Crime Fiction Dossier

A good reason to go to ThrillerFest -- free books!

A couple of these are books that authors gave me, but the rest were just being handed out. It was ARC city! As I was picking them up, I kept reminding myself: "They'll send these to you at home, Dave. You don't need to schlep them around." But it was nice to get several of them signed.

I've already read the first 100 pages of Sean Chercover's Trigger City (the sequel to Big City, Bad Blood) and it's excellent.

CraftFest/ThrillerFest

I've got posts on a couple more things from CraftFest and ThrillerFest planned. I haven't had a chance to type up my notes yet. But I hope to get to them soon.

The event has been very nice so far. Things are running smoothly and the attendance seems pretty good (although the attendance at some of the panels hasn't been as good as it could be).

I've found it to be an interesting and quite entertaining conference thus far. I was on a panel this afternoon about "How Do Books Get Attention," focused mainly on reviews. It was very well attended and had some good, spirited discussion.

So I give it positive marks. We'll see how the awards banquet goes this evening -- hopefully that won't eliminate all my good will.

CraftFest Talk: The Six Biggest Mistakes Even Bestselling Writers Make

I'm attending CraftFest, part of the ThrillerFest conference put on by ITW this weekend in New York. This morning I sat in on a talk given by bestselling thriller writer Joseph Finder, the topic of which was "The Six Biggest Mistakes Even Bestselling Writers Make."

It's been a long time since I was in school, so my note-taking skills have atrophied...But here's what Finder discussed.

MISTAKE #1: The Passive Hero

• Too many thrillers have heroes who don't act; they remain passive while events take place around them.
• The hero must advance the plot; s/he must take action.
• The hero can't simply investigate what's going on -- he must do something about it.

MISTAKE #2: The Long Setup

• The story takes too long to get moving.
• Authors shouldn't just dump story on the reader; they should reveal it through action.
• Too many books start with a good opening, but then slow down to a crawl.
• One way to avoid this is to start the story as late as possible. If necessary, you can then go back and fill in details later on.

MISTAKE #3: The Weak Second Act

• Too many books bog down in the middle, degenerating into repetitive conflict and simply regurgitating the same plot points over and over. The characters aren't progressing and changing.
• The conflict of a plot must progress and escalate; the plot points must change and vary throughout the narrative.
• This escalation of conflict, as well as variance of conflict, will not only keep the reader's interest, but help to develop and reveal character as well.
• The introduction of subplots will also help keep the second act moving.
• Whenever things start to get dull, remember: REVERSE, REVEAL, SURPRISE.
• Every scene must advance the plot.

MISTAKE #4: Predictability

• Authors should never underestimate their readers, most of whom have read a lot of books and seen even more movies and TV shows.
• Readers know the tropes and cliches of the genre. If the story is predictable, they'll see where it's going a long way off and get bored.
• The key is to surprise them. Veer off from the expected course.
• If the obvious development is to take the plot in a certain direction, consider taking it in a different direction instead.
• One way to avoid this trap is not to over-outline. Be spontaneous in your writing. Allow the characters and the plot to surprise you.

MISTAKE #5: The Lousy Ending

• Too many books send the reader off on a sour note by finishing with a lousy ending.
• A great ending is second only to a great beginning in importance.
• The ending should not consist of explaining everything that happened before or tying up all the loose ends.
• You should explain as little as possible; let the reader figure out the smaller details on his/her own.
• Great endings off have symmetry to the beginning.
• Twists can be good, but they must be earned. They must be set up earlier in the book and prepared for.
• When you finish the book, get out of there ASAP. Don't draw things out.

MISTAKE #6: Showing Off

• Too many writers make the mistake of: "I've done the research; I'm going to cram it all in there."
• You should tell the reader the minimum they need in order to understand the plot; just the tip of the iceberg.
• Pare it down, leaving only the juiciest nuggets behind.
• Too much info will only slow down the story.

BONUS MISTAKE #1: Overly Explicit Dialogue

• People don't narrate a story when they speak; they don't dump details and information.
• People speak elliptically. Watch out for expository dialogue.

BONUS MISTAKE #2: All Plot, No People

• The story won't matter if we don't care about the characters.
• On its own, the plot is abstract; it requires the characters to make it real and make it matter to the reader.
• Also, the stakes of the plot must matter to the characters in order for us to care as readers.

BONUS MISTAKE #3: Action Is Boring

• Unlike in film where action scenes can be exciting, in books they too often are boring.
• What is interesting to the reader is how the characters react to the action and how they interact with each other.
• There should also be variety in your scenes; don't follow an action scene with another action scene and another action scene. Vary the pace, vary the types of scenes, slow down and speed up in order to give the reader a break and keep them interested.

BONUS MISTAKE #4: Backstory Dump

• Don't make the mistake of dumping the characters' backstory on the reader all at once. It will bring your plot to a halt and bore the reader.
• Reveal the backstory slowly, in pieces, as necessary.
• Drop references in here and there; include mentions in dialogue; intersperse little details throughout the plot.
• There is always a trade-off of CHARACTER vs. PACE.
• It's importance to find the balance of revealing enough about the characters in order to make them interesting and make the reader care about them, versus the need to keep the plot moving.

It was a very interesting talk. I hope you find this shorthand version useful.

Are writers conferences worth the money?

One of the perennial topics that mystery/thriller writers talk about is: Are writers conferences worth the money? It just came up in two conversations I had with authors last week.

I used to be a firm advocate of conference-going. I saw it as an efficient and relatively easy way for authors to interact with a large number of fans all in one place. And that's still true -- a well attended conference will provide that opportunity.

But is it worth the cost, both in terms of time and money? That's not as clear-cut as I once thought it was. If you count up the financial cost -- ballpark figures: $300 airfare, $600 hotel, $200 registration fee, $200 food -- you're looking at easily spending over $1000 for a 3- to 4-day long conference.

Now, a grand isn't a huge amount of money. Most of us can afford it. But does it make sense to spend it when you're only getting a $10,000 advance? Even if you're get $50k per book, is it advisable to spend $1k of it all in one place?

I don't know. Maybe -- maybe not. Those are the kinds of questions authors have to ask for themselves. But it's important to weigh the positive benefits against the financial costs (and certainly the opportunity costs) before deciding to sign up.

I love attending writers conferences. I always have a good time. But I don't look at them as promotional opportunities. (I don't really have anything to promote.) So if I looked at them in terms of the career benefit they provided me, they wouldn't be worth the money.

But they can be worth it for other reasons. Writers conferences are a chance to get together with friends, socialize, network, talk about the business, learn more about the craft, etc. That is what, for me, makes them worthwhile. Writing is an isolated and isolating endeavor. Many of us go weeks if not months without talking to other writers except through email. Conferences can be a valuable social activity -- kinda like playdates for home-schooled kids.

If that's the case, though, how many of these things should you attend? Do you need to go to ThrillerFest and Bouchercon and Love Is Murder and Left Coast Crime and Dave's Backyard Hootenanny? Probably not. Maybe one a year is worthwhile -- and which one that is will depend on a lot of factors, like location, what type of books you write, who's putting the conference on, who the guests of honor are, who else is going to be there, etc.

I do think conferences provide valuable promotional opportunities, especially for newer writers. You can meet influential people in the business, talk to fans, hopefully generate word of mouth. For more established authors, I think it's probably a good idea to make an appearance at least every couple of years, or else people will start to suspect that you're dead.

But should you attend every one? Or even attend every year? Only if you enjoy going to them a lot -- enough to offset the costs. Otherwise, you're probably better off spending your promotional dollars elsewhere.

Friends of Dave photo

We did a panel last weekend at Love Is Murder that was called Friends of Dave. It was Lee Child, Barry Eisler, Paul Guyot and I talking about books, publishing, Hollywood and other topics of great importance. Here's a picture. (We dragged Tess Gerritsen up from the audience to pose with us. We needed something to class the photo up a little.)

PLBW

What is PLBW? Damned if I know, but it's all the buzz this weekend at Love Is Murder. People are wearing buttons (including me for some reason) with these 4 cryptic letters. But nobody will tell me what it means.

So spill the beans, if you know.

Ask the Critic: Attending writers conferences

Anonymous writes:

Is it worth it to attend a conference mostly to pitch a book or are the publishers present really there to sell books not to buy new ones?

I think most writers conferences, especially the larger ones like Bouchercon and ThrillerFest, probably aren't much use when it comes to pitching publishers. You can make contacts at them -- they're a good place to meet agents, for example -- but the hectic, frenetic nature of such conferences really doesn't lend itself to any kind of formal pitching. Also, editors generally attend to support their authors; they're not really looking for someone to hand them a manuscript.

Some of the smaller conferences, however, do schedule pitch meetings with representatives from publishers. They do that at Love Is Murder, for example, where attendees can register for pitch sessions with Bleak House Books, Tekno/Five Star Books and Echelon Press. If you're interested in one of those publishers, then attending the conference might prove to be a great deal of help.

I think that, for aspiring writers, conferences are most useful for making contacts, learning more about the craft and the business of publishing, talking shop and just enjoying the camaraderie of fellow writers. For that, they can be invaluable.

If you've got a question for Ask the Critic, please send it in.

Lessons learned from the industry panel at ThrillerFest

These are things that people on my panel brought up. I wasn't taking notes, so this is all from memory.

Co-op is everything. Co-op is the industry term for cooperative advertising money. This is money paid by the publisher to booksellers in order to stock their books (in the case of airports and similar) and to give their books prime placement (in the case of bookstores). If you see a book in the front of B&N, it's likely that the publisher paid them to put it there. Co-op is the most expensive and the most important part of advertising that any book will receive. It is crucial for a book's success.

It's almost impossible to say how many books it takes to make the New York Times bestseller list. It varies wildly from week to week, depending on the competition. It's possible that you might make the list with as few as 7000 books sold in a week. But other weeks a book might sell many more than that and not even get close. (I did hear from a trusted source, not on the panel, that it takes a minimum of 35,000 books shipped in order to have a chance to make the list.)

Although making the New York Times list is important, it's more important to sell a lot of books. More books sold is always better than a higher ranking. It also doesn't matter if the book gets all its sales up-front, or if it gets them over the course of months. The total sales is what matters in the end.

Timing is very important to a book's success. (And that's why there are hardly any books being published this week -- everyone is staying away from Harry Potter.) The competition a book faces, especially in the initial weeks, can determine its fate. Thus the publishers track when everyone is publishing their books and schedule their own releases accordingly. The late fall is an especially busy time for big-name books.

Be nice to your editor. It's not her fault if the book does poorly. Also, be nice to your editor's assistant. They will often give authors information they aren't supposed to have, especially if the editor is on vacation.

BookScan numbers can be unreliable, but there is disagreement as to how unreliable. They probably track around 60-70% of sales, but this can vary depending on the type of book. (A subscription to BookScan, by the way, runs 6 figures annually.)

Online sales aren't very important for bestsellers. For someone like Tess Gerritsen, Amazon only represents 3% of total books sold. Also, Amazon rankings don't mean much. A book can jump significantly with only minimal sales.

The big box stores (price clubs, WalMart, etc.) are extremely important for mass success. If a book isn't sold in those stores, it's unlikely to be a bestseller. Sales through those outlets amount to as much as 40% of a bestseller's total sales. However, for first-time or unknown authors, the chance of your books being sold there is very small. So don't expect it.

The cover of a book is the single most important factor in closing customer sales. Covers are often a contentious topic between publishers and authors, and publishers don't do much in the way of market testing to find out what works. (The publishing industry in general doesn't do much market research.) If an author is going to complain about a cover, it's best to have specific areas of objection, and suggestions for improvements. Bestselling authors like Gerritsen can get cover approval, but new authors cannot.

It's hard to get your book reviewed if you're a first-time author. It's hard to get your book reviewed if you're an unknown author. It's hard to get your book reviewed no matter what! (It's not impossible, though. And it helps if the book is interesting and fresh.)

The best way to get your book reviewed, and the best way to have it be a success, is to write the best book you possibly can. And that is the one area of the process over which an author actually has control.

Back from ThrillerFest

I'm home and recovering from ThrillerFest. I had a great time, and thought the conference was very good, but it was a long weekend. I'm not complaining, though, as it's nice to spend some time with grownups for a change.

I spoke to scores of interesting people, including writers, publishing people and fans, which is the reason to go to these things. The panels are fine, but what goes on the corridors, bars and restaurants is what I'm really interested in.

I'll only drop one name from the weekend: James Patterson. I didn't talk to him, though, so it's not much of a namedrop. We were at a cocktail party and I was going to go say hi (we were on a panel together at BEA last year), but by the time I got around to doing it, he was gone. At the same party, I did talk to Jeffrey Trachtenberg (who writes about publishing for the Wall Street Journal) and he was a nice, interesting guy.

I have to say that I thought the panel I was on was fascinating. (And not just because I was on it, as I didn't even talk that much.) It was the only industry-oriented panel of the conference, so there was great turnout and a lot of interest from the attendees. I enjoyed it a lot just sitting up there listening to the other panelists, and the folks in the audience seemed to as well. We could easily have kept going for another hour or two.

The only part of the weekend that I didn't enjoy was the banquet. That's 6 months of my life I'll never get back.

Obviously attending conferences like this can be expensive, but I still think they're an invaluable experience for authors, aspiring writers and superfans. There's just no other way to see so many of the people from our industry together in one place.

(Not many details, I know, but if anyone has any questions, I'll try to answer them.)

ThrillerFest this weekend

ThrillerFest, the world's numero uno gathering of thriller writers, readers, fans and professionals, is going to be held this weekend in NYC. It's not too late to make plans to attend.

You'll have the chance to see dozens of your favorite writers in action (James Patterson, Clive Cussler,  Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, Heather Graham, Vince Flynn, etc.), plus many top industry professionals, including agents, editors, critics and more.

Check the link for details.

My panel should be very interesting:

Sunday, July 15 @ 10:00am:
The Snare of the Hunter: How writers and publishers work to get you to buy their books

Jason Pinter, Author/Editor at St. Martin's Press
Tess Gerritsen, Author
M.J. Rose, Author/Marketing guru
David Montgomery, Critic
Matthew Baldacci, Director of Marketing at St. Martin's Press
Neil Nyren (Panel Master), Publisher and Editor in Chief of Putnam

I hope to see some of you there!

If you're looking for me: check the bar first.