The Importance of Cover Copy
Laura K. Curtis discusses why you need to be at least as picky about the writing of your cover copy as you are about the writing of your book.
Mug Shot: Radha Vatsal
Radha Vatsal‘s debut novel, A Front Page Affair, was published this May by Sourcebooks Landmark. It is the first in the Kitty Weeks mystery series and received a starred review from Library Journal, which also selected the novel as Debut of the Month. Vatsal has a PhD in English from Duke University and lives with her family in New York. What made
THE BIG BOOK OF OTTO PENZLER
Otto Penzler knows his sleuths. Recently published, The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories is the twelfth anthology he has edited for Vintage Crime/Black Lizard (Random House). For those without a scorecard, Penzler has also won two Edgars, a Raven, and an Ellery Queen Award; served fourteen years on the Mystery Writers of America board; and is proprietor of The Mysterious
BASED ON MATERIAL FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM
What sparks creativity in you? Music? Photography? Dance? Sculpture? For an upcoming anthology, In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper, the editor, Lawrence Block, asked 17 authors to choose one artwork and see what whispered. We all know Lawrence Block. Whether it’s from the entire shelf devoted to him at most bookstores or from
MYSTERY SOLVED: FROM PAGES TO PRIME TIME
You may recognize Ken Levine as a popular culture commentator on CNN’s recent series The Eighties. His expertise comes from decades as a writer for shows like MASH, Cheers, Frasier, and The Simpsons, just to name a few. Levine also writes a daily blog laced with insight, wit, and a refreshing bit of snark that focuses mainly (although not exclusively) on the entertainment
JAMES PATTERSON SHOOTS HIS BEST SHOT
James Patterson is about to make his mark in publishing. Again. Nobody would ever accuse the man of being a dilettante. Patterson’s debut book won the Edgar Award in 1977 for Best First Novel. His next, introducing series protagonist Alex Cross, became his first New York Times #1 Bestseller — a step on the road to holding the Guinness World
Mug Shot: Beth Fantaskey
Beth Fantaskey lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband, three daughters, and a menagerie that includes a dog, cat, hermit crab, immortal goldfish, and semi-tame cardinal named Robert. She is the author of the recently released middle-grade mystery Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter; YA mysteries Buzz Kill and Jekel Loves Hyde; as well as YA romances Jessica’s Guide to Dating on
Promoting Your Book
Most people who have a book published don’t have a big publicity machine behind them. As a result, most of the promoting for their book they have to do themselves. Everyone, it seems, is searching for that magic promotional formula that will get their book the widest possible exposure. But in a market saturated not only with novels in general
How Hard Should You Try to Get an Agent?
The question of whether you should put a lot of effort into getting an agent to represent you may seem like a silly question. Writers who do not have agents frequently refer in conversation to their attempts to get one. Writers who do have agents mention this fact often in conversation, and any time they have a new book published or have
Howcatchem: A Look at the Mystery in Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Broadly speaking, there are two types of mystery stories: whodunnits and whydunnits. We read a mystery story to find out who committed the crime (with the why, the motive, often serving to help the investigator find the culprit), or we read knowing from early on who the guilty party is as the story lays out the reasons, psychological and otherwise,