Erin Mitchell, Author at Black Mask

Erin Mitchell

The Book That Should Have Won

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May 032013

by Erin Mitchell

Last night crime fiction’s glitterati came out in force for the 2013 Edgar Awards. I don’t usually give a hoot about awards of any sort, but this time, there was one book in the running that I was really pulling for.

Which is not to say I didn’t care at all about other nominees and categories. I was thrilled that reviewer Oline Cogdill was receiving a Raven. I like the TV show Sherlock, and so was happy it won. I think Karin Slaughter’s short stories are exceptional—she has a gift for the form—and I cheered when she won for “The Unremarkable Heart.” LIVE BY NIGHT is some of the finest storytelling I’ve had the privilege to read in recent memory, and Dennis Lehane is deserving of every accolade he receives. I really wanted to see DEVIL IN THE GROVE win, but (I think) I understand why it didn’t, and, hey, it did just win a Pulitzer.

That said…

The Best Critical/Biographical category included four nominees. Three of them are books about series, authors, and characters that have impacted the crime fiction genre beyond measure: Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe, Robert B. Parker’s Spenser, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The last nominee was BOOKS TO DIE FOR, a compendium of essays from almost 120 crime fiction authors about their favorite crime novels. It describes itself best, in the introduction to the book:

This is not a pollsters' assembly of popular novels, compiled with calculators and spreadsheets. Neither is it a potentially exhausting list of titles that winds back to the dawn of fiction, chiding the reader for his or her presumed ignorance in the manner of a compulsory reading list handed out in a bad school at the start of summer to cast a pall over its students' vacation time. What we sought from each of the contributors to this volume was passionate advocacy: we wanted them to pick one novel, just one, that they would place in the canon. If you found them in a bar some evening, and the talk turned (as it almost inevitably would) to favorite writers, it would be the single book that each writer would press upon you, the book that, if there was time and the stores were still open, they would leave the bar in order to purchase for you, so that they could be sure they had done all in their power to make you read it.

And the winner was…THE SCIENTIFIC SHERLOCK HOLMES, penned by an emeritus professor of chemistry, Dr. James O’Brien, which The New York Times described as:

…a stolid academic treatise, rife with abbreviations

Huh. Now, I haven’t read this treatise, nor do I plan to. From what I’ve read about it, I’m sure Dr. O’Brien worked hard on it, and it’s probably interesting to people who care about science and have at least a passing interest in Sherlock Holmes.

But here’s the rub: BOOKS TO DIE FOR is a book by readers, for readers. It celebrates with abandon books both famous and less well known. The essays it contains are a joy to read. A century from now, people will still be reveling in BOOKS TO DIE FOR.

Editors John Connolly and Declan Burke, assisted by the immensely talented Clair Lamb, created an extraordinary work in BOOKS TO DIE FOR, and it was no feeble undertaking. The authors who contributed are from all corners of our planet, and the finished product runs to 700-some odd pages. It documents a moment in time insomuch as each contributor approached his or her essay as a reader, but it spans our entire reading consciousness, documenting our collective.

I would like to think that ultimately, even awards handed out by industry associations and attended by insiders are about celebrating readers and the stories that thrill them. This is exactly what BOOKS TO DIE FOR does.

Luckily, it is not dependent on any recognition other than readers’ eyes and enthusiasm to do this. At Bouchercon last year, there was a signing event that included many of the BOOKS TO DIE FOR contributors that was, predictably, mobbed. The authors were in fine form—each of them patient and funny as they chatted with those in a queue that seemed never-ending. The palpable excitement that afternoon is why BOOKS TO DIE FOR should have won an Edgar, but will endure regardless.

p.s.: As much as I’m not an affable loser, I should be clear that the aforementioned editors are incredibly gracious, and when they say, “it’s an honor just to be nominated,” I’m quite certain that they mean it. The sentiments herein are mine alone.

Beware of False Gurus

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Apr 262013

by Erin Mitchell

It’s been quite a few weeks…ones that have given social media denizens more than enough to talk about. From the unimportant, like Unilever telling women to how to think—or not think—about their bodies to hard news events that have impacted many of us directly and indirectly, one thing has become painfully clear: It is impossible to spit these days without hitting a Guru.

It’s relatively simple to trace the history of social media back more than a decade. If you’re reading this, then you have access to the vast interwebs, which means you also know that social media is in a state of constant flux. As a result, some of us use social media these days, while others gravitate toward social media.

And here’s the news flash: Neither is wrong. There are no rules. Opinions vary.

Following the bombing in Boston, as had happened after the shootings in Sandy Hook, some folks chose to let their scheduled tweets and posts run. And some took objection to this. The most famous example is self-proclaimed guru extraordinaire Guy Kawasaki, whose perfectly arrogant response to those who suggest he pause his incessant stream of scheduled tweets probably won’t affect his book sales one iota. But I was surprised how many people came out of the virtual woodwork to lay down the law as to How to Do Social Media Right.

To be fair, after Sandy Hook, I used this very platform to suggest that when tragedy strikes, scheduled marketing should be paused. I hope I wasn’t mean or school-marmish when I did so, and if I was, I apologize. Because ultimately there are no rules, just opinions.

I have no quarrel with tools that allow brands and people to schedule tweets and posts. To me, social media is just that: A form of media. It is not a party, a fete, a gathering, or jamboree. That said, I use it for social interaction quite often. But that’s my choice. If you can’t be live and in virtual person all the time in all the outlets, I don’t think this means you should forego them completely.

You can use the tools available—including getting help with content—in a manner that is transparent, and therefore no less genuine.

I schedule posts and tweets for clients. I have no problem being up-front about this. I also schedule blog posts, and for some clients, have their Twitter and/or Facebook accounts linked to their blogging platform, so that when these posts go live, word is spread through all the (social) media channels available.

I also choose to pause these when a major hard news story breaks, mostly because at that time, nobody really cares about anything other than that news story. So posting content then is pretty much a waste of time. If you’re an author (or publisher, for that matter) who chooses to carry on with “BUY MY BOOK” tweets and posts in the face of news like this, I’d suggest you reconsider.

And while we’re talking rules, some of you might have seen this nonsense about manual vs. not retweets. Despite what this post says, it’s fine to share information however you see fit. Whomever originated the information you’re sharing should just be grateful you do.

Ode to Serials

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Apr 052013

by Erin Mitchell

Most of the time, I'm pretty certain I was born in the wrong decade. Not that there was anything wrong with the 1970s, but in many ways I feel much more connected to the 1950s. All the Heywood-Wakefield furniture in our house, for example, as well as the house itself, is from the 50s. I'm drawn to artwork from that era. I love reading books set in and that were written in that timeframe (reference: Ed McBain and John D. MacDonald). Heck, I even prefer cars, trains, and boats to air travel. Many of my social attitudes are more suited to the 50s, too. And my love of the artistic forms of that time translates as well to my appreciation for serialized stories.

Some years back I enjoyed reading Laura Lippman's THE GIRL IN THE GREEN RAINCOAT. When I wrote to her to tell her how much I'd liked it, she mentioned that it had been originally serialized in the New York Times. While I had missed this original publication, I wasn't surprised, because the structure of the story lends itself to being read in bits.

As most things do, serialized stories are gearing up for a comeback. Considering that many of us communicate these days in 140-character tweets and Facebook photo captions, this makes sense. From a practical perspective, too, many readers do so in settings—public transportation or waiting rooms come immediately to mind—that are suited to shorter bursts of reading.

Amazon has quietly launched Kindle Serials, and I have it on good authority that they will be feeding it with some exciting content in the coming months. I also heard a reliable rumor that Crimespree Magazine will be serializing novels starting soon. These examples represent two models—paid and free—each of which has marketing pros and cons. They share one important thing, though: a serialized story builds reader loyalty.

I'm a fan of serials because they exercise a portion of my brain that modern rapid-fire short-form communication tends to atrophy. When I read a portion of a story and then have to wait a week for the next, the brain files it under "remember this." I pay more attention to details that I might otherwise miss. I feel more engaged in the story because I'm following along, pausing to consider each installment before getting to the next.

And while delivery methods have evolved, serials hearken back to a time when the world was a bit slower, more considered, we didn't necessarily need it all right now, and we took the time to revel in a great story.

What She Said

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Mar 292013

by Erin Mitchell

On Wednesday this week, an author posted a tweet that was insulting—to say the least—to both readers and librarians. I know, right? Who would want to insult librarians?

The Picky Girl, one of the smartest people (and bloggers) I am lucky enough to know, wrote an incredibly smart post in response to this tweet. There’s no way I could say what she more clearly or eloquently than she did, and so I’m using this post today to ask you to please click right here and read what she wrote. You can also follow her at @picky_girl on Twitter.

The only addition I would make to her post is to say that the author has since deleted the offending tweet, replacing it with this one, which directs reader to this post to learn how they can help authors. Professionally, I have to say this was a good move.

Personally, I find the blog post even more offensive than the original tweet because it devalues readers’ time and attention (the things on the list are not actually “easy” for most folks to find the time to do, thanks). But I’m cranky that way.

Again, here’s the post I hope you will take the time to read. And if you'd like to see an example of a tweet from an author that makes a reader's heart smile, check out this one from Joe Finder. Thank you.

The Value of Being a Jerk

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Mar 082013

by Erin Mitchell

Some people believe that when it comes to marketing, being a jerk is valuable. That readers--not to mention anyone who works in publishing or marketing--are kinda stupid, and should be treated as such.

There are others, though, who go out of their ways to be nice. Personable, even. Accessible.

When it comes to marketing, does it really matter? After all, authors put their words on the page, thereby creating a product that is “out there.” So surely being a jerk doesn't really matter? Since people flock en pop-culture masse to individuals who are less than admirable, could it even be helpful?

While I'd love to say being a jerk will always and absolutely harm your marketing efforts, I can't, because it's just not true. An author's personality might gain or lose him or her readers, but usually not in numbers that make much of a difference. Readers use so many different criteria when choosing which books to buy and read, but the author's personality is generally not one of them, statistically speaking. As strange as it might seem, some people actually do prefer jerks, and so if your readers respond to this, it can be a valuable means of connection.

That said, very few of the big-name authors I've ever encountered are jerks. One, to be exact, and he hides his jerkiness from his adoring public. Take from that what you will.

I promote books as part of my living, but I also do so as a reader, through endeavors that consume a great deal of time and energy and benefit my bank account not one iota, including a blog and Facebook page. And I'm far from alone in this. When an author takes the time to notice or a reader thanks me for a recommendation, it serves as fuel for these efforts. It makes it worthwhile. Likewise, when I see or hear about an author who is a jerk, I'm not inclined to lend a helping hand.

As long as there have been marketing campaigns, there have been personas. Whether an author needs one depends very much on where she or he is in her or his career. Marketing is, after all, all about appearances, and to assume that your personality isn't part of your marketing program is a mistake from which it can be difficult to recover because it can impede your efforts to reach new readers.

I'm not saying you need to run out and hug everyone who reads your book. But if you are interacting with other humans, it might be an idea to consider these interactions from more than one perspective.

But back to the value of being a jerk. Is it ever valuable? Yes, it can be. Sometimes taking a stand can connect you with some readers as alienate others. Sometimes the former group is much larger.

Take, for example, Barry Eisler and Brad Thor. While their politics are far from aligned, both use being a jerk effectively to connect with their audiences. Their book sales attest to this.

If you're reading this and thinking, "Hey, Barry and/or Brad isn't a jerk!" then you, unlike me, are a part of their audience. But to this reader, based on direct and indirect experiences, they're jerks. And you just proved my point. Sometimes being a jerk is, in fact, valuable.

Throw Off the Genre Chains

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Mar 012013

by Erin Mitchell

I understand why books need to be assigned genres. Without them, finding books would be almost impossible for readers.

But I grew up on the Dewey Decimal System, whose most specific classifications for the books I read is 813, American Literature in English: Fiction or 823, English & Old English literatures: English fiction. It was until I was well into my reading career that I heard the term “cozy” or saw “noir” applied to books, not just movies.

So I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with over-classifying books, especially since some of the books I read are, it seems to me, either misfiled or categorized in such a way that the marketing for them will pass some readers right by. I recently read such a book.

Before I am misunderstood: The book I’m about to discuss doesn’t come out until June 8, and so the marketing for it hasn’t yet really kicked in. I’m not saying that the publisher, Midnight Ink, has or will do anything wrong…it’s just a great example of a book that could easily fall into a genre bin that it doesn’t deserve.

AS SHE LEFT IT is by the lovely and charming Catriona McPherson, whose Dandy Gilver historical cozy mysteries have garnered copious well-deserved acclaim. But Catriona apparently has a darker side too, one she calls on to tell this story. In it, a woman returns to her childhood home under something of a cloud. Once there, she digs into some of the histories of the residents of the street on which she grew up. What follows is a chilling and often frightening story, one that offers insight into the depths of both human depravity and kindness.

What kind of story is it? I would call it a mystery. A dark one. When I asked Catriona about this (via Twitter), her husband said it is a “twisty, character-driven mystery.” That’s a great descriptor, and probably a genre on some list somewhere. But here’s the thing:

The lead character in this book is not a cop nor an investigator of any sort. She’s an amateur investigator. So technically, I think it could qualify as cozy. Except it’s not. Except people who read cozies will enjoy it.

So you see my conundrum.

I’m an advocate of marketing that includes all your readers—those who know your work and those who have yet to discover it. If I was to market this particular book, I would include Catriona’s cozy fans…and also the folks who have influence with noir readers. Old people will love it, as will young hipsters. It has truly broad appeal.

My point here is that if you write fiction, I hope you won’t let your marketing be constrained by genre labels. Remember that most readers, even those of us who are loyal to our niches, like to break out every now and again.

Introduction to Online Advertising for Authors

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Feb 222013

by Erin Mitchell

For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working with the good folks at Crimespree Magazine to spruce up their website. The new one will be live on March 1, but you can get a preview here. One of the things we’ve done is add banner advertising to the site. Which has me thinking about online advertising generally as a marketing vehicle for books, authors and publishers.

Now, before you get all up in arms and disgruntled and feel the need to express your abhorrence for online ads, please take a look at the site and finish reading this post. Thank you.

By way of disclosure, I should mention that approximately a million years ago, I worked for ad agency McCann-Erickson, in Dublin, Ireland and Chicago. It was a good experience—great colleagues, fantastic clients—and so I’m slightly biased in favor of advertising as a general rule. That said…

We all know that advertising has changed dramatically in the last decade. TV advertising is and will always be both incredibly powerful—and also beyond the means of most authors and publishing imprints, assuming we’re not talking about books penned by the likes of a Grishman, Patterson, or King. Radio has become an on-demand medium, except when it’s consumed in cars. Outdoor—billboards, bus wraps and shelters, taxi tops, signs in airports—can deliver value to authors, but this is a topic for another post.

Which brings us to online advertising. You know, those boxes or links that nobody will ever admit to clicking (keeping in mind that everyone lies—no offense). The bane of Facebook denizens. Yeah…that.

Just like any marketing tactic, for online advertising to be effective and worthwhile, you need to have clear and simple goals defined. By simple, I mean that you have three choices:

Increase brand (book and/or author) awareness
Sell books
Grow your audience

If you’re not looking to accomplish one or more of those things, online advertising is not for you.

Next, you need to have a budget, which should be divided into a “campaign test” and “campaign execution.” Because advertising has so very many moving parts, it’s crucial that you test everything you’re doing before dumping your entire spend into, say, Google Adwords. In determining a budget, think about your customer acquisition cost—and the value of those customers. What portion of those who buy your latest book are likely to also buy your backlist titles? Or tell their friends about your books?

Now, consider where you want to advertise.

Ad Networks—like the aforementioned Google Adwords, give you broad and potentially targeted reach, but they’re not easy to navigate. Their plethora of options can deliver real bang for your buck if you have some idea of what you’re doing. There are lots of ad networks out there, so even choosing one—never mind using it—can be a bear.
Media Networks—Time Inc. is a good example; this is a group of publications that are all under the same corporate umbrella. As a general rule, you can get better advertising rates if you advertise in more than one “property” (website) and some of these networks even have mobile-specific programs available now.
Social Network Advertising comes in two flavors, Facebook and Twitter. Yes, there are others, but they don’t really matter. If you’re looking to grow your audience in either of these venues (and you have the means in place to maintain a strong presence there), you need to consider social media advertising. Be warned, though, it’s really easy to waste money on both or either of these; you need to understand the options available and use them effectively.
Specific Websites can reach your readers directly. This is the category Crimespree falls into (and the reason it makes sense for them to have curated ads on their site), as does Mystery Scene, Ellery Queen, Spinetingler, and others, not to mention blogs. Not all accept online ads and it’s impossible to make generalizations about these sites, so it’s important to learn about each to determine whether they’re right for you. Keep in mind that with these outlets, you’re not just buying eyeballs, but rather a qualified, self-identified reader audience, and as such you’ll pay more per click or impression than with a network…but you’ll also see a (much) higher conversion rate.

Once you’ve determined what you want to accomplish with online advertising, how much you want to spend, and where you can best reach and interact with your audience, it’s time to figure out what kind of online advertising you need. You need to learn the definition of a lot of terms to do this… online advertising has an entire lexicon with which you need to be familiar (if you think I’m kidding, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has a helpful wiki that includes 569 of these terms).

By this point, you’ve likely decided that given its complexity, online advertising can’t possibly deliver a return equal to other marketing activities. Not so. Like all marketing, it’s not to be taken lightly. There’s a reason professionals specialize in this; it’s not easy. Just because you don’t like online ads (yeah, yeah…you never click…I remember) as you browse the interwebs doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them. When done well—often with the help of a professional and as a part of a marketing campaign—it can actually be one of your most powerful tools.

Love Letter to Robert Crais’s Green Fuzzy Balls

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Jan 252013

by Erin Mitchell

I’ve talked before about being a fan of gimmicks, when the gimmicks work. How do we know if it’s working? It raises awareness of a book and author. It makes people curious. It contributes to selling books.

Most gimmicks are, though, kinda meh. A little too predictable, and not necessarily social media-friendly.

Enter Robert Crais’s Green Fuzzy Balls.

In case you hadn’t heard, SUSPECT is the new book from Crais. It’s neither a Joe Pike nor an Elvis Cole tale, but instead a stand-alone. In it, Maggie, a German Shepherd, figures prominently. So some brilliant marketing mind made green tennis balls emblazoned with Maggie’s name as well as the author name and book title.

The balls tie to the book because if you’ve ever met a German Shepherd, you know that they’re fantastic fetch players. A tennis ball might only last 5 minutes, but boy do they love them. But the green fuzzy balls are brilliant for a much more important reason (sorry, doggies).

When they started arriving in readers’ mailboxes, I started seeing Tweets and Facebook posts that were all variations on, “I got Robert Crais’s balls!” How much fun is that? People obviously took much joy in posting it, along with pictures of the aforementioned balls. Just typing it repeatedly here is making me grin.

And the result? I’ve talked with several folks who haven’t read Crais before, but they’re going to pick up SUSPECT as a result of having their attention attracted by the his green fuzzy balls. While this is anecdotal, for an author who topped the NYT Bestseller List with his last book to be finding and connecting with new readers is significant in marketing-land.

This gimmick has also been well executed because not everyone got Robert Crais’s green fuzzy balls. I, for example, am not in possession of a pair. But I know about them. I’m writing about them. And the fact that they’re slightly rare only increases their cool factor.

As tchotchkes go, tennis balls aren’t the cheapest option. But I’ve always advocated for spending a bit more on something effective rather than less on something that has no impact.

If you'd like to be in with a shout to win a set of Robert Crais's green fuzzy balls and a signed copy of SUSPECT, click here.

Photo courtsey the super-awesome Pop Culture Nerd.

The Whole Picture

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Jan 182013

by Erin Mitchell

One of my favorite Sherlock Holmes scenes includes when Sherlock holding a painting up to Watson’s nose and asking him what it’s a picture of. Watson gets annoyed (as only Watson can) because of course he can’t tell when the painting is so close to his face. Sherlock’s point is made: Sometimes in order to see a picture, you need to take a step back and look at the whole picture.

So it is with your marketing presence.

Try though you might, you never know exactly where your next reader is going to find you. She might happen on your Facebook page. He could see a Tweet. A Google search that leads to your Tumblr? Also possible. And this is before we look at your website, your publisher’s website (and plethora of social media accounts not to mention catalog), Pinterest, Riffle, e-newsletter, blogs, newspapers, magazines, radio, book clubs, TV segments… You get the idea.

I wasn’t at Digital Book World this week, but I followed along thanks to lots of smart folks on Twitter who shared 140-character nuggets from the presentations. Many of these nuggets came via Kathleen Schmidt. Here’s one of my favorite series:

Fascinating stuff. But here’s the thing: Until there is a reliable stat saying 100% of books are discovered in one place—which, we all know, there never will be—you simply can’t afford to be myopic in your view of your brand. You might not be on all the various communication platforms, but your readers are. It’s important, therefore, to take a step back and look around. Consider it an audit, but not the awful, scary IRS kind. This is the kind where you—or someone of your choosing—looks past the first page of Google search results. Updates your Goodreads author profile. Edits your Wikipedia page. Clicks every damn link on your website and fixes broken links (there’s usually at least one).

Once you have a complete picture, it becomes much easier to understand how to best utilize the content you create. What needs to link to or auto-post where and when. Where to focus your efforts to best connect with fans and new readers.

2012: Five Moments

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Dec 282012

by Erin Mitchell

2013 will be here in a jiffy, which has me thinking about the almost 12 months just gone. A Year in Review if you will…albeit somewhat random.

Apparently every reader except me read GONE GIRL this year, and I have yet to hear anyone say anything bad about it. I read SHARP OBJECTS, which has been in my TBR pile for years, and I met Gillian Flynn, who was lovely. It was great. Yes, I’ll read GONE GIRL…eventually. And when I do, I’m sure I’ll love it as much as Everyone Else has.

One of the best times I had this year was an event for Danish author Sara Blaedel at Book Expo America. Why so much fun? Book bloggers. They are, as a rule, brilliant, dedicated, passionate, funny people. If you have the opportunity to spend time with them in the company of authors especially, do.

I’m no cameraperson, but this video—of John Connolly talking about his favorite James Lee Burke books—is one I will always treasure.

2012 was many things, not all of them easy. Between the American presidential election and Sandy and the horrific events in Newtown, I’m more grateful than ever for the sanctuary I find in stories.

My favorite book-related quote of the year is from Mark Billingham, who—when talking about e-books and paper books at Bouchercon in Cleveland—said, “Escalators and stairs coexist.” As someone who will never stop flipping pages and has also been clicking buttons for some years now, I could only cheer (and Tweet the quote, of course).

Wishing you all a safe and joyous New Year. If you drink, give someone who doesn’t your keys. Thank you.

See you in 2013!

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