Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

I wouldn't be doing my job

if I didn't--what do they call it on TV--give a shout-out to my favorite Soho Crime writers. Now that I've dispensed with my two "canned" posts, I'm going to indulge in a little house promotion:

• Just to the right,  you'll see that Sarah has written a nice little review about Chinatown Beat, the first in a new series by debut author Henry Chang. Chinatown Beat is a change for Soho Crime, not least because it's grittier than anything we've published in awhile, but because it's the first Soho Crime novel to be set in the U.S. We're celebrating Henry's first book with a launch at Partners & Crime on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Join us--to borrow a phrase from Veronica Mars--for some "dim sum and dem sum."
• I maybe once joked to Cara Black that the best thing she could do to promote her wonderful Aimée Leduc series is to kill or be killed in Paris, but I was kidding. KIDDING! Her seventh title, Murder on the Isle Saint-Louis, is coming out in March 2007. In addition to the numerous events Cara always does in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, I'm also proposing to send her out into the Midwest.
• I am beyond thrilled to announce that Soho will be publishing a new book, The Secret Hangman, from Peter Lovesey in June 2007. I am such a huge fan of Lovesey's that upon starting work at Soho, I read his entire Soho backlist, which is considerable, in two weeks. I recently told my sales force that I just want to snuggle with him. Mr. Lovesey, if you're reading this, I have the utmost respect for your work, and we need to talk about bringing you to New York in June for Book Expo. By the way, Hi, I'm Kathy. I'm your publicist.
• We're introducing another new series in February 2007 by Time magazine's former Jerusalem bureau chief, Matt Beynon Rees. The first in the series is called The Collaborator of Bethlehem, and features a detective so cantankerous, he makes Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri look like a well-fed pussycat. The advance blurbs are piling up, and David Baldacci wrote of The Collaborator of Bethlehem, “Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.”

That may be all the touting I have for the moment. This September we're publishing a new mystery, though not in the Soho Crime series, by James R. Benn called Billy Boyle that Lee Child called "an instant classic." This is also the first in a new series, and he'll be reading at Partners & Crime on September 14 at 7 p.m. I hope you'll join us then.

If you're interested in Soho Crime, please sign up to receive our monthly crime newsletter on our website (the Fall catalog should be going up soon). And if you ever find yourself struggling to promote your own work, ask yourself, "What would James Patterson do?" You know, without the half-million dollar marketing budget, TV commercials and subway ads.

Your Publicist: A User’s Guide for Novices

There seems to be some confusion as to what a publicist does and how to employ her effectively. From time to time, one does hear an awful lot of kvetching about the uselessness of publicists, as we are a much maligned group, perhaps only trailing agents and lawyers by a small margin. After a little cajoling, Sarah has persuaded me to illuminate the literate world as to the function and use of the book publicist. Some do’s and don’t’s:

• Do fill out your author questionnaire completely as early as possible. Give your publicist a thorough bio. Think about your back story—what makes you, beyond your obvious gift with words—worthy of the world’s attention? What is a feature story about you going to say? Were you in a street gang, but now rescue puppies? Is your book set in Umbria and you make amazing tomato sauce? Have you ever killed someone yourself in the exact manner your book describes? (No seriously, have you? Was your victim your last publicist? Just checking.)


• Imagine yourself giving a radio interview. What are you going to discuss with the interviewer? Generate a dozen questions or topics that you could cover and give those to your publicist with your author questionnaire.


• Have some nice photos taken—some in black-and-white and some in color. Some should be environmental shots (think People magazine). Try and keep dogs and cats out of the picture. I’m just saying, it’s been done. Be sure to include the photo credit.


• If you want to travel, let your publicist know where you have friends and family, specifically the kind that will put you up and then show up at your reading with lots of book-buying friends in tow.


• Collect email and mailing addresses at every reading, conference, and cocktail party you attend. Compile these into a mailing list. Format them to be printed on labels (Avery 5160s are nice). If you have a large enough list, your publicist might make you postcards. Postcards are great to send out to large groups of readers/friends/distant relatives. They’re also excellent to give to bookstores to send to their mailing list. If you’re going on tour, better make sure you have a list for each city. Again, those Avery 5160 labels are pretty nifty.


• Keep your publicist informed of all your activities. Don’t schedule readings or interviews without telling her. In an ideal world, journalists would always go through the publicist to set up an interview, but sometimes they went to kindergarten with you or live down the street and feel comfortable approaching you directly. Ask them to check with your publicist first, just in case she’s scheduling an interview with another show on the same radio station or she’s pitching an interview with you to another freelancer for the same publication. She’s crafty, your publicist.


• Do not keep prominent author or journalist friends a secret. Do feel comfortable in reaching out to them, via your publicist, early on.


• Do not follow-up every email with a phone call to see if your publicist received your message. Do not assume your publicist is doing nothing for you. She is a busy creature and she will get back to you when she has the information you need. That said, if she sends you a tour schedule, and you notice that several of the events don’t have times listed, feel free to ask her to give you those times.


• Be realistic. Is your book really material for Oprah or the New York Times? Assume your publicist is familiar with Fresh Air and All Things Considered, and that she’ll pitch your book if she thinks it’s appropriate.

Here’s what you need to remember: Your publicist is the medium through which you communicate to the rest of the world. The better informed she is, the better she can serve you. It’s also important to let your publicist do her job. Journalists prefer to be contacted by publicists because journalists are busy and can be brusque or “rude.” It’s easier to do this to publicists. Also, your publicist has spent a lot of time developing relationships with journalists—you might as well put those years of buying book reviewers cocktails to work for you.

So, that’s your publicist in a nutshell. Some publicists work for big houses and have large budgets and can send you on elaborate tours with an escort. Some publicists work for small houses and can do magical things with hotels.com and Travelocity. Either way, she’ll do her best to promote you and your work. Value you her opinion. She isn’t saying “no” to be mean, but because she doesn’t think that a particular activity is valuable expenditure of your time or her budget. Be kind to your publicist and remember a well-placed, “Thank you” never hurt anyone.

Your Publicist: A Refresher Course for the Veteran Author

You’ve published so many books that Nora Roberts is looking over her shoulder with worry. You don’t need a publicist; you need a personal assistant, right? Here are a few things that you might have forgotten because you’ve done this so many times, you are doing it in your sleep.

• Author photos, like passports, should be updated at least every ten years (well, five, really). I don't care how great your senior portrait was, you want your readers to recognize you when you give readings.

• Keep in mind it’s difficult to shape a new story around an author who publishes with Joyce Carol Oates-like frequency. (Well, she does all right, but the rest of you are in trouble.) Craft personal essays about the writing of each new book. Also, write a new Q&A. If possible, try to tie it to a current event. (Don’t go too far—Bush vacationing in Texas again and the fact that your book is sold in Texas does not a riveting article make.)

• Keep collecting email addresses and snail mail addresses. Periodically send your readers a little note, telling them where you are in the writing process or letting them know about upcoming publication dates and appearances.

• Keep your website current and make it interactive. You might consider creating a forum so your readers can chat with each other.

• Find out your publicist’s favorite brand of vodka and treat her now and again. I happen to like Stoli.

• Keep going to Thrillerfest and Bouchercon and other festivals and conferences. Meet your readers and your colleagues. Get everyone’s email address...

What am I forgetting? Well, you've done it a hundred times. You tell me. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Books are everything

Hi - this is Thalia Proctor, signing in from London as guest blogger for today.

I'm rather daunted, looking at previous posts, by being asked to do this; not being an author or reviewer but mostly being known in our friendly world of crime fiction, as Mark B championed in his guest spot, for working in all the crime bookshops of London and now doing editorial stuff at Orion. Sarah says I should write about myself, though. So my news is that I'm going to become Editor at Little, Brown UK in October, in posh job move. The publishing world really is about Who You Know and I do have the crime fiction world to thank for this. I'm been incredibly lucky to make a lot of varied contacts. Through the bookshops, I got to know authors and reps, and of course other booksellers; through my foray into literary scouting at Van Lear Limited, to find out about agents; and now in publishing that all ties together beautifully. It's hugely interesting to see things from either end of a book's life. I miss the aesthetic satisfaction of rows of books and the challenge of recommending to crime fans but now, being able to shape the phrasing on book jackets, to have the heady power of deciding where commas should go in the text and liaising with an author about an odd character trait makes me feel on top of the world. (I'm easily pleased.) Mostly I have my marvellous friend Wayne Brookes from HarperCollins UK to thank, for pushing me towards copyediting, recommending me to Orion, and starting the whole ball rolling. I've loved it at Orion - everyone has been great and I've learned a hell of a lot. I'll be very sad to leave but I couldn't resist the offer to work on the crime list at Little,Brown with David Shelley and get back to being critical with people's manuscripts.

Wow, this is getting to be an Oscar speech. Enough about me - oh, except for this. 

So now I'll give you some award news. The CWA have been in the press enough recently with all the award changes...and the Short Story Dagger has been one of the casualties, having been ripped from the main body of awards to form its own thing. Our friends Ayo Onatade and Ali Karim are the judges along with the marvellous Peter Lovesey as the Chair. Thought you might like to see who's on it:

Robert Barnard for Sins of Scarlet from I.D Crimes of Identity (Comma Press)
The ultimate in locked-room murders, set in the Sistine Chapel during the election of a Pope.

Ken Bruen for Loaded from London Noir (Serpent's Tail)
Brixton noir, tough as they come, strong, finely crafted and convincing.

PD James for The Part-Time Job from The Detection Collection (Orion)
The account of an original form of revenge, with revelation after revelation.

Stuart Pawson for Les's Story from I.D. Crimes of Identity (Comma Press)
Perfectly fitting the I.D. theme, this story told by a tearaway kid is compelling, moving and surprising.

Martyn Waites for Love from London Noir (Serpent's Tail)
The voice of a skinhead tells powerfully and ironically of racial conflict and self-discovery.

The winner will be announced at the Off the Shelf Festival in Sheffield on October 18.

Best to all
Thalia

Great Guest Blog Month, Week Five

And by five, I also mean last, because it won't be long before August turns to September. So it seems fitting to switch up the theme here and invite two guests who are very much a part of the publishing industry - specifically, as related to crime & mystery fiction.

Wednesday's guest, Thalia Proctor, has worn many hats in the mystery community: fan, bookseller, literary scout, and currently, editorial assistant at Orion, London's best known publishing house for the genre. There are many things I could add but really, Ian Rankin said it best in his tribute to her for Bouchercon 2008, where she'll be the Fan Guest of Honor: "It's great that Thalia has received due superfan recognition. We British crime writers know her for her tireless work behind the counter at several London mystery stores; her passion for crime fiction; her laughter at conventions (in the bar, natch); her honesty as a reviewer (when she used to compile bookshop catalogues, if she hadn't read a particular book or didn't know an author's work, she'd own up to same... unlike many of us!)..She's fun to be around and will doubtless grace the Bouchercon with her usual bonhomie and decorum, as only an English rose truly can. Truer words were never spoken.

Thursday's host is Kathy Daneman, publicity director for Soho Press, which has long had an excellent track record in publishing quality crime fiction, especially in exotic locales. She moved to New York last year from Boston, where she worked as a publicist for several years at Beacon Press, and has been known to help cook up some mischief every now and then, which every good publicist should do from time to time.

And after that, happy Labor Day Weekend! I'll be sequestered in an undisclosed location and likely won't return till Tuesday.

How James Lee Burke manages his money

If I haven't said so before, I love Bankrate.com's recurring feature with commercial writers where they talk finances, money management and the like. And James Lee Burke's story, going from three-digit-rejections to success, makes for perfect fodder:

Bankrate: When did you know that you would be able to support yourself  as a writer?

Burke: I knew that with the auction for "Black Cherry Blues." That was the first         major commercial success I had. I'd written two books in the Dave Robicheaux series, but they were midlist books, we couldn't live off what they earned, but the third one we said let's put it up for auction. I was amazed: six companies bid on it and the auction was very big. That was it, I knew it. In the same year, the Guggenheim           Foundation gave me a fellowship. I had applied for 15 years and they came through, which gave me a year off to write the next book, "Morning for Flamingos." That allowed me to quit teaching. We had children in college and it allowed me to quit teaching and buy a modest home in Montana and we were off and running.

Where he's remained ever since.

If the DNA don't match, we must detach

But despite the news that John Mark Karr's DNA is inconsistent with DNA found on JonBenet Ramsey's body, wanna bet the freakshow will live on for a little while longer?

Sigh. What a sorry spectacle it all turned out to be.

Please, make it stop

I mean, the Teen Choice awards appearance was wretched enough, but now this?

Looks like the 28-year-old husband of singer Britney Spears will be shuffling over to the small screen, where he will appear in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation  on CBS this fall, People reported.

Although he and Spears ventured into TV with their reality show Chaotic, which aired on UPN last year, Federline said this will be his first venture into acting.

"It's the first time I've actually had a speaking role," he told the magazine.

Federline started filming this week in Los Angeles. He will play a menacing, arrogant teen who harasses investigators Nick Stokes (George Eads) and Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) on a job. The episode is tentatively scheduled to air in October.

And in doing so, continues the grand Hollywood tradition of actors nearing thirty playing adolescents. Woo freaking hoo.

Southern California Booksellers Association Awards

The SCBA annnounces its finalists in several category, and the shortlist for mystery fiction includes:

T. Jefferson Parker, THE FALLEN
Paul Levine, SOLOMON VS. LORD
Barbara Seranella, AN UNACCEPTABLE DEATH
Jacqueline Winspear, PARDONABLE LIES
Denise Hamilton, A PRISONER OF MEMORY

Congratulations to them and also to Tod Goldberg for his nomination in the fiction category.

A most fabulous Weekend Update

Well, it is if you like the pouring rain, I guess...

NYTBR: After what seems like an interminable absence, Marilyn Stasio is back - reviewing new crime fiction offerings from Minette Walters, Jacqueline Winspear, Colin Cotterill and Margaret Maron; Rachel Donadio looks at J. Robert Lennon's unusual publication path for his latest novel, HAPPYLAND; Dave Eggers gives loads of kudos to Edward Jones for his body of work and his new short story collection; and Emily Barton dubs Francine Prose's book on writing "a wise and voluble companion."