International Thriller Writers Organization

What International Thriller Writers Organization does

The International Thriller Writers Organization (ITW) is a U.S.-based 501(c)(6) nonprofit professional association founded in 2004 by David Morrell and Gayle Lynds, serving thriller genre writers worldwide. It operates a portfolio of member programs including ThrillerFest (the annual flagship conference), the Online Thriller School (educational program launching its 2026 cohort on September 22, 2026), the Debut Authors Program, ITW Presents virtual series, Thriller-tique critique groups, Write2Thrill knowledge portal, and Thriller Cafe community forum. Its external-facing publication, The Big Thrill magazine, reaches thriller readers globally, and the annual Thriller Awards recognize excellence across multiple fiction categories. The organization is governed by a board of prominent thriller authors and led by Executive Director Kimberley Howe, with approximately 38 employees supporting 6,600+ members across 49 countries.

ITW monetizes through three primary streams: Associate Membership dues at $95 annually (Active Author Members, who have signed a contract with an ITW-recognized publisher, pay no dues; full-time students receive free Associate Membership); event and program revenue from ThrillerFest registrations and Online Thriller School tuition; and sponsorship, supporter, and patron contributions that fund member services. The organization does not operate a proprietary technology platform—its core technology consists of standard nonprofit web properties (thrillerwriters.org, myitw.thrillerwriters.org, thebigthrill.org, write2thrill.org) and content distribution. ITW's GTM is community-led: published authors recruit and mentor aspiring writers, signature events drive acquisition and retention, and a tiered membership structure (Student → Associate → Active) builds a long-horizon funnel from aspirant to published author. Members' combined book sales are reported to exceed $3.6 billion, with marquee members including David Baldacci, James Patterson, Lee Child, and Lisa Gardner lending brand cachet.

Name

International Thriller Writers Organization

Legal name

International Thriller Writers, Inc.

Website

https://thrillerwriters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Thriller Writers (ITW) is a U.S.-based nonprofit professional association serving 6,600+ thriller writers across 49 countries through membership tiers, an annual ThrillerFest conference, the Online Thriller School, the Big Thrill magazine, the Thriller Awards, and community programs like the Debut Authors Program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Authors Association

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Periodical Publishers (51312), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Publishing & Submission Prep Workshops (Query Letters, Agents, Journals) (EDAMAMAI), Genre Writing Workshops (Sci‑Fi, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Horror) (EDAMAMAG)

Keywords

• Thriller writers association
• Author membership organization
• Writing education programs
• Thriller publishing awards
• Writers conference events

Headquarters

HQ city

Medina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Associate Members pay $95 annually for membership dues. Active Author Members are not required to pay dues. Full-time students receive free one-year Associate Memberships.
2. Event Programs: Revenue generated from ThrillerFest conference registrations, Online Thriller School tuition, and other educational programs.
3. Sponsorships and Patron Support: The organization accepts Sponsors, Supporters, and Patrons who pay for enhanced visibility and association with the thriller writing community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

International Thriller Writers is a nonprofit professional association that provides tiered author memberships (Active published authors with no dues, paid Associate Members at $95/year, and free Student Members), an annual conference (ThrillerFest), an online educational program (Online Thriller School), a mentorship program for new authors (Debut Authors Program), a magazine for readers (The Big Thrill), annual Thriller Awards, and online community platforms. Its core commercial activity is delivering membership services, paid educational programs, conference experiences, and recognition programs to thriller authors and readers worldwide.

Product overview

The International Thriller Writers Organization operates as a membership-based professional association for thriller writers rather than a traditional technology company. ITW offers a portfolio of programs including The Big Thrill (a digital/print magazine for readers), the Online Thriller School (educational courses), the Debut Authors Program (new author mentorship), ThrillerFest (annual conference), ITW Presents (webinar series), Thriller Awards (annual awards), Thriller-tique (virtual critique groups), Write2Thrill (knowledge portal), and the Thriller Cafe (community forum). These products and services are designed to support thriller writers throughout their careers from debut through established authorship, while connecting them with readers through the organization's publications and events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Big Thrill: The organization's magazine for thriller readers, featuring articles and author content.
• ThrillerFest
• Online Thriller School
• Write2Thrill
• Thriller Awards

Products and services

• The Big Thrill Digital and print magazine published by ITW for thriller readers, featuring author interviews, book reviews, and exclusive content from thriller writers.
• Online Thriller School Annual intensive online learning program offering courses on thriller writing craft and publishing business, taught by accomplished thriller authors.
• Debut Authors Program ITW's program designed to support new authors, providing mentorship, networking opportunities, and promotional assistance for first-time thriller writers.
• ThrillerFest The premier annual conference for thriller enthusiasts, featuring craft workshops, agent meetings, and networking opportunities with bestselling authors.
• ITW Presents A series of online presentations and webinars covering various thriller writing topics including psychological suspense, character development, and publishing industry insights.
• Thriller Awards Annual awards recognizing excellence in thriller fiction across multiple categories, open to ITW members and non-members.
• Thriller-Tique Virtual critique groups providing genre-specific feedback and community support for thriller writers.
• Write2Thrill ITW's knowledge portal providing career and craft information, videos, and resources for thriller authors.
• Thriller Cafe An online community forum for connecting thriller authors, sharing tips and advice, and developing writing careers from first draft to bestseller.
• ITW Memberships Tiered membership program offering Active Author membership (no dues) for published thriller authors with an ITW-recognized publisher contract, Associate Membership at $95/year for aspiring authors and industry professionals, and free Student Associate Membership for full-time students.
• ThrillerFest XXI Audio Recordings Audio recordings from ThrillerFest XXI sold as CraftFest and ThrillerFest recording sets in universal mp3 format with a 1-year replacement guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members have collectively sold over 3.6 billion books

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Recognized PublisherscoreOthersITW maintains a list of Recognized Publishers whose authors are eligible for Active Membership. Publishers must meet ITW's criteria to be recognized. This is a membership qualification system rather than a formal partnership program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• PEN America: Literary and human rights organization for writers across genres, with membership, awards (PEN/Faulkner), and advocacy. Comparable as a writers' nonprofit with membership and programming, though broader in scope than ITW.
• American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA): Membership organization for freelance writers across nonfiction and journalism, offering educational programming and an annual conference. Comparable as a writers' professional association serving independent authors, though broader and more nonfiction-oriented than ITW.
• The Authors Guild: Largest U.S. professional organization for published authors across all genres, offering advocacy, legal services, and educational programming. Broader incumbent to ITW's genre-specific model, addressing the same author community at greater scale.

Direct peers

• Romance Writers of America (RWA): U.S.-based professional membership organization for romance writers, offering annual conferences, awards (RITA), and educational programming — directly comparable to ITW as a genre-specific nonprofit writers' association with similar revenue streams.
• Sisters in Crime: Membership organization promoting women crime writers, with chapters, conferences, and awards. Comparable to ITW in serving crime/thriller-adjacent authors with community and professional programming.
• Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA): Genre-specific professional writers' association offering Nebula Awards, membership tiers, and educational programming — directly comparable in nonprofit genre-community structure and member-benefit model to ITW.
• Horror Writers Association (HWA): Nonprofit membership organization for horror/dark fiction writers running the Bram Stoker Awards. Highly comparable to ITW as a genre-focused writers' association with membership tiers, awards, and annual events.
• Western Writers of America (WWA): Genre-specific nonprofit professional association for western writers running the Spur Awards. Closely parallel to ITW in structure: genre-focused, membership-based, awards-driven, and conference-oriented.
• Mystery Writers of America (MWA): Membership organization for mystery/crime writers running the Edgar Awards and an annual Edgar Awards Week. Closest comparable to ITW as a genre-specific literary professional association with overlapping author membership (many thriller writers also belong to MWA).

Regional players

• National Book Critics Circle (NBCC): U.S.-focused nonprofit organization of book critics running the National Book Critics Circle Awards. Adjacent to ITW as a literary nonprofit with awards programming, but serves critics rather than writers and operates in a different segment of the publishing ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-thriller-writers-organization

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Thriller Writers Organization