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![[IMAGE]](images/newsltr3.jpg) Fall, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 3
THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD: MYSTERY BOOKSTORE NEWS
By Deborah Woodworth
On August 1, 2002, history was made when Pat Frovarp and Gary Shulze took ownership of the Once Upon A Crime Mystery Bookstore in Minneapolis. Soon afterwards, we asked them to share their thoughts on this move.
Deborah: Tell us something about yourselves. What did you do before your lives at Once Upon A Crime began?
Pat: Interning with Steve [Stilwell] for over three years only solidified my life-long madness for mystery books. In a past life, I worked for attorneys. Give me fiction over reality any day.
Gary: I was a tuba player, and dreamed of owning a bookstore. Then I became a piano technician, and dreamed of owning a book store. Then I met Pat.
Deborah: What brought you to the bookselling business?
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Deborah, Kent and Ellen at Once Upon A Crime
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Gary: Pat.
Pat: Gary.
Deborah: What do you like to read?
Gary: Besides you guys? Actually, we've both become professional readers, which isn't exactly the dream job we had hoped it would be. What with all the pre-publication manuscripts and galleys, plus author appearances to prepare for, gone are the days of recreational reading. The good news in all this comes when we discover those terrific reads we might otherwise have missed.
Deborah: What excites you most about taking over ownership of Once Upon A Crime?
Pat: We are surrounded by books at home; what a joy to go to work and be surrounded by them yet again.
Deborah: Do you have any fears about going into this new venture?
Pat: People love to read, we love to read. Fear doesn't enter into it.
Gary: No. I'm having way too much fun.
Deborah: Are you considering any changes for Once Upon A Crime?
Pat & Gary: Changes will be subtle and cautious. We [hope] to work up a website. We've already made some changes to the used & collectible annex—like letting people know it exists! The pre-1950 books have been consolidated into a separate section, about four bookcases worth. Our main thrust always will be to nurture our customers.
Deborah: Any plans for a Once Upon A Crime cat? Or how about a bookstore beagle?
Gary: We were thinking of moving our parrot Felix to the store, but he tends to get rude and surly, so we're afraid customers might mistake him for Steve.
Deborah: Has mystery bookselling changed since you got involved in it? How?
Gary: Well there's the internet. People can find rare books on a number of data bases, and shop for prices. But with so many dealers getting on board, service and condition of the books are big concerns. The places offering huge discounts on the best sellers don't bother us too much. We're a specialty shop, with a more eclectic inventory and clientele.
Deborah: In your observation, what sells books?
Pat: Enthusiasm. Good old-fashioned handselling, knowing your customers' tastes, knowing your stock.
Deborah: Do author events really help?
Gary: Tremendously. Anything you authors can do for us over and above writing more books is welcome. And we gladly return all favors.
Deborah: As booksellers, what do you wish authors would do more (or less)?
Pat: Continue to support the independents. The Twin Cities have lost a few good stores. I think all authors got their start from enthusiastic independent bookstores hand-selling their books. We all need the continued support of each other.
Deborah: As you know, mystery buffs are incurable gossips, so... what is Steve Stilwell really like?
(Both Pat & Gary denied responsibility for the following.) Though it may be hard for some of you to believe, and Steve would never admit to it, Steve Stilwell is a kind and generous man.
Deborah: Is there anything else you are yearning to pass along?
Gary: To be doing what I love, with the one I love, is truly a dream come true.
AGENTS: THE DOWN AND DIRTY
By Ellen Hart
Okay, so you've written your first book. It's brilliant, an Edgar winner for sure. What do you do now? Do you need an agent? If so, how do you find one? And when you do find an interested agent, how do you know this man or wornan is right for you?
First, do you need an agent? Generally, the answer is yes, but here's the deal. If you publish your first book through a small press, as opposed to a mainstream New York publisher, you may be able to send a query letter/manuscript directly to the press. A good eighty percent of the books published by small presses are unagented. My first six books were published by Seal Press, a small press in Seattle. I didn't have an agent, which isn't saying I didn't need one. If you do decide to go the small press route, once you've got a publisher interested, you won't have any trouble finding an agent.
Right about now you're probably asking yourself: If I sold the book without the services of an agent, why do I need one? The answer is simple: to negotiate the deal. Even though a small press may come to you with a rather simple looking contract (unlike NY contracts which are labyrinthine and don't remotely sound like the English you and I speak), there are still matters that need the careful, professional eye of an agent. I signed away lots of my rights without even realizing it, rights I had to go back and renegotiate many years after the fact. So, while you may not need an agent to get a small press's attention, you'd be smart to engage one before the contract process begins.
If your goal is a NY press, with only a few exceptions, you will need to find someone to represent you. NY publishers use agents as filtering devices. If an agent is willing to risk her/his time to try to sell your book, there's a better chance it's actually more saleable than one that simply arrives in the mail—called over the transom in the publishing biz.
How do you find an agent? My advice is to go to conventions, such as Bouchercon. Talk to the writers. Most writers will be happy to tell you who represents them. They may also be willing to tell you what they think of their agent, which is invaluable information. You can also contact writers through their websites and ask the same questions. The point here is this: You want to find an agent who knows the crime writing field, knows the current mystery editors at the various presses—and might even know their preferences. Whether or not the agent you find is right for you is a question you'll probably have to answer yourself. Even reputable agents sometimes lack—or lose—enthusiasm for a writer. And believe me, enthusiasm is gold, wherever you find it.
Here's the bottom line, the basic notion of agenting: Just as you risk your time and effort to write the book, an agent risks their time and effort to sell it. They shouldn't make their money editing it, charging huge reading fees, and nickel and diming you to death for every phone call, every letter. If all else fails, you can contact The Minnesota Crime Wave through the website, and we'll be happy to send you eight to ten names of reputable mystery agents. It's a place to start. From all of us in the Crime Wave, we wish you good luck with your writing journey!
WELCOME THE WAVIE!
By William Kent Krueger
Are you tired of bogus awards that mean nothing? The MTV Movie Awards? The People's Choice Awards? The Nobel Prize? I mean, what's with those Nobel people? Whoever heard of Odysseus Elytis or Yasunari Kawabata, for God's sake? You can't even find their books on the paperback racks at Wal-Mart.
We of the Minnesota Crime Wave are fed up with all the sound and fury out there that signifies nothing. The Crime Wave believes it's time to take a bold stand in the name of art. It's time to recognize those aspects of mystery fiction that too often go unremarked upon. Things like wonderful villains, steamy sex scenes, unusual ways to murder, and, of course, imaginative use of the comma.
Beginning with the Winter 2003 newsletter, the Crime Wave will bestow upon a deserving author the Minnesota Crime Wave Award of Distinction, which we affectionately call the Wavie. The Wavie will be presented in recognition of accomplishment in an esoteric category, a category chosen entirely at our whim. Between issues, we will accept readers' suggestions for appropriate categories, and in the subsequent issue of the newsletter, we will announce the next area to be recognized. Once an announcement has been made, the door is wide open for readers to send us their favorite examples. The Crime Wave will review all submissions, get drunk, and vote. The winner(s) will be announced in the following newsletter. In addition to the possibilities already mentioned, other categories might include Worst Action Scene, Worst Kiss, Smarmiest Blurb, Best Protagonist Under Five Feet Tall, Most Bogus Mystery Award (you may not nominate the Wavie), or whatever else your fertile imaginations can conjure.
Never ones to be accused of false modesty, we foresee the Wavie becoming the preeminent award in mystery publishing, far outshining the Edgar, the Anthony, the Barry, the Agatha, etc. The inaugural Wavie will be given for the Best Last Line in a Crime Novel. Send your nominations to minnesotacrimewave@yahoo.com. The winner will be announced in the Winter 2003 newsletter, due out in late January. Not only will the lucky author(s) receive the recognition they so richly deserve, each winner will be given an original, finely crafted statuette (whose distinctive design will be revealed in the Spring newsletter) suitable to adorn any fireplace mantle, trophy case, or bathroom toilet tank too.
Read back issues:
Winter, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 1
Spring, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 2
Fall, 2002 - Vol. 1, Number 3
Winter, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 1
Spring, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 2
Fall, 2003 - Vol. 2, Number 3
Spring, 2004 - Vol. 3, Number 1
Fall, 2004 - Vol. 3, Number 2
Spring, 2005 - Vol. 3, Number 3
Fall, 2005 - Vol. 3, Number 4
Spring, 2006 - Vol. 4, Number 1
Fall, 2006 - Vol. 4, Number 2
Spring, 2007 - Vol. 5, Number 1
Spring, 2008 - Vol. 6, Number 1
Fall, 2008 - Vol. 6, Number 2 |
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