November 2nd, 2009
By Michael Dymmoch
The September meeting of MWA/Midwest was held at Centuries and Sleuths, Forest Park, Illinois, on September 23.
It began with announcements: Jim Doherty has a new short story out, a pastiche on Dick Tracy. Steve Phelan has a new book out. Luisa Buehler’s next series book will be out in January of 2011. Naomi Smith’s publisher has picked up the third book in her series. Diane Piron-Gelman’s first novel, No Less Than Blood, will be published in 2011 by Five Star. President Julie Hyzy asked for volunteers to man (or woman) the MWA table at Bouchercon.
Wednesday’s speakers were Danielle Egan-Miller, President, and Lauren Olson, of Browne & Miller Literary Associates (formerly Multimedia Product Development, Inc.), founded by Jane Jordan Browne in 1971. Ms. Egan-Miller worked for the agency early in her career, returning as a partner in 2002. When Ms. Browne died in 2003, Ms. Egan-Miller became the agency president. Lauren Olson joined Browne & Miller in 2007 as an intern, and achieved her present position, Assistant to the Agents, in 2008. Browne & Miller is a full-service literary agency currently representing 200 writers, 75 of whom are actively writing. Most of these are mid-career authors, on their fifteenth book rather than their first. The agency handles print, audio, film/TV, and foreign rights, and sells 25-35 books annually; 85% of sales are fiction. Browne & Miller looks for: well written fiction, particularly substantive women’s fiction, historical fiction with strong romantic elements, narrative non-fiction, classy true crime (like Devil in the White City, but not Chicago Mob books), and young adult fiction. The agency does not deal with large print rights, poetry, screenplays, short stories, children’s illustrated books, Christian living (although Christian-themed novels are OK), Sci-Fi, horror, or works that cannot be classified at all within a genre. They say “Westerns are a hard sell.” Browne & Miller’s current wish list is posted on the Publisher’s Marketplace website (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/mpdinc/).
The last four years have been very challenging. Contracts frequently come with no check; the check may come thirty days later. Some publishers divide the advance into quarters and pay on signing, on acceptance, on publication, and six months after publication (which used to be called the first royalty check). The agency doesn’t get paid until the author is paid.
Finding the right agent to represent your work is crucial. Established authors are often looking for something different from what debut authors need. “Some people think they need a New York agent. I respect that,” Ms. Egan-Miller said. “But I’m never going to be a New York agent. It has to be a match. We like to work with authors we like. I’ve had my share of authors who are difficult, but how much of me can I devote to handholding or talking people off the ledge?” Browne & Miller has taken on only four debut novels in the last three years. “The problem with debut novels is that they have no traction. We can’t make a living selling only debut fiction, so we’re very careful these days. Clever ideas and fun titles are okay, but most important is the quality of writing and storytelling. It has to be something we really believe in for us to commit to sticking with it.”
Querying is the primary way for an author to introduce his work to an agent; having an agent is still the best way to get a mainstream publisher. Some agents receive 600 book queries per week—30,000 per year! Brown & Miller gets approximately 200 queries per week, twice as many as last year. With a staff of only four, the agency cannot have much sympathy for poorly written queries, or for writers who have not learned their craft or done some basic research.
“We’re not that mean, but if you spell my name wrong….” Queries are read by three staff members before they arrive on Ms. Egan-Miller’s desk. Only five or ten make it through the screening process.
Ms. Egan-Miller distributed and discussed Browne & Miller’s “10 Tips on Query Letters” (which can be found at http://www.browneandmiller.com/Query.html). In querying, it’s most important to follow the guidelines. Query by letter or in the body of an email, whichever medium is the most comfortable. When querying by email, write your letter as a word document, spell check and proof it, then cut and paste it into the body of your email. Ms. Egan- Miller’s advice: “Email gives some people license to be casual or even rude. Err on the side of being conservative and professional.” For security reasons, email attachments will not be opened. Unsolicited material will not be read.
Categories: CLUES, Meeting report, Meetings |
Tags: Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore, Mystery Writers of America | No Comments
November 2nd, 2009
Malice Domestic 22, April 20-May 2, 2010, Arlington, VA
Categories: Event |
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November 2nd, 2009
Murder and Mayhem in Muskego 5, November 14, 2009 from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Meet and greet on Friday evening.
Categories: Event |
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November 2nd, 2009
New England Crime Bake 2009, November 13-15, 2009, Dedham, MA
Categories: Event |
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November 1st, 2009
Bodies & Buckeyes Writers Conference in Columbus, OH, unfortunately canceled this year.
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October 13th, 2009
10 Going to work on Wednesday
9 Going to work on Thursday
8 Going to work on Friday
7 Balancing the checkbook
6 Putting together a new bedframe for my daughter
5 Going to the hardware store at least three times because the right bolts weren’t included with the bedframe
4 Touring a high school my kids are thinking of attending next year, along with 10,000 other people.
3 Getting stuck in traffic
2 Writing the next bestselling mystery novel while everyone else is in Indianapolis! Ha! (Who am I kidding? I’ll probably stare at a blank page a while then watch the last Castle episode again online).
And the number one thing I’ll be doing instead of attending Bouchercon in Indianapolis: Picking up after the dog in the backyard, just like I do EVERY Saturday morning!
Have fun in Indy! – Tim Broderick
Categories: Event, Uncategorized |
Tags: Bouchercon | 1 Comment
September 8th, 2009
At Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 W. Madison, Forest Park, Illinois
Agents Danielle Egan-Miller and Joanna Mackenzie of Browne & Miller Literary Agency will be our guests. They plan to talk about what their agency looks for in queries and in manuscripts. They will also discuss query etiquette and they’re bringing handouts.
There will be no individual critiquing at this meeting, but there will be ample time for questions and answers. Please RSVP by email Julie Hyzy if you plan to attend.
Categories: Event, Meetings |
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July 21st, 2009
UPDATED 10/8/09 Oops! Bad email address in the last update.
To enter the second chance drawing for SJ Rozan and Joseph Finder, please email boucherconhotticket@earthlink.net. (Got one too many t’s in the email address in the earlier update, although I’ve fixed it now.) Sorry to all those who found it bounced.
Please re-enter!!!
UPDATED 10/1/09 Second chance entries for SJ Rozan and Joseph Finder now being accepted via email!
The contest for winning one of the first five HOT TICKETS for each of the authors has closed. All winners were notified and all those who didn’t win were notified that they have been automatically entered into the second chance drawing. You can submit additional second chance entries at the MWA booth when you arrive at the convention. However, there are two exceptions: SJ Rozan and Joseph Finder. You can enter those now.
Since the HOT TICKET events for SJ Rozan and Joseph Finder are on Thursday, October 15, the day Bouchercon begins, attendees won’t have time to submit their second chance entries at the MWA booth. Therefore, we’re now accepting email entries for the second chance drawings for those events. To enter, please send your name, your email address, your cell phone or home phone number (however we can get hold of you) and the author you’d like to win a HOT TICKET for (either SJ or Joseph, and yes, you can enter for both, although you can only win a ticket to one event, not both.) to boucherconhotticket@earthlink.net The winners for the second five tickets to SJ and Joseph’s events will be randomly selected on Monday, October 12, from all those who’ve entered. GOOD LUCK!
UPDATED 9/8/09: Got more questions? Read our Hot Ticket FAQ!
The Midwest Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) presents a way to win one of ten lucky tickets that will enable you to spend approximately an hour with one of your favorite MWA authors:
- Lee Child
- Michael Connelly
- Joseph Finder
- Sue Grafton
- Charlaine Harris
- Carolyn Hart
- David Morrell
- Sara Paretsky
- PJ Parrish
- SJ Rozan
- Wendelin Van Draanen
Explanation: You know what it’s like at a big convention. You’re dying to meet your favorite author, but he or she is always surrounded by crowds. Even if you catch them at a free moment, it’s just that…a moment. You can get a book signed or maybe even a photo with them, but do you really get a chance to know them? Here’s your chance.
Eleven bestselling MWA authors have committed to giving ten lucky fans an hour of their time in a small group setting during Bouchercon. Five of the tickets for each author will be given away before the convention, and the remaining five will be chosen there.
How to get a HOT TICKET: The quest for one of the first five tickets for each author begins now! Tell us, in less than 150 words, why you should get a ticket. Be creative! For example, tell us about your six degrees of separation from the author, or cite a quote from one of their books and what it means to you, or tell us the question you’ve always wanted to ask him or her. You have 150 words to convince us you’re the one who should be in that small group setting. Give us your best reason! Click here to submit an entry.
Second Chances: If you don’t win one of the first five tickets, don’t despair…there’s a second chance drawing for the remaining five tickets to each author’s event. Watch this website for more details on how to get into the second chance drawing, or visit the MWA booth at Bouchercon to enter.
Categories: Extra event, Hot Ticket, Uncategorized |
Tags: Add new tag, Bouchercon 2009, Carolyn Hart, Charlaine Harris, David Morrell, Joseph Finder, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, PJ Parrish, Sara Paretsky, SJ Rozan, Sue Grafton, Wendelin Van Draanen | No Comments
July 15th, 2009
Reported by Michael A. Black
The Mid-West MWA meeting was held in Louisville, Kentucky on July 11. Presiding were MWMWA President Julie Hyzy and MWMWA Vice President Tony Perona. Board member Michael A. Black was also in attendance.
The board wishes to extend a special thanks to Beverle Graves Myers for setting this meeting up.
Thanks also to the Ohio River Valley chapter of SinC for hosting us.
Julie opened the meeting with a hearty welcome and explained that everyone was here to talk about the Midwest Chapter of MWA, its plans going forward and how members can be part of it all.
She then did the customary query around room for news announcements. Bev Myers new book comes out in September. Judith Rock just signed a book deal with Berkley Prime Crime for her historical mystery. Alec Calla has a new collection of his short stories being released soon. Tamera Shaw also said she has a short story coming out in an anthology. Julie talked about her newest entry to her White House chef series coming out in January, and Mike mentioned that the second in his police procedural series is due out in September. Looks like it’s going to be a busy fall.
Julie went on to explain that the chapter has held meetings in various locations, with the hope that members will be encouraged to begin meeting on their own. This has apparently taken root in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and from the enthusiasm shown at this meeting, there was little doubt that this will also be the case in Louisville. The plan is to get back to each of these cities once every year-and-a-half or two years. That’s the goal the chapter has set, but it’s difficult. We’re working on it.
Tony talked about the Midwest Chapter’s plans for the Hot Ticket Event for Bouchercon and the plan, the details of which will be released shortly, left everyone breathless with anticipation. We don’t want any misinformation to get out there, and everything is not 100% set, so nothing else will be said here. (Take it from me, this is going to be a spectacular addition to Bouchercon and just might become a permanent part of the big conference) Kudos to Tony and Jim Huang for setting it all up.
Julie talked about the success of the Printers Row event, which was held last month in Chicago, the annual holiday party in December, the Yahoo board, CLUES, TTD, the MWA website, etc.
Mike talked about our critique/mentor program.
Also discussed were such subjects as:
Why the MWA is great.
The rationale for the MWA-approved publisher list and the reason for its importance.
How the MWA anthologies submission system works.
The value of networking through the MWA.
The rebound grants program and how it works.
The Edgars
and MWA discounts
The meeting was finished off with some questions from the audience, and everyone left feeling this had been one of the most informative and productive meetings yet. Numerous MWA applications were also handed out.
Categories: Meeting report |
Tags: Alec Calla, Judith Rock, Julie Hyzy, Michael A. Black, Tamera Shaw, Tony Perona | No Comments
June 21st, 2009
Via the Chicago Trribune story: Gilbreth was a retired Chicago newspaperman and mystery reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Categories: Uncategorized |
Tags: Gilbreth, mystery reviewer | No Comments
