Sisters In Crime

What Sisters In Crime does

Sisters in Crime (SinC) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership association founded in 1986 by 26 women crime writers at Bouchercon in Baltimore. Headquartered in Severna Park, Maryland, the organization serves crime fiction writers, readers, librarians, booksellers, and publishing professionals through a tiered membership program (Professional $60/year, Active $50/year, Youth $25/year for ages 18-25, and Guest $15 per webinar), supplemented by donations, merchandise sales through Zazzle and BookShop.org, and chapter anthology proceeds. It operates 50+ chapters across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and online, serving more than 4,500 members.

The organization's product surface is community- and content-led rather than technology-led. Core offerings include a monthly webinar series and on-demand library, the SinC LinC online community hosted on Tradewing, a weekly podcast, the SinC-Ups YouTube short-form video series, online courses on Thinkific (Equity 101, Better Your Worlds Better Your Writing), author visibility databases (Author Search, New Releases, Frankie's List), and the quarterly Reading Like a Writer book club. Grant and award programs include the Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award ($2,000 annually), the Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers ($2,000 annually), Academic Research Grants (up to $500), We Love Libraries grants ($500, six times yearly; over $120,000 distributed since 2010), We Love Bookstores awards ($500, six times yearly; over $30,000 distributed since 2015), and the Dorothy Salisbury Davis Emergency Fund. Membership management runs on the YourMembership platform; events use Zoom with 500-person webinar licenses provisioned to chapters; marketing automation runs on Flodesk; and chapter dues are distributed via Bill.com. Full-service association management is outsourced to Next Wave Group LLC since 2021, with Julie A. Hennrikus serving as the sole paid Executive Director.

The business model is subscription-dues-led for a non-profit, with a horizontal segment strategy spanning writers, readers, librarians, booksellers, and publishing professionals. Governance is provided by a volunteer elected Board of Directors (board terms turn over October 1 annually), and the organization has progressively expanded its mission since 2013 to explicitly include authors of color, LGBTQIA+ writers, and other marginalized voices. In 2020 it formalized a DEIJB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, Belonging) Committee, and in 2022 launched a three-year Equity Project in conjunction with culture consultant Kimberly A. MacLean. The Conference Inclusivity Resource was co-developed with Crime Writers of Color, Disability in Publishing, and Queer Crime Writers.

Name

Sisters In Crime

Legal name

Sisters in Crime

Website

https://sistersincrime.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sisters in Crime is a 501(c)(6) non-profit membership association founded in 1986 serving more than 4,500 crime fiction writers, readers, librarians, booksellers, and publishing professionals across 50+ chapters in the US, Canada, UK, and online through tiered dues, community programs, webinars, courses, and grant funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Severna Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Primary revenue stream. Four membership tiers: Professional ($60/year, $600 lifetime), Active ($50/year, $500 lifetime), Youth ($25/year for ages 18-25), and Guest ($15 per live webinar). SinC is primarily funded by member dues.
2. Donations and Gift Funds: Donations accepted for general SinC Fund, Eleanor Taylor Bland Award Fund (for emerging writers of color), and Pride Award Fund (for LGBTQIA+ writers). SinC is a 501c6 organization.
3. Merchandise Sales: SinC merchandise sold through Zazzle store including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, notebooks. Also BookShop.org affiliate shop.
4. Chapter Anthologies: Local chapters publish anthologies with proceeds going to chapter activities. National SinC provides anthology guidelines and approval.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Sisters in Crime is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit membership organization for writers and readers of crime fiction, mystery, thrillers, and suspense. The organization sells tiered annual memberships, supports a network of 50+ local chapters, and delivers educational programming including webinars, a weekly podcast, YouTube content, online courses, and an online community. It also administers grant and award programs supporting diverse writers, libraries, and independent bookstores.

Product overview

Sisters in Crime is a membership-based organization for crime fiction writers and readers, not a technology company. The organization offers a tiered membership program (Professional, Active, Youth, Guest) with benefits including webinars, an online community (SinC LinC), a podcast, YouTube video series (SinC-Ups), and access to local chapters. Additional offerings include grant programs (Pride Award, Eleanor Taylor Bland Award, We Love Libraries, We Love Bookstores, Academic Research Grants, Emergency Fund), educational courses (Equity 101, Better Your Worlds Better Your Writing), research resources (Monitoring Project, Publishing Summit Reports), author databases (Author Search, New Releases, Frankie's List), and the Reading Like a Writer bookclub. The organization also provides a Conference Inclusivity Resource for event planners. The platform is powered by YourMembership for member management and uses Tradewing for the online community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sisters in Crime Membership
• SinC LinC Online Community
• Webinars and Webinar Library
• Sisters in Crime Writers' Podcast
• SinC-Ups Video Series
• Equity 101 Course
• Better Your Worlds, Better Your Writing Course
• Reading Like a Writer Bookclub
• Local Chapter Network
• Pride Award for Emerging LGBTQIA+ Crime Writers
• Eleanor Taylor Bland Crime Fiction Writers of Color Award
• Academic Research Grants
• We Love Libraries Grant Program
• We Love Bookstores Award
• Dorothy Salisbury Davis Emergency Fund
• Author Search Database
• Member New Releases Database
• Frankie's List of Diverse Authors
• SinC Member Gift Membership
• SinC Merchandise

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $120,000 in grants to libraries since 2010
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Crime Writers of ColorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Conference Inclusivity Resource (CIR), an initiative from Sisters in Crime Equity Project to help event planners create equitable, inclusive events.
• Disability in PublishingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Conference Inclusivity Resource (CIR) to provide information for event planners to help ensure speakers and attendees feel welcome and supported.
• Queer Crime WriterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the Conference Inclusivity Resource (CIR) in collaboration with other organizations to promote inclusivity in the crime writing community.
• Kimberly A. MacLean / KAMacLean ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCulture and belonging consultant who led the three-year Equity Project in conjunction with the DEIJB committee, including creating the Equity 101 course.
• Authors GuildminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSinC participates in Authors Guild convened group to discuss how to protect creative work. Authors Guild published AI Best Practices Guide that SinC shares with members.
• Next Wave Group LLCcoreOthersFull-service association management firm providing technology, systems, and administrative support since 2021. Operates virtually with team members across the US. Account representative for SinC is Kristin Prine.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Horror Writers Association: Membership organization for horror and dark fiction writers offering the Bram Stoker Awards, networking, and educational resources. Direct genre peer to Sisters in Crime with a similar dues-based, chapter-supported operating model and overlapping creator demographic.
• Mystery Writers of America: The premier US professional organization for mystery and crime writers, administering the Edgar Awards. Sisters in Crime and MWA share overlapping membership bases and co-participate at Bouchercon and other mystery conventions, making MWA the closest direct peer in mission, structure, and member profile.
• Private Eye Writers of America: Smaller, more specialized organization focused specifically on private eye/hardboiled crime fiction, awarding the Shamus Awards. Niche peer to Sisters in Crime within the crime fiction subgenre landscape.
• International Thriller Writers: Membership association for thriller writers offering awards (Thriller Awards), education, and community. ITW serves an adjacent segment of the crime fiction market with overlapping member profiles and a similar dues-based subscription model anchored on annual conferences.
• Crime Writers' Association: UK-based professional organization for crime writers that administers the Dagger Awards. Comparable mission, structure, and member services to Sisters in Crime, serving as the principal international equivalent operating in SinC's UK chapter geography.

Others

• American Booksellers Association: Trade association for independent bookstores in the US. SinC's We Love Bookstores award program represents a direct partnership channel between the two organizations, supporting shared indie bookstore members and the indie author pipeline.
• Independent Book Publishers Association: Trade association supporting independent publishers. SinC's membership includes many self-published and indie authors who also engage with IBPA, making it an adjacent ecosystem peer serving overlapping constituents across the publishing value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Romance Writers of America: Larger, more established genre writers' organization with a comparable dues-based membership model, chapter network, awards, and annual conference. Serves as a structural analogue for how a mature genre writers' association can scale its operations, even if currently undergoing restructuring.
• The Authors Guild: Largest US professional organization for published authors, focused on advocacy, contract review, and copyright protection. SinC participates in Authors Guild-convened groups on AI and creative work protection, making it a complementary ecosystem peer.
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association: Genre fiction writers' organization with similar structure — membership tiers, Nebula Awards, advocacy for author rights, and educational programming. Comparable governance and revenue model to Sisters in Crime across a different genre vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/sincnational.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SistersInCrimeInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/sistersincrime
• Instagraminstagram.com/sincnational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sisters-in-crime

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sisters In Crime