Now’s the time to find out by preparing your work for the Crime Writers’ Association Debut Dagger. They need the first 3,000 words of your novel, plus a synopsis of the rest – plus an entry fee, of course, but this is a top competition that has provided a springboard for many a career.

Even if crime writing is not your ambition, the web pages have useful tips on presentation for any aspiring novelist – including hints on the dark art of composing a synopsis for the novel you haven’t written yet.