Tatteredleaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
paragraphs) wrote2008-05-31 07:18 pm
paragraphs) wrote2008-05-31 07:18 pm
Book Talk -- Publishing and the Mystery Genre
Want to pass along this link to all of you who are interested in pursuing mystery. Four members of Sisters in Crime, a national organization created some years ago to promote women in mystery (and they've done a smashing job in many important ways--many men are members as well), recently spent two days in New York visiting various publishing houses and agents. They asked some excellent questions and got many, many excellent answers. This is not a members-only blog, and I figure some of you might be interested in this, too, so...here you go. Check it out. pir8fancier , am hoping you will check it out and share your thoughts, since you are in the thick of all things mystery.
So far, I've just read the first installment--about to read the rest. A quick breakdown of the visit to HarperCollins and Writer's House agent Simon Lipskar is as follows:
Urban fantasy and other paranormal books are doing well.
Thrillers are hot hot hot so very hot, especially edgier, sexy thrillers.
Nick darling? You will like this: Putnum Penguin has decided that spy novels are back. Grin.
Cross-genre books, such as historical suspense, are too, and are heavily sought. (SQUEE!!!!!!! I've been hovering around historical mystery, but hey, I would be happy to scoot it over to historical suspense (with a little thriller stuff thrown in--lol--and just read, 'historical mysteries are not hot (as in being sought--I knew this) but historical suspense, well, is. OY! LOL. Okaaayyy....)
Target has become a huge success in terms of books sales, especially trade paperbacks. (Cool--I can see that, having visited Target myself today, I did admire how nice the books looked, all face out).
That's the good news per HC.
The bad...
The midlist is in its death throes. Those of us who have sat within it, know that--it has been dying for years--but the good news is bookstores ARE trying new ways to beef up such books (books face-out, table taps, endcaps, etc.) Not just for bestsellers. I have seen this at my B&N and I definitely am drawn to the tables and often finds books to entice me I would never have seen on the shelves. (the third installment btw is about a visit to B&N--the mystery buyer there had some great thoughts--and contradictions--to some things said by the publishing houses and agent. Very very interesting thoughts shared, for all genres).
The traditional mystery, i.e., the cozy, is drying up like a prune. It is noted however that the publishers visited this summit do not publish these books anyway and there is a link to last year's summit, in which such publishers were visited. I've not yet checked out that link but it isn't surprising that the general consensus is the trads are dying. Makes me sad as that is what I was published in, and there have been and remain many favorite series (though I've not indulged lately...except for pir8's book, which is next on my TBR stack).
On a side note re: traditional mysteries--recently I attended an author's talk with Susan Wittig Albert. Her traditional mystery series is going great guns and has for years, and will for years. She lucked out (her words) by choosing a gardening theme...it is the gardening and flower peeps that keep her hot. She did make me frown here and there, lol, as she is a bit disorganized (and she admits it). Her habit of forgetting people are dead makes me wonder why she doesn't use a bible to keep everything straight instead of relying on memory. She was a very good speaker, lots of fun. Went with my sister, a huge fan, and I had to shake my head a bit....ahhh sisters...
Mysteries sell better in fiction than in the mystery section. More and more publishers want the mysteries book in fiction--something that makes me shake my head but I certainly have seen that to be the case.
There is alot more in the four parts--from what is selling now and why, what is being sought, what helps (blogs blogs and more blogs), on and on. VERY interesting, and I hope it may be inspiring to some of you out there who choose to read it.
Here's the link:: sisters in crime
Be sure to read the comments--more good info buried in there, as well. For instance--how gas prices are changing the face of book tours--an author's online personae is proving more and more important, and publishers are recognizing this. Mira for example has a program called Bites--helping their authors get boosts to their 'brand name' by providing a forum for short stories (this is pretty cool, I think)
pir8fancier , am hoping you will check it out and share your thoughts, since you are in the thick of all things mystery.So far, I've just read the first installment--about to read the rest. A quick breakdown of the visit to HarperCollins and Writer's House agent Simon Lipskar is as follows:
Urban fantasy and other paranormal books are doing well.
Thrillers are hot hot hot so very hot, especially edgier, sexy thrillers.
Nick darling? You will like this: Putnum Penguin has decided that spy novels are back. Grin.
Cross-genre books, such as historical suspense, are too, and are heavily sought. (SQUEE!!!!!!! I've been hovering around historical mystery, but hey, I would be happy to scoot it over to historical suspense (with a little thriller stuff thrown in--lol--and just read, 'historical mysteries are not hot (as in being sought--I knew this) but historical suspense, well, is. OY! LOL. Okaaayyy....)
Target has become a huge success in terms of books sales, especially trade paperbacks. (Cool--I can see that, having visited Target myself today, I did admire how nice the books looked, all face out).
That's the good news per HC.
The bad...
The midlist is in its death throes. Those of us who have sat within it, know that--it has been dying for years--but the good news is bookstores ARE trying new ways to beef up such books (books face-out, table taps, endcaps, etc.) Not just for bestsellers. I have seen this at my B&N and I definitely am drawn to the tables and often finds books to entice me I would never have seen on the shelves. (the third installment btw is about a visit to B&N--the mystery buyer there had some great thoughts--and contradictions--to some things said by the publishing houses and agent. Very very interesting thoughts shared, for all genres).
The traditional mystery, i.e., the cozy, is drying up like a prune. It is noted however that the publishers visited this summit do not publish these books anyway and there is a link to last year's summit, in which such publishers were visited. I've not yet checked out that link but it isn't surprising that the general consensus is the trads are dying. Makes me sad as that is what I was published in, and there have been and remain many favorite series (though I've not indulged lately...except for pir8's book, which is next on my TBR stack).
On a side note re: traditional mysteries--recently I attended an author's talk with Susan Wittig Albert. Her traditional mystery series is going great guns and has for years, and will for years. She lucked out (her words) by choosing a gardening theme...it is the gardening and flower peeps that keep her hot. She did make me frown here and there, lol, as she is a bit disorganized (and she admits it). Her habit of forgetting people are dead makes me wonder why she doesn't use a bible to keep everything straight instead of relying on memory. She was a very good speaker, lots of fun. Went with my sister, a huge fan, and I had to shake my head a bit....ahhh sisters...
Mysteries sell better in fiction than in the mystery section. More and more publishers want the mysteries book in fiction--something that makes me shake my head but I certainly have seen that to be the case.
There is alot more in the four parts--from what is selling now and why, what is being sought, what helps (blogs blogs and more blogs), on and on. VERY interesting, and I hope it may be inspiring to some of you out there who choose to read it.
Here's the link:: sisters in crime
Be sure to read the comments--more good info buried in there, as well. For instance--how gas prices are changing the face of book tours--an author's online personae is proving more and more important, and publishers are recognizing this. Mira for example has a program called Bites--helping their authors get boosts to their 'brand name' by providing a forum for short stories (this is pretty cool, I think)