I just returned from a few days rubbing elbows with a fabulous number of mystery writers at the annual Killer Nashville writers’ conference.
Every mystery sub-genre was represented, including thrillers, suspense, psycho-serial killers, medical mysteries, historical, humorous, and some that defied categorization. Consequently, the panels and breakout sessions were dynamite.
I was there to have fun and hobnob, of course, but primarily to pitch my two complete cozy mysteries, as well as my idea for a continuing series set on the southwest Washington coast (go figure!).
A cozy is light, engaging, often humorous, and has a cast of delightfully quirky small town characters you’d love to meet in your local neighbor grocery store. If you remember the TV series “Murder, She Wrote,” you know exactly what cozies are all about.
Unfortunately, there were no agents present at the conference who represented cozies, but there were a plethora of cozy writers, and the hallways between sessions became my ultimate classroom. Turns out, cozy writers love to talk, and they willingly shared their insights and observations and “best tips” for getting published.
I returned home with lots of information to sift through, and quite a bit I can choose to act upon, once I figure out exactly what course of action I’m going to pursue. Will I continue to query agents? (I have a good list of potential candidates) Will I focus on eBooks alone? (Then what about holiday bazaars?) Will I choose to self-publish? (And if so, which publishing or printing company will best meet my needs from production input, cover design and eBook formatting to marketing and distribution?)
There’s a massive amount to consider, and my book bag is overflowing with “leads.” And although I “could” get started right away on Book Three in my series, I first need to figure out which way is the best way to go to pursue publication.
And that’s the biggest mystery of all!