Supporting an Author You Love

by Jaden Terrell

I've been reading Chester Campbell's new thriller, POKSU, and wondering why this guy is not selling hundreds of thousands of his books. I have the same thought when I read something by Timothy Hallinan or some other lesser-known author whose work blows me away. (That includes you, my fellow Murderous Musings contributors.)

We all know there's a handful of authors who need no help in the promotion department because everyone already knows who they are. James Patterson. J.K. Rowling. For most, though, the key to growing a readership is word-of-mouth. No one buys a book they don’t know exists. But with more than two hundred thousand new books launched this year, getting the word out is a challenge.

So how can you help create buzz for an author whose work you love? Let's call her Sally Wimpleton, and let's say she's written a novel called The Garden Gnome Murders. (Sheesh, now I want to write that!) 

1. Ask your local librarian to order The Garden Gnome Murders by Sally Wimpleton.

2. Post a review on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Shelfari, or other sites that allow reader reviews.

3. Click the “Like” button the B&N and Amazon pages for The Garden Gnome Murders and for Sally's author page, if she has one. On Amazon, the hardback, Kindle, and audio versions must all be “liked” separately.

4. Make one or more appropriate Amazon lists and add The Garden Gnome Murders to the list(s). Goodreads also has a list function now.

5. “Like” Sally Wimpleton's Facebook page and help keep the discussion there rolling. Invite others to “like” the page and participate as well.

6. Spread the word on your social networking sites, like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc. Retweet Sally's tweets, share her relevant Facebook posts, etc.

7. Recommend the books to all your friends and family members who enjoy the kind of books Sally writes.

8. If you’re in a book club that reads mysteries and is open to author visits, ask if they would like Sally to come and speak to the group (or Skype with them).

9. If Sally has a website with links, articles, or other content readers might like, visit it often and encourage others to do the same. (If she has a newsletter, sign up for that and encourage your friends to sign up too.)

10. If you know people who acquire books for airports, Walmart, Sam’s, Costco, Target, K-Mart, etc., tell them about The Garden Gnome Murders.

11. If you know people in other countries where Sally's book has been translated, let them know about the translation. 

12. If you know a major motion picture director or producer, or any big-name actor who might like to play one of the roles, steer him or her toward the book. Who wouldn't want to see a movie about Garden Gnomes? And Murder?

13. When you order your copy of The Garden Gnome Murders, order another mystery by a well-known author in a similar genre. That gets Sally on the “people who bought x also bought y” list.

Can you think of other ways to help draw attention to a favorite author?

*Note: Sally Wimpleton and The Garden Gnome Murders are fictional creations. Any resemblance to real people or novels, living or dead,is purely coincidental.

The Poker Club

By Pat Browning


The popular TV series “Castle” begins its new season on ABC September 20. Unless they have a surprise for us, the episode will end with the character Rick Castle at a card table with real-life authors James Patterson, Michael Connelly and Stephen Cannell. Talk about heavy hitters.



Take Patterson. According to a profile in New York Times Magazine, one in every 17 novels sold since 2006 were written by Patterson. He has five co-writers and pays them out of his own pocket. He can afford it. He reportedly made $70 million last year, publishing nine books with the help of coauthors. The mind boggles.


Anyone interested in how a mega-franchise works, can read the profile at
http://tinyurl.com/34gzela.

Confession time. I can’t read Patterson. Graphic slash and gore are not my thing. I browsed through summaries of his books on Amazon and couldn’t find a single one I would read. However, any author as popular as Patterson -- 14 million copies of his books in 38 different languages -- deserves a plug. One of his latest books is THE POSTCARD KILLERS, written with co-author Lisa Marklund. Young couples in Paris, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, and Stockholm have been found dead. Little connects the murders other than a postcard to the local newspaper that precedes each new victim. Read at your own risk.

My all-time favorite of the poker players is Stephen J. Cannell, who scripted one of my all-time favorite TV shows, “The Rockford Files.” Yes, Cannell writes novels now but nothing can top his string of popular TV shows. He got his start on the writing staff of Adam-12 in 1970. After a few years he began to create and produce his own shows: Baa-Baa Blacksheep, Hardcastle and McCormick, The A-Team, Baretta and Hunter, to name a few.

The Rockford Files won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama in 1978. There’s been some talk of making a new Rockford Files but it would be laughed off the screen. There is only one, and it stars James Garner, who is getting a bit long in the tooth to do all that stunt work. Better to let a legend remain who and what it is – a legend.

Besides his enormous talent, Cannell is also a generous genius. On his web site he teaches a FREE Online Writing Seminar. Whether you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, he takes you through the process of writing, step-by-step, in five parts:



Part One - The discipline of writing; Part Two - How to choose your story; Part Three - Creating characters; Part Four - The three act structure; Part Five - Other things to think about. Check it out at:
http://www.cannell.com/television.php


There’s a Cannell anecdote I’ve remembered since I first read it a few years ago. I found it again on a web site for Orange Coast Magazine. Cannell has been married to his 8th grade sweetheart, Marcia, for 45 years. Quoting from an interview by Tina Dirmann titled “Mr. TV’s Love Tips”:


Quote:
So you told her (Marcia) you wanted to give up a steady job with your dad for a chance at writing for TV?
Exactly. It was the late ’60s and we were walking around the island, pushing our first child, when I asked Marcia for permission to leave my father’s business. I was so nervous. She’d be giving up this guaranteed lifestyle. But I just said, “I really want to be a writer full time.” And she said, “Then that’s what you should do.” Just like that!


Did you ever ask her what made her respond like that?
Years later, when I was successful, and I had all these Emmys on my mantle, I asked her, “Why did you say that? Nobody in their right mind would gamble on such a crapshoot!” And she said, “It just never occurred to me you would fail.”
End Quote.


Every writer should have such a supportive spouse! You can read the interview at
http://tinyurl.com/2dupmvb


Michael Connelly was unknown to me until I pulled THE BRASS VERDICT off the library shelf. Chapter One hooked me. In 19 short, sweet sentences it sets up the book perfectly:

(Quote)
Everybody lies.
Cops lie. Lawyers lie. Witnesses lie. The victims lie.
A trial is a contest of lies. And everybody in the courtroom knows this. The judge knows this. Even the jury knows this. They come into the building knowing they will be lied to. They take their seats in the box and agree to be lied to.
The trick if you are sitting at the defense table is to be patient. To wait. Not for any lie. But for the one you can grab onto and forge like hot iron into a sharpened blade. You then use that blade to rip the case open and spill its guts out on the floor.
That's my job, to forge the blade. To sharpen it. To use it without mercy or conscience. To be the truth in a place where everybody lies.
(End Quote)


Connelly started out as a reporter. In 1986, Connelly and two other Florida reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of a major airline crash. Their magazine story landed Connelly a job on the crime beat at the Los Angeles Times.


His first novel to feature LAPD Detective Hieronymus Bosch was THE BLACK ECHO, based in part on a true crime that occurred in Los Angeles. Published in 1992, it won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by the Mystery Writers of America.


His 19th novel, The Brass Verdict, was released in October 2008, and introduces Lincoln lawyer Mickey Haller to LAPD Detective Harry Bosch in a fast-paced legal thriller. Coming in October is THE REVERSAL, with Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch working together on the high-profile retrial of a brutal child murder.

Connelly's books have been translated in 35 languages and have won the Edgar Award, Anthony Award, Macavity Award, Los Angeles Times Best Mystery/Thriller Award, Shamus Award, Dilys Award, Nero Award, Barry Award, Audie Award, Ridley Award, Maltese Falcon Award (Japan), .38 Caliber Award (France), Grand Prix Award (France), Premio Bancarella Award (Italy), and the Pepe Carvalho award (Spain).


Connelly’s web site is at www.michaelconnelly.com/

===
Photos:
“Castle” poker players from www.hollywoodoutbreak.com; Season Finale of "Castle," May 17, 2010.
L to R: James Patterson (back to camera) Michael Connelly, Stephen J. Cannell, Nathan Fillion (Castle).
Rockford Files from Wikipedia: Jimmy, Angel and Rocky.
Stephen J. Cannell from Wikipedia.
Michael Connelly from Wikipedia, taken 2007 at Texas Book Festival, Austin, TX

Close Your Eyes

By Mark W. Danielson

Have you ever been told not to go into something blindly? While it’s good advice for some things, it doesn’t apply to writing. In fact, if it were possible, I’d suggest you close your eyes and visualize what I’m saying.

While our eyes reveal many beautiful things, they can also keep us from seeing. If you don’t believe me, ask a blind person what he is seeing right now. He may describe a city bus, propane powered, doors beeping as they open, off-loading people a block away. One person stops to light a cigarette. Others text as they walk away. An approaching light airplane is pulling a banner. An SUV pulls up to a stop light, stereo blasting, being driven by a young male, probably tattooed. Those of us with sight tend to take these things for granted, yet each of them has their own stories. If we truly want to see, then we must learn to see with closed eyes and open minds.

Music videos destroy a song’s soul because they rob us of our own interpretations. Once viewed, the video image becomes etched in our brains, barring us from seeing anything different. Add to that, appearance bias. America may idolize a pretty face with a shrill voice, but to a blind man, it’s just shrill. Instead of being enchanted by a contestant’s face, try closing your eyes, listen to their voice, and then cast your vote.

Have you ever been disappointed by the movie version of a book? Most people have. In fact, it happens so often that movies are now prefaced with the words, “based on” whatever the story is titled. Your images of what the characters should have looked like are so vivid that you may actually walk out without giving the movie a chance. James Patterson once remarked to a group of authors, “If you ever have the chance to visit a movie set that’s based on one of your books, DON’T.” That says a lot.

So, what does this mean for you as an author? It means you should write for a blind man. In other words, you need to create images that are so powerful that they come alive in your mind. To test your success, have someone read your manuscript out loud while you listen with eyes closed. By doing this, you not only hear whether your dialogue works, but you can also visualize the scenes. If this image isn’t what you had intended, then you have more work ahead of you.

Mysterious Disappearance at Men of Mystery

By Mark W. Danielson

For the past six years, I’ve been privileged to participate in Irvine, California’s, Men of Mystery event. Each year, fifty authors gather to dine with five hundred wonderful mystery fans. The highlight is hearing two famous authors, such as Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Vince Flynn, and Martin Cruz Smith, speak about the business of writing. This spectacular event is the brainchild of Raven Award recipient, Joan Hansen, but would not be possible without her many devoted volunteers. Open to the public, it is normally sold out months before its November date. I am fortunate to be attending again this year.

My latest book, Diablo’s Shadow, was released just two months before the 2008 event. The week before, my book received a five star review from Mysterious Reviews, so we made an information sheet to help promote it at Mysterious Galaxy Books’ event book store. My wife and I checked with the book store that morning to make sure our acrylic-covered information sheet was properly displayed with my books. It was, and looked great.

The MOM event began with the authors introducing themselves, followed by a break where its attendees could wander through the book store and chat with the authors. This was followed by lunch and the featured authors’ presentations. At its conclusion, the book store remained open for a brief period before the authors checked out. This is where the mystery began . . .

When we went to gather my display items, our acrylic Diablo’s Shadow information sheet was nowhere to be found. Since the book store had relocated my books from their original location, we thought that perhaps my display sheet may have been at the previous site, but alas, this was not the case. We looked under the tables, but there was nothing there. We scoured the trash bins. Not there, either. Not even in any empty boxes. Nope, the trail was cold. Now, as one might imagine, the competition among authors is fierce, but I can’t imagine any of them sabotaging my display. Then again, we are talking about murderous people who possess unlimited imaginations . . . How about an obsessed fan? Highly unlikely, considering their polished etiquette and the fact I’m hardly a household name. Besides, these attendees are some of the nicest people I’ve met. So, what about the book store folks? Get serious; they had plenty to pack, and my display is of no value to them. The hotel staff? Oh, please. Why would any of them risk their jobs to take a silly information sheet home? And so the mystery lingers . . .

Months have passed since this mysterious disappearance, so I must let it go. But I vow to return next year with a new and more stunning display! Perhaps I’ll taint it with dye so that anyone caught moving it would have purple hands. Or maybe I shall connect it to an electric current . . . Yeah, that would work if I framed it in metal. Okay, I won’t do either of those things. After all, displays are easily replaced. But beware—whoever you are. I will be watching, and if I find you, you may find yourself written into one of my future novels. Ah, a mysterious mind never stops plotting . . .

The Lucky Break

By Mark W. Danielson

Last weekend, Ben Small and I were privileged to be two of fifty authors who were invited to participate in Irvine, California’s Men of Mystery event. Approximately five hundred people who love mysteries pay good money to have lunch with an author. Over the past six years, I have listened to such impressive key speakers as Dean Koontz, Vince Flynn, James Patterson, and this year, Andrew Gross.

Andrew is best known for co-authoring the first four of James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. On his first book, Andrew received zero billing. On the next, his name made the cover. The third gave him equal billing and made him a household name. His dubious partnership with James Patterson began with a phone call where James told Andrew he “did women well.” Wearing a smirk, Andrew quickly explained that James was referring to his writing skills before admitting that this phone call was his lucky break. We should all be so lucky, but the fact is, a break of this magnitude is merely a foot in the door, and what kept Andrew employed was his quality writing. Without it, his partnership with James would have ended before it began.

After the event, I spoke with Robert Fate Bealmear. Robert drops his last name, using just his first and middle names, and I must say it suits his outlook on writing. Robert agrees that more often than not, fate determines a writer’s success. Having authored over sixty books, many of which have been made into films and television, Robert is truly an acclaimed author, yet he’s still amazed that at 73 years old, Hollywood is still buying his work. I replied that the great thing about writing is whether you are twenty or ninety, good writing is always greeted with enthusiasm.

That evening at dinner, someone asked whether I could make a living at writing. My answer was yes, but probably not by writing novels. I do quite well at selling freelance magazine articles, and unlike novels that pay royalties based on sales, magazine publishers always pay up front. Given this, one might wonder why I bother writing novels. Simply put, it’s because fiction allows me to express and resolve whatever it is that’s bubbling inside me. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, I will always write, so long as there is a topic worth writing about.