How Mystery Readers Choose Books

In my opinion, no writer's organization supports its members quite as well as Sisters In Crime.  I belong (sort of a "Mister" in crime) in part because they work hard to give me the intel I need to understand the mystery novel market.  Recently Sisters in Crime-commissioned a comprehensive report called “The Mystery Book Consumer in the Digital Age" - http://www.sinc.affiniscape.com/associations/10614/files/ConsumerBuyingBookReport.pdf - and made it available to everyone on line. 
This wonderfully detailed report gives a solid overview of the mystery/crime fiction book-buying landscape.  It not only tells you who buys mystery books, but where they buy them, which ones they buy and why they buy those particular books.  Most of the in-depth analysis is done by PubTrack , the book sales analysis division of Bowker.  If you write books in this genre, you need to dig into this report if you want to structure and direct your marketing efforts well.

For example, in this study I learned that women buy 68 percent of all mysteries and more than half of mystery buyers are more than 45 years old.  Another r31 percent of mysteries are bought by 18-to-44 year olds.

A series of graphs showed that 48 percent of mystery buyers live in the suburbs.  27 percent of them are in rural areas, leaving 25 percent in cities. 

Geographically, 35 percent of mysteries are sold in the South, 26 percent in the West, 20 percent in the Midwest and 19 percent in the Northeast.

To my surprise, 39 percent of mysteries are sold in brick-and-mortar stores, and more are borrowed from the library (19%) than sold online, although mysteries sell better on line than any other kind of fiction. and if you REALLY want to focus your marketing, the survey has lots of demographic data, and a lot of feedback on what makes someone by one mystery instead of another.

If you’re a mystery writer, you should first join Sisters In Crime to support their efforts, then click into this survey to see how you can make your novels appeal to the people who read mysteries.

Are you ready to be a published author?

Maryland novelist B. Swangin Webster started writing in middle school and says she’s still amazed at how “life-like” her characters become. They all vie for her attention and will “talk” to her at the most inopportune times.  Her novels, “Let Me Just Say This” and its sequel, “And Again…Let Me Say This” deal with the real-world issues confronting 21^st century women.  Like her books, Webster is encouraging and inspiring, as her guest blog will make clear to all of you starting on the road to publication.

Ok, if you are reading this blog, than you are one of the elite people who want to know what I mean by this.

Being a published author doesn’t mean you can sit back and wait for royalty checks to start coming to your mailbox. Being a published author means the real work now begins.

If you are a published author you do know what comes next, don’t you? No, well it means that the hard work must now begin. Oh, you thought writing your novel, editing, proofing and designing your cover was hard work, well you haven’t seen anything yet.

Let me ask you a few questions.

Have you started your website? Have you dedicated at least one email to ONLY author related items? Have you signed up for Google alerts on your name/book name? Do you have your marketing materials? Have you contacted book stores about possible signings?

No? Well what are you waiting for? Being an author; especially a self published or author published by a small publishing house (that would mean you didn’t get a half million dollars to write your book) means that all of these things should already be done, or at least half way done.

See being a published author means, that as soon as you answered no to two of those questions, you should have called your friends or whomever you share your excitement with and said, “I need you to help me set up a website, book signing, or where can I buy stuff with my book cover on it”

Let me digress for one second. Did you see me say, call your friend and say I need you TO DO….no, I said, you need to ASK FOR HELP. Do not turn your duties as an author over to someone, unless you are paying a publicist. Being a published author means you must take this opportunity to brand yourself, market yourself and TALK about yourself to anyone that you come into contact with. And for goodness sake, don’t whisper that you are an author….say it loud and proud.

Now, if you have answered YES to all of those previous questions, then you are an author.

So I will ask again, are you READY to be a published author?

Keep up with B. Swangin Webster’s writing career at http://bswanginwebster.webs.com

Back on the Blog

After a low-production ending to 2010 I’m back in form, writing and promoting at the level I like.  I have big plans for 2011 and hope you’ll come along for the ride because I need your help.

As regular readers know, this blog is intended to be very interactive.  It’s all about the life we authors live: what it feels like to be a writer, our successes, failures, challenges, and triumphs.  It’s a place for non-writers to get a feel for what it’s like to have this disease where you have to commit thoughts to paper in order to stay alive. 

It’s also a place for tips and ideas that can help writers do what they do better.  We can share our experiences, our ideas and our opinions of what works and what doesn’t.  I’m happy to share all that I know, and I hope you feel the same.

I intend to post to this blog twice a week, every week in 2011.  But I don’t want this blog to be my voice droning on about me.  So this is my official invitation to all of you out there who have been bitten by the writing bug.  I’m looking for guest bloggers to chat about anything that fits the theme as described above.  I prefer a fairly short piece, in the 400 word ballpark, but it’s a generous ballpark. 

Whenever I post a guest blog I will add your book cover (or your photo if you aren’t published yet) and the web link of your choice (your web site or where to buy your book, etc.)  I’ll also add a bit of an intro so if there’s something specific you’d like me to say, send it along.  Otherwise, I’ll pull info from Amazon.com.

I hope to post stuff that we all can both enjoy and learn something from.  If you look thru last year’s posts you’ll see just how diverse these posts can be.  I’m not eager for “Here’s what my new book is about” articles, but if you’re talking about how it feels to get that first book out there, what special research you had to do to write it, what you went thru to get it published, or the cool new idea you had to market it… well, there are lots of acceptable excuses to promote your book here.

So, put your thoughts and feelings into a guest blog, send it to me at ascamacho@hotmail.com or thru a Facebook message and become a part of our little support community.

A Murder in the Family

Rosemary and Larry Mild plot murder together, as a husband and wife should, but instead of getting jailed they get published.  Of their latest novel, Cry Ohana, one reviewer said "The authors write with such eloquent detail, you can almost feel the island breezes and see the breathtaking scenery. This is an uplifting story of family and love, as well as an extremely suspenseful novel with a very satisfying ending.”  I thought you'd like to hear how they do it, in their own words.

We work at dueling computers in our home office in Severna Park, Maryland. But only seven months of the year. During the winter, we write back-to-back in our Honolulu apartment, on the island of Oahu. Honolulu is our second home so we can spend time with our daughter, Chinese son-in-law, and two college-bound granddaughters. They live deep in a rain-forest valley behind Diamond Head. Huge mango and avocado trees surround their house. They have to be quick about snatching the ripe fruits off the ground. Otherwise, the feral pigs get there first in the middle of the night.

How does the actual writing process work? Rosemary says: “Larry conjures up our plots and writes the first draft. Then it’s my turn. I breathe life into the characters, intensify scenes, sharpen the dialogue. Sometimes I throw a new trait into a character. In Cry Ohana, Larry created a gentle, no-stress romance for Leilani and Alex. But I’m a combative sort, so I made her feisty to give her scenes more conflict. Of course, changing a character has consequences; it can actually derail the plotline, so I have to watch out.”

Then, with sleeves rolled up, we “negotiate.” Here’s our typical scenario.

Larry: You cut that whole paragraph! It’s cruel, operating without anesthesia.

Rosemary: Just a little judicious pruning, dear.

Larry: But it took me hours to create those metaphors. 

Rosemary: It’s too much already. Less is more.

Larry: Talk about overdoing. Your description of Mrs. Raggs goes on for a whole page and she’s just a walk-on.

Our jousting is short lived. We resign ourselves to the compromises required. Maalox helps, too. We relish the writing process, but we have to take Stephen King’s advice: “To write is human. To edit is divine.” And Harlan Coben agrees: “If someone tells me he doesn’t rewrite I don’t want to party with him.”

Cry Ohana was our first foray into fiction. We slaved over it for so long it was in danger of growing a beard. The hardest part was to stop writing it. Every winter we’re on Oahu, we become more local and find more good stuff to share. But according to Lawrence Block’s basic rule of fiction, every word must further the plot. Rhapsodic tangents slow the momentum and bore the reader. So . . . in the late ’90s we stowed the manuscript of Cry Ohana on a shelf to age, cure, whatever.

In 2001 we introduced our mystery series with Paco LeSoto, a dapper retired detective, and Molly Mesta, an eccentric housekeeper/cook. Molly whips up the English language in her own special stew that the authors call “Mollyprops.” She’ll criticize a villain for his “defecation of character.”

In Locks and Cream Cheese, mayhem erupts in a mansion on the Chesapeake Bay. Hidden rooms, locked doors and dead bodies embroil Black Rain Corners in scandal. Paco and Molly expose the mansion’s lurid secrets—and fall in love.

In Hot Grudge Sunday, Paco and Molly are married. They’d rather smooch than sleuth. But conspirators and thieves derail their honeymoon bus trip out West. Not even the Grand Canyon can suppress the out-of-control passions and quest to kill.

Boston Scream Pie returns readers to historic Annapolis and southern Maryland. Young Caitlin Neuman hires the sleuths to decipher her nightmares of a lethal car crash. They lead to a harrowing tale of twins and two families plagued with jealousy, hatred—and murder.

Learn more about the Milds and their writing at http://www.magicile.com

Tips to Help You Become a Successful Freelance Writer

BrainTrack® – The Web's Most Complete Directory for University and College Search - lists more than 10,000 higher education institutions in 194 countries and is continually updated with new resources for education and careers.  Brian Jenkins, a member of the BrainTrack.com writing staff, has been contributing content on topics related to college and careers since 2008.  Today he shares some useful info for those of you who would like to get paid for freelance writing.

Are you an aspiring writer? You can increase your chances of being successful by tailoring your writing to meet the demands of potential employers. Good writers can use their talents to make money without having to sell books or write for newspapers or magazines. Writing opportunities exist all over the Web, and Internet companies are always looking for freelance writers for copywriting, business writing, press releases, technical writing, writing web content, blogging for commercial websites, and ghostwriting

Instead of waiting for potential clients to show up at your fabulous website and offer you some work, it's best you seek them out. You need to make your presence known with potential clients and other freelance writers

Let's take a look at some things you can do to become a successful freelance writer:

Beginning writers can build their portfolio by finding customers at popular freelance writing websites. Even if the writing fee is low (which is often the case), when writers bid on your articles, you'll have an opportunity to build a portfolio to impress higher paying clients

Join professional networks such as  Freelancers Union and LinkedIn at no cost. These resources provide networking opportunities, which in turn can provide job leads. Some of your fellow freelancers may have job leads that are not good fits for them but are for you

Write a few informative articles for Ezine and other similar websites. You don't get paid, but you get credible exposure. Write articles in your specialty areas. Add a link back to your website to increase traffic

Place an advertisement for freelance writing services at online classifieds such as Craigslist

Submit articles to local online newspapers and magazines. You won't get paid much, if anything, but you'll get noticed as a local writer, and this can lead to other assignments

Send a query letter via email to online writing services. Make the pitch short and catchy. Show off your writing skills. Don't be boring or modest and include some samples of your best work. You may want to copy and paste them into the email since some businesses are concerned about attachments carrying viruses

Maintain a blog. Most web hosting sites allow you to maintain a blog for free. You can also get free accounts at  WordPress, Blogger, and others. Include a link back to your website and other sites where your articles are published. Write about topics related to your writing business. Offer free tips. You may attract clients who are impressed with your writing skills

Use social media such as Facebook or Twitter to make contact with other writers and to announce new promotions or articles

Join a writers community. It's another venue for networking opportunities

Marketing your writing skills and finding networking opportunities is vital to the success of any freelance writer. Keep these tips in mind if you want to get more exposure and more assignments

Get more valuable info and follow Brian's work at http://www.braintrack.com BrainTrack.com

Are Online Writing Courses Advantageous?

Carrie Oakley - an online graduate with  experience as a Math Professor in an Online School - started the website OnlineColleges.org to help students find the right online school for them.  OnlineColleges.org is a nonprofit resource for students considering an online college for their associates, bachelors, masters or doctorate level degree. This completely non-sponsored site provides students with honest answers to navigating the often confusing world of online colleges and universities.  Today Carrie shares her views on the value of learning to write on the web.

Some people are born with an aptitude for writing; all they have to do is put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard if we’re keeping up with the times) and the words flow without end. They’re able to bring out concisely, clearly and creatively any topic they write about, and they hone their craft by reading extensively and listening to the right kind of feedback. Others become good writers through experience and practice – their skills are raw, and even though they have the potential, they need to work off the rough edges and learn how to write effectively.

It’s this second group that needs writing classes and workshops – these sessions allow aspiring writers to give form to their words; they teach them how to control their creativity and steer it in the right direction; and they teach them how to make their writing more attractive and compelling.

Online writing courses are generally not for those who prefer to interact with a group of peers and exchange ideas with their teacher and the rest of the class. However, it works well for those who:

·       Are looking for flexibility in their classes because they cannot take time off to attend them on a full-time basis.

·       Prefer to take the course on a one-to-one basis because they’re reticent about opening up before a group.

·       Don’t want to shell out too much for a writing class; however, some online courses are as expensive as the regular ones, especially if they’re offered by reputable institutions.

·       Want to sign up for classes held in locations far from where they live.

·       Don’t want to commute to and from class.

Writing courses are not for everyone; whether they’re online or conducted as offline workshops, they’re meant only for those who have at least the minimum aptitude for this creative task. While you may want to be a writer, you need to know if you have it in you to become one. So before you sign up for a writing course, it’s best to assess your ability to write. You can do this by writing a short article on any topic that’s close to your heart, and asking an established writer to gauge your potential.

In general, writing courses benefit anyone who has raw talent that can be honed to good writing. For such courses to be beneficial, they must focus not just on tapping creativity, but also on language, grammar, form and content. Good writing is characterized by near-perfect language, impeccable grammar, correct spellings, and a good narrative. Established writers know not just the right words to use, but also when, where and how to use them. They know when to tone it down and when to go all out when it comes to flowery and descriptive language, and most important of all, they know how to deal with praise and criticism in their stride.

While an online writing class can get you started in honing your raw talent, only continuous practice and constant efforts serve to bring you success in this field.

This guest post is contributed by Carrie Oakley, who writes on the topic of online college . Carrie welcomes your comments at her email id: carrie.oakley1983@gmail.com.

Will Not Accept Electronic Submissions

Thomas White has had an interesting literary career.  A veteran theatrical director and producer, he has written several screenplays and gets extra coolness points for having directed the world tour of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-Coming Out Of Their Shells.  His first novel, "Justice Rules," takes a fresh approach to the crime procedural and was a 2010 finalist in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest .  But in the search for an agent he has met a surprising stumbling block that I found interesting, and I think you will too.

As I was searching for a literary agent last year I found that an inordinate amount of agents will still not accept an electronic submission. A decade into the 21st Century, I found that to be odd. Frustrated with printing and shipping costs I quickly decided that if an agent will not accept modern technology then I was not interested in them representing me. ( I did find an agent and we do have an electronic relationship so I know that it can be done.) The unwillingness on the part of so many agents to accept technology is what astounds me.

I certainly understand the volumes of material that is submitted each year and that the ease of electronic submission only encourages those who are not ready for submission, but to totally ignore the medium is silly. To me, it is the same mentality that originally rejected cell phones, then rejected e-mail and now will not text or read a book on a Kindle. Eventually, they all come around. Why not recognize the reality of our world and join us? Why fight it? It's just a book submission and it is a lot easier to hit delete than to recycle. If an author is convinced that they have written the next great American novel making them print it out and mail it will not be a deterrent, it will only use paper resources that should, by all right, be conserved.

I have run into a similar mentality with e-books. Many people I have spoken with will not use a Kindle or electronic reader. They enjoy the comfort of holding a book in their hands and turning the page. Okay, I get that. But to turn your nose up at the alternative with stubborn indignation is also silly. I had a potential reviewer of my novel tell me that he will never own a Kindle or anything like it. He went on to say that his greatest pleasure is to travel with" a few good books in his suitcase". The image of him lugging a 49.5 lb suitcase through an airport made me smile. I responded and hoped that one day he would be able to travel with hundreds of good books in his 1 lb Kindle.

Technology has changed us and the way we lived from 10 years ago to today, heck, from 6 months ago to today. Eventually, we all adjust and respond to the changes. The adage , "If it was good enough for my father, it's good enough for me." is as antiquated as the mentality behind it. Our fathers never conceived of the technology that we take for granted.

The truly odd part of this thinking is that, more than likely, the book they are holding in their hands was originally written in electronic form. By printing it onto a piece of paper it does not magically transform it into a work of art. They are the same words that are now filling a page of parchment rather than a screen. The ideas and emotions behind those words are unaltered. If a book is in electronic form it does not become less intriguing, less exciting or less moving.

So open up your minds and accept the inevitable. It's not evil, it's just a novel in a format that allows you to adjust the size of the font. How wonderful is that?

Get a closer look at Thomas White's writing at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K16TCY