepresented groups in crime fiction - **We Love Libraries / We Love Bookstores:** Six $500 grants per category per year, awarded by lottery to US libraries and independent bookstores ## Industry Research The **Business of Books Survey** is an annual industry report published by SinC tracking publishing trends, gender equity data, and self-publishing statistics within crime fiction. Members receive the full report and can participate in the survey. ## Who It's For - **Mystery and crime writers at any stage:** SinC requires no publication credits — unpublished writers and indie authors join at the same membership level as career professionals - **Self-published mystery authors:** The Indie SinC group in SinC LinC provides dedicated discussion of indie-specific topics; no publication gatekeeping - **Writers pursuing niche grants:** The ETB and Pride awards are among the few grants in genre fiction specifically for writers of color and LGBTQIA+ authors - **Developing writers:** The Guppies chapter is one of the best-resourced newer-writer communities in any genre organization **Pricing:** National dues are $60/year. Most members also join a local chapter for $20–$35/year additional. Total cost is typically $80–$95/year. Bouchercon attendance and chapter events are priced separately. ## Strengths - **No publication requirement:** Unlike MWA ($2,000 earned from mystery works required for Active status), any writer at any stage can join at full membership rights - **Grant programs with real dollar amounts:** $2,000 awards are rare in genre organizations; SinC's ETB and Pride awards are meaningful, not token - **Guppies chapter:** A full community-within-a-community for developing writers that rivals standalone critique communities in depth ## Limitations - **Genre-specific:** Only for mystery, crime, thriller, and suspense writers; no value for romance, fantasy, or literary fiction authors - **US-centric chapter network:** Most chapter events and conferences are in North America; international members get online community but limited in-person programming - **No award track for indie authors:** SinC does not administer book awards like the Edgars (MWA). For award recognition, MWA membership is more valuable despite higher barriers - **SinC LinC activity unverified:** The Indie SinC group exists on the Tradewing platform, but current engagement levels could not be verified externally ## Alternatives Mystery Writers of America ($115/year) offers higher industry prestige, Edgar Award eligibility, and stronger agent/publisher connections — but requires $2,000 in published earnings for Active status. SinC is the better entry point for new writers and indie authors who want genre community without a publication threshold.