12 published authors highlighted

The new Comedy Women in Print prize has announced the longlist for its first award for published authors.

Helen Lederer, who founded the accolade, says: ‘It’s overwhelming to see how much interest and support there is for CWIP - ably demonstrated by the high quality of wit in our first longlist – easy proof this award was needed and that witty women authors are alive, well and writing.

‘Laughing can be as baffling as it is thrilling, but we salute anyone who can make us do that with words on the page.'

The longlist is:

• Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
• Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal
• Faking Friends by Jane Fallon 
• Forging on by Catherine Robinson
• Hot Mess by Lucy Vine
• Killing It by Asia Mackay
• Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar by Olga Wojta
• One in a Million by Lindsey Kelk
• The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven
• The Wedding Date by Zara Stoneley
• Why Mummy Swears by Gill Sims (pictured)

The judges for the CWIP Prize for published authors are comics Katy Brand and Shazia Mirza, authors Kathy Lette and Marian Keyes, and journalist Allison Pearson.

 The winning author will be offered a £2,000 cash award, with £250 for each shortlisted author. 

There is also an unpublished category offering a publishing contract and £5,000 advance with HarperFiction, plus a free place on the MA course in Creative Writing at the University of Hertfordshire.

The shortlist will be announced on May 30 with the winners announced on July 10.

Published: 30 Mar 2019