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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Do Mysteries Need a Reboot?




Have traditional whodunnits run out of steam, grown predictable, unable to surprise and entice readers anymore?

Fans of traditional murder mysteries—as opposed to thrillers or suspense—still love the genre, but they have complaints. And publishers are cutting back on the number they publish.

Something is clearly wrong.

International giant Penguin Random House has already cancelled more than 20 cozy series published under the Berkley Prime Crime, NAL, and Obsidian imprints, and the general expectation among writers is that this is just the first wave. But not only crafts-and-cats cozies are affected by the cutbacks. Five Star has scrapped its entire mystery line. Other publishers have apparently dropped series too, but I don’t have enough details to feel comfortable naming them, especially when the authors aren’t ready to reveal what’s happened.

Some series will be picked up by small presses, some will continue as self-published books. A few Penguin Random House authors will stay on, writing different series. But a lot of writers who have felt the cut of the ax have to reboot their careers.

Authors, needless to say, are nervous. Cozy fans in particular are saddened. A group called Save Our Cozies has sprung up on Facebook to keep fans up to date. Find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/726103940858234/

What’s behind this culling of traditional mysteries? Fans protest that they still buy a ton of them, so they must still be popular. But in publishing, all decisions come down to one thing: money. If a publisher drops a series, you can be sure it hasn’t been profitable enough to satisfy the corporate accountants.

So the question is: why?

The majority of these books have been published in mass market paperback, and at one point they sold so well that many cozy writers were able to claim “New York Times Bestselling Author” status. But e-books have crushed the mass market format, compacting it to a remnant of its former self. Most books on the paperback fiction bestseller lists today are reprints of hardcover blockbusters. The lists contain relatively few mass market original mysteries.

However, the rise of e-books doesn’t explain why series are being cancelled outright. If people were avid to read the stories, they would buy them in whatever format was available, and the series would live on.

I wonder if editorial practices may be more responsible than anything else for the demise of many cozy series. Readers complain that the books are too much alike and too predictable. That’s true, and it’s by design. Cozy writers have to meet certain publisher expectations. If you’ve read many cozies, you know what those expectations are. Lead characters are almost always female amateur sleuths in their thirties or forties, often newly single women who have moved to small towns to start over. The ex-husband will come into the books now and again to cause trouble, but it won’t be dark, physical abuse trouble. Townspeople form the protagonist’s new community, and the same characters appear in every book. Although the stories are about murder, the tone is usually light, with abundant humor. Violence is kept to a minimum and usually occurs off-page. Cats? Look at a shelf of cozies. How many covers do you see with cats on them? Each series is identified with small-store bookselling, food, needlecraft or some other womanly pursuit. You’ll find recipes in the backs of books that have nothing to do with cooking. Deep social problems and the outside world are barely touched on. Non-white characters aren’t plentiful. The formula leaves little room for freshness.

But cozies aren’t the only mysteries suffering from a lack of originality. The audience for all traditional mysteries seems to be wearying of overused devices and themes.

More and more, on Facebook and mystery discussion listservs, I see complaints about predictability and a lack of genuinely original material. Often readers say, “I keep reading her books just because I like the characters and want to catch up on what’s happening in their personal lives. But the plots have become predictable and forgettable.”

Tropes that make readers groan include the alcoholic cop or private detective; the lonely soul whose wife has left him or been murdered; secret babies/siblings whose identity is revealed to upend the plot; the protagonist with a friend or relative the amateur alone can clear of murder charges; heroines who are too stupid to live yet always triumph; cell phones that go dead at convenient times; characters who don’t TALK to each other, dragging out their childish  misunderstandings (and the story) for 300 tedious pages; formulaic endings and rushed endings that feel as if the writer suddenly realized it was time to wrap up the story. Saggy middles filled with repetitious material, and diversions that stop the mystery story cold for pages or whole chapters, also incite the ire of readers. (Can you add to the list? I’m sure you can.)

But, you may protest, mysteries are as popular as ever! Look at how many are on the bestseller lists! Okay, let’s look. Current BookScan hardcover bestsellers include novels by John Grisham, James Patterson, Harlan Coben, C.J. Box, Jeffery Deaver, Lisa Gardner. Among the paperback bestsellers are novels by David Baldacci, Stephen King, Lisa Jackson, Harlan Coben (again), James Patterson (again), Greg Iles. C.J. Box’s books can be called series mysteries if you discount all the thriller elements, but the rest are solidly thrillers and suspense, not traditional mysteries.

Sales of mystery/detective novels in print form have been declining for years. In 2015, hardcover mystery/detective sales were down 12% from the previous year. The drop in mass market paperback sales, as already noted, has been rapid and startling, and no bounce-back is in sight. E-book sales are falling too, which indicates a general lessening of interest in the books themselves, not just a search for lower prices or dissatisfaction with a particular format. Another element is the aging of the audience. Repeated surveys show that the primary audience for traditional mysteries is older women. Perhaps the audience is dying out and isn’t being replaced with an equal number of younger readers.

By contrast, thriller/suspense sales were up 8% last year over 2014. The phenomenon of 2015 was The Girl on the Train, a thriller by Paula Hawkins that sold 1.3 million copies in hardcover in the US last year and is still going strong—all over the world. The fresh new talents that are popping up often write psychological suspense or dark, violent police thrillers, not traditional mystery series.

Is it time for all traditional mystery writers to think about ways to refresh their genre? Is it time for publishers to free authors from the same old, same old expectations and let them explore new directions? Some readers will always love the comfort of a well-worn formula, but as we’re seeing, a lot have grown tired of it and want something different. A notable few authors produce consistently meaty, engrossing mysteries that don’t resort to formulas and stay with readers after the last page is turned. Any writer with talent should be able to do the same. That includes cozy authors. And they don’t have to sacrifice the small town settings and familiar characters their readers enjoy.

What do you think?

As a reader, do you want traditional mysteries, including cozies, to stay the same, or would you like to see a fresh new direction that will surprise and entice you?

If you’re a writer, are the latest shakeups in the business making you rethink your choices?

Please share in the comments.



55 comments:

  1. I rethought my choices after my traditional mystery series -- psychological suspense, my editor called it -- was beginning to bore ME -- what, another murder for this amateur sleuth to solve? I'm working on a non-mystery novel set during the Civil War. Having done two stints on reading committees for the Edgars, I've read all kinds of mysteries and have been depressed by how many, especially cozies, though competently written, are very predictable.


    And I suspect you're right about the aging audience . . .

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  2. Whatever you write will be wonderful, Vicki.

    I don't even read straight mysteries anymore, and I've come to hate violent, misogynistic thrillers with a passion. I prefer psychological suspense, the kind of story that goes deep inside the characters and doesn't rely on violence to keep the reader interested. At the rate I read, it's impossible to find enough new books, but plenty have been published in the past.

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  3. Sandra, I think you might have hit on something.

    I write suspense (called thrillers by some—I have no idea why) so I'm a little out of the loop. But while attending the Sisters in Crime Hollywood conference I learned about Five Star, and other publishers, who were cutting their cozy lines. The only one I heard that's in good shape is Hennery Press.

    I hope, for all the readers out there who continue to enjoy traditionals and cozies, and for my friends who write them, that there will be a couple of brave publishers willing to shake things up to satisfy the steadfast readers and bring in some new ones.

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  4. Very timely post. I read very few cozies because of the similarity of the plots. I think Hennery Press is going strong because they have chosen their books wisely. Writers like Gigi Pandian come up with new protagonists and interesting twists. That's what readers look for. I actually think one of the reasons Five Star wasn't doing well was because of their poor production values. The books screamed "cheap," did not look good or feel good in the hand. Which is doubly frustrating for their authors, many of whom write entertaining books.

    What annoys me is the number of thrillers I read these days that I put down halfway through because they are so formulaic. Some (Michael Sears) comes to mind, manage to avoid this trap, but too many do the tired old kick-ass former Special Ops guy or the woman with amazing, and totally unbelievable, skills. It's no wonder that psychological thrillers are increasing in popularity. And even some of those seem to cover tired ground.

    Could it be that one reason we've seen a spate of sic-fi related mysteries is the attempt to find new ground?

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    1. "New protagonists and interesting twists."

      Good answer!

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  5. This is a fascinating post, Sandra! I agree with a lot of what you've said here. There are some amazing writers being orphaned and it's just wrong.

    It's definitely puzzling how the trad pubs are dropping mystery writers, considering that from what I've seen personally, it's a growth genre. But maybe this is due to them cutting out the midlist. Or maybe it's because they price ebooks at $14.99. It's probably a combination of these and other things.

    Some of my favorite mystery authors are indies - like Jana DeLeon - who is proving that the genre is still fantastically popular. I think there's plenty of opportunities in mystery. It just may be with indie pubbing or with smaller presses who understand their cozy readers.

    Whatever it is - I hope mystery stays popular. I'm still reading it!

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  6. I hope Henery Press thrives and continues to look for fresh writing and stories that don't feel formulaic. They've made some good choices so far. As for books that scream "cheap" and production values that don't do justice to the words, this is a real problem with small presses that are constantly cutting corners to save pennies. But Five Star was part of a big company, so they should have produced better made books.

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  7. Thought-provoking post, Sandra. I find some cozies predictable, but I return to them for comfort, humor, characters I think about after I close the book. I confess I returned Girl on the Train to the library unfinished. I need to care about the characters, and I didn't. I do read suspense and thrillers, as well. I do hate that some wonderful authors have been orphaned and hope they'll find a new home that works better for them. Stirring the pot sometimes brings up some yummy goodies, however.

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  8. The fans of cozies are loyal, and I believe the audience will endure. It seems to be shrinking, though, and that's not good. A little freshening up might help.

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  9. Someone wiser than I once said that there are only three plots: a stranger comes to town, a man goes on a trip, and something's lost and must be found. As a writer, I actually find that quite liberating. Every story has already been told, yet people want more and more stories. It's up to us writers to take the old stories and retell them in a fresh way.

    So no, I don't think the mystery genre necessarily needs a reboot. What really needs a reboot is traditional publishing, a business that has its head very firmly wedged up its keester. Traditional publishers have always insisted that they're looking for "fresh" voices, then proceeded to reject all manuscripts that don't fit their formulas, claiming they wouldn't know how to market them. Before self-publishing, rejected authors had no recourse but to toss the ms. under the bed and try again. Now, authors, myself included, have self-published those non-formulaic books and discovered it's really not that hard to find an audience for books that are mystery/suspense or darkish cozy. I did it with my romantic thriller, ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE, and went to to sell more copies of that title than any of my trad-pubbed books. The sales of traditionally published mysteries may be declining, but indie and self-pubbed mysteries are selling briskly. Mystery is the biggest genre on BookBub. They have millions of subscribers signed up to get a daily email with mystery titles on sale. Many mystery fans are what I call "mega-readers." They finish one book and start another. Some read 300 books a year! Clearly, at that rate, they're not going to spend $25 on a hardcover, or even $7.99 for a paperback. They're perfectly happy finding new authors on sale, then going on to read their series priced at $3.99 or $4.99. Traditional publishers don't want to follow this model, so they're dropping their cozy and traditional mystery series and placing all their hopes in finding the next big best-seller. I say, fine. You go your way; we'll go ours. Cozy fans should not despair--there will be plenty of mysteries available for them to read for many years to come. That's my prediction!

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    1. Cheers to you!

      In many ways, eliminating the middle-men and gatekeepers have been liberating for readers.

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    2. My two cozy series are published by Alibi, the digital imprint from Penguin Random House - so I consider myself published in a traditional/hybrid format. Although I would love to have a trade paperback format, I'm delighted with the support I have, which includes an editor, copy editor, and PR. And our books are all priced at 2.99-3.99 - I don't see any reason to price an ebook at 12.99. So, although I don't get the higher income that a self-dubbed author would, I'm making money!

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  10. Sandra, which current cozy writers do you find worth following? Like you, I read and re-read the older books, especially Dorothy L. Sayers. I love Louise Penny, but that's mostly for her characters.

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    1. Heidi, I read Margaret Maron and Louise Penny. Margaret's books are traditional mysteries but not cozies. Louise is in a class by herself.

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  11. I read and review copies frequently. I find few of them represent great writing but are simple and cozy and light. That's not to say that there aren't some really good series like those of Carolyn Haines and Susan Wittig Albert out there. I do not like the angst-driven books and will not read The Girl on the Train which was gifted to me. What I like are those books which are character-driven and set in significant times and or places. I'm loving Rys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd. I must admit I am becoming discouraged by the predictability of the big name writers of mysteries, mostly males.
    Thanks for your insights, very refreshing!

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  12. As I said, editorial/publishing practies are to blame here. Authors may want to experiment, to go in fresh directions, to do something completely new, but publishers won't allow it. They want more of the same, and they insist that writers follow a formula, even if readers are sick of it. If mysteries are going to evolve into something better, it will have to be approved first by publishers. I don't think that will happen, except at small presses, and few of those. So what is the future of traditional mysteries?

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    1. If what you say is true (and I have no reason to doubt it) then traditional mysteries will find a home in indie publishing, at least until the tide turns. Authors who want to flex their creative muscles will go out on their own. More power to them.

      And when they do leave, experience the freedom, it might be hard for publishers to attract them back.

      As long as there are readers for traditional mysteries, there will be writers who write them. And I don't believe, not for one minute, that readers care one iota who publishes their favorite author.

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    2. When the audience shrinks, the major publishers will start dropping writers and series, amd that's what we're seeing now. In the past, the writers would have changed their names, hidden their identities, and tried to start over with a "first" novel of a different kind as somebody new. Self-publishing makes it possible to fill a niche demand and go on without jumping through hoops. Small presses will pick up some books, but they publish a limited number of titles and many already have full lists. Also, few small presses publish cozies at all.

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    3. It's my hope, if writers want to keep meeting the desires of their readers, that they'll find a way on their own. That they'll find freedom in the ability to express themselves creatively and that they'll find an income that pleases them.

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  13. Louise Penny is a wonderful example of a traditional mystery writer who has stretched her stories and characters in new directions and has continually deepened her themes. She writes about the same characters, but the books have grown in complexity and display a remarkable empathy and understanding of human motivations and emotions. (Not to mention the glorious prose!) Some readers don't want depth in novels. I do. If Louise had gone on writing more or less the same book again and again, I would have stopped reading her long ago.

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  14. This is a very interesting and provocative post. As a newcomer to the profession, I've been bombarded by the advice to fulfill expectations of the genre. While there are certain beats that must be hit, blindly hitting them all leads to very dull writing and predictability. Frankly, some series outlive their freshness. One can only flip flop between two love interests for so long before the heroine just looks like a tool.

    Micki Browning (sorry, every time I enter my Wordpress info, it is defaulting to anonymous in the comment)

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  15. I am wondering how much bookstores may be a factor in this-- declining numbers of physical stores and different merchandising practices within the ones that remain. I have worked in bookstores for years. B&N still gives a LOT of frontlist space to cozies, and the readers who come in tend to buy tons at a time. They also tend not to own e-readers, or even if they do, they browse in the store and then load the books onto their nooks and Kindles. Now, I am only seeing that group and not the ones who order from Amazon or read ebooks; maybe this is not a huge slice of the market but within it, it seems like there has been a real change in the discovery process.

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  16. A thorough and thoughtful discussion of the current upheaval in mystery publishing. I'm one of the Five Star authors whose series has been cancelled (one book still in the queue, due in August 2016). Even though I received an advance and royalty payments for every book, Five Star chose to drop the entire line. I sensed trouble when their books changed from using acid free paper to much cheaper paper. I still have great covers, but clearly the decision was being made.

    I think a lot of publishers tried to cash in on the popularity of a few light cozies, and told writers to write as though they were writing formula romance. It worked for a while, but readers want more. I want to be engaged with the characters and the experience of the story.

    Publishing is a long business, so I'm guessing we'll see more changes in the future. Meanwhile I'll keep writing and selling and looking for other places to sell.

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    1. I'm sorry you're in this predicament, Susan. Keep doing the kind of writing you love. I hope things work out well for you. Some writers aren't ready to reveal to their fans that they've lost their publishers, so the actual number of dropped series is larger than anyone knows. MWA has reminded members of its services they can take advantage of in seeking new publishers. I haven't heard anything yet about other writers' organizations offering help.

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  17. Thanks for writing this thoughtful piece, Sandy.

    I also think the market has been overloaded with ultra-cozy niche mysteries of varying quality for several years. On the plus side, these often gave capable writers an opportunity to break in and outstanding writers the possibility of breaking out.

    Part of the swing away from cozies (not necessarily traditional mysteries by such fine writers as Margaret Maron and Carolyn Hart) may be cyclical. The publishing industry, on the other hand, isn't so much in a down cycle as it is slow (clueless?) in developing good business models in a fast-changing reading world.

    I credit Five Star with publishing a variety of mysteries rather than formulaic cozies. I suspect the problem came from a flawed business plan.

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    1. Five Star gave some excellent writers (including you, Carolyn) a chance to be published in a shrinking market. Other small presses do the same.

      I don't know what the industry can do about cozies. Sales of mass market paperbacks continue to decline dramatically, so how long will publishers go on producing them? Already we're seeing more and more crime fiction in trade paperback. But cozy readers want the books to be cheap, and trade isn't cheap. Cozy series that have been moved into hardcover have sometimes seen a big drop in sales, as readers complain in outrage about the jump in cost. Will e-book format eventually be the only way to publish cozies?

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  18. To clarify for those unfamiliar with the terms: Cozies are a subset of traditional mystery, with their own distinctive characteristics. A Margaret Maron novel is a traditional mystery, but so is a culinary cozy. Traditional mysteries in general (such as those published by Five Star) are being affected by the cancellations, but cozies are apparently being hit hardest. I don't think we've seen the end of this by any means.

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  19. In fairness to my publisher, Kensington, which publishes a large number of cozies, I have never been given any kind of formula, or restrictions on structure or character. I have experimented with every book, with nary a word from my editor. Though I do strive to meet some reader expectations (for example, every murder is "solved,"--so different from real life)it may not even be solved by my amateur sleuth. Some readers love the variations, and some do not like them at all and let me know. Overall I have found both the readers and my publisher highly supportive of experimentation.

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  20. Barb Ross -- You have the advantage of writing for an independent, family-owned publisher, not an imprint of a global conglomerate. That makes for some important differences (lucky you!). In many cases, small presses also offer more freedom to writers, although the chance of getting into B&N or ever selling well may be remote.

    The giants want each imprint to be "branded" and the books to be similar. They even look alike. Certain imprints are identifiable on sight even from a distance. I think all the mergers of recent years have been very bad for writers. Remember how authors joked about nicknames for Penguin Random House? (I seem to recall The Random Penguin was a favorite.) Now that they've merged imprints within the company, it's not a joking matter anymore. Mergers always mean that the least profitable products get cut.

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  21. I agree, Sandra. Kensington has showed itself to be quite flexible and willing to experiment not only with what's in the book, but with marketing and pricing approaches. They do have the reach to get into bookstores large and small. Several of my books have been B&N in-store mass market paperback bestsellers (not just mystery bestsellers, but overall). So yes, it's a happy home for me.

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  22. Great article; I am sharing. As authors, we also have reader expectations in addition to publisher expectations to fulfill. If readers are tired of the same tropes, how far afield are they willing to go? Personally, I read cozies because I prefer the humor and lighthearted approach. If I want serious crime fiction, I'll read the newspaper.

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    1. Readers seem willing to follow Louise Penny wherever she goes, and every book is a surprise. It's easier if you have series characters the readers adore. I often wonder, when seeing complaints on DorothyL and elsewhere, exactly what changes readers want to see in place of the things they've grown tired of. I think I'll start asking each time someone complains about predictability or tired story lines. If they tell writers what they want, maybe writers will provide it and welcome the chance.

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    2. Excellent idea! And truthfully, all of the sub-genres to crime fiction run the risk of routine. I'd love to hear what you discover, and will probably begin asking that question myself.

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  23. Excellent points! When I chose to return to writing mysteries (I was previously published by Five Star and St. Martin's Press) after writing medical romances, I was disturbed by much of what I heard.

    I didn't want to have to beef up my books to more than 60,000 words, which feels like a natural length to me. I chose to make my main character a man--an obstetrician--because that's simply how he sprang into my mind. And I wanted to spin off the setting from my Safe Harbor Medical romance series, which I was sure no mystery publisher would agree to.

    I didn't want to waste years beating on doors because I was writing something different. So this week I self-published The Case of the Questionable Quadruplet.

    Will that pay off? Too soon to tell, but if readers like my new medical mystery series, I won't have to worry about getting cancelled by the publisher.

    My sympathies to those who are in this distressing situation.

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    1. Good luck! And congratulations on your release.

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  24. Wonderful blog. Insightful. Thanks.

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  25. Sandy, you've raised some valid points, and certainly generated a lot of discussion.

    I think one of the primary issues (that I haven't seen much debated) is the business side of the equation. The mega-publishers such as PRH are looking at their bottom line. They set goals (which may or may not be realistic), and if a book's sales don't meet that goal, they may well axe it. That is a business decision, that has nothing to do with craft or talent. The publisher makes widgets, and if the widgets don't sell, too bad.

    I've heard more than one source say that the Big Five are looking for mega-blockbuster books that implicitly will make them lots of money. But there are few of those, and more important, even those people in the industry don't seem to know which ones they are, in advance.

    We as writers have far more options for publishing than we did even ten years ago. We can self-publish or find a small press (and they have really stepped up recently). We have social media to advertise our books. I'm not ready to call the cozy genre dead because the major publishers don't like the profit margins.

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  26. Excellent post, Sandy. I was with Peg this past weekend at the SinC Hollywood conference where producers and agents said they're looking for good books to turn into films for TV. NO, They're not, because even if a writer has exactly what they want, there's almost no way to get to them. Their advice: get an agent with Hollywood connections or enter screenplay contests.

    They want what sells. One or two hits--Girl on the Train or Gone Girl, and now they all want psychological suspense. So much for originality. I feel for my cozy-writing friends who write good books. They're the victims of someone "upstairs" who decided they need to go in another direction that will make them more money, and as usual with large corporations, they took out their hatchet and, without thought to the writers who fed their coffers over the years, cut them with one, or maybe more, quick slices. And they wonder why writers are self-publishing and why ebooks are still doing well when their books are dropping sales. Self publishers have the freedom to write outside the box without fear they will be dropped. Bottom line? It's always the bottom line.

    It seems even some cozy writers are tiring of writing the same old-same old. I see them writing fresh stories in the future, and good for them if they do.

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    1. I'be heard enough about the realities of film/TV production to wonder if that kind of conference is worthwhile. But our friend Ellen Byerrum did get a TV deal (not a series, but two TV movies) out of the previous conference. Usually fillmmakers go after something they like. Many, many books have been optioned, but few have been filmed or become the basis of movies or series. The writer seldom makes much money even when the project moves forward. Michael Connelly himself was the driving force behind the Bosch streaming series on Amazon. Not many authors have the connections to do it themselves that way.

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    2. Ellen was one of the speakers. Her producer or agent was there too.

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    3. Ellen gave our SinC chapter an inside look at her TV deal before the shows aired. Interesting -- but not good that writers usually end up getting very little money for the rights to their work.

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  27. I don't read many cozies for all of the reasons mentioned. What I find interesting is that three new cozy-style TV shows are just beginning. They have well-known actresses as their main characters/sleuths like Candace Cameron Buree and Brooke Shields, and appear to follow all those formulae you described. It will be interesting to see if they 'make it' or if they disappear after a year or two. Or - are people becoming too lazy to hold a book or an e-reader and prefer to lounge on the couch and watch their mystery unfold on the tube? A thought to ponder.

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    1. The majority of new network TV series fail amd disappear quickly. They have a better chance (with a far smaller audience) on cable.

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  28. Sheila, you're absolutely right, and I'm sure writers know it all comes down to money. I don't think the fans do, though. From the comments I'm seeing online, I think a lot of readers see the cutbacks as some sort of group madness that has stricken publishers. It's MONEY, people. The core question remains the same, though: WHY have sales dropped off to the extent that a couple dozen series have been whacked by PRH? (We all know the number is actually higher than that, because some writers don't want to reveal their own cancellations yet. "Bloodbath" is a description I've seen more than once.) Readers themselves supply the answer: these books don't feel fresh anymore. The publishers created this situation with their more-of-the-same demands, and now writers are being punished for it. I hope readers who want to read basically the same story over and over can continue to find what they want and will be willing to pay for it. I hope writers who want to stretch in other directions will self-publish or keep looking until they find a traditional publisher that wants what they can produce.

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  29. Great post, Sandra. As a cozy writer, I'm guilty of tapping many of those tropes. But I do take satisfaction in creating a world that I'm passionate about and characters I write with with great affection. And since my series involves two plantations in present-day Louisiana, I made sure that I addressed the ugly stain of slavery. I'm on the third book in the series, and I challenged myself to touch on both racism and anti-Semitism. As a reader, I get bored with cozies myself. As an author, I hope to eventually produce another kind of mystery, but until then all I can do is write what I write as well as possible. BTW,I moderated one of the panels at the SinC Hollywood Conference. As a veteran of over twenty-five years in Hollywood, I can attest to its lemming nature. Gone Girl was a success? Let's do another one of those! There is one market for cozies right now, Hallmark. That may change. New channels like UP TV may decide that material is perfect for their audience. But I do believe that there's a TV market for series, especially those procedural in nature. Hollywood finds comfort in pre-existing material, so I look forward to hearing that some of the attendees did make sales.

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  30. Excellent post, Sandy and a wonderful discussion. My opinion is that, like many businesses, the cozy publishers decided to throw as many choices against the wall just to see what would stick. But most cozy readers can only afford to purchase a limited number of books. In early 2011, my second book was presented to a NY publisher. He said it was excellent but I had to take the limited amount of romance that was in the book - out. As he put it, there was no shelf in the bookstore for humorous romantic mysteries. At my age, I decided I wanted to publish what I wanted to write so I declined. I recently received two reviews for the fifth book in my series and both commented how I pleased they were that my plots had not become formulaic, a benefit of indie publishing. I price my books at $2.99, a very affordable indie price and relish the flexibility of being an indie author. For those whose series have been cancelled, there is life after traditional publishing!

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  31. Cynthia -- "I wanted to publish what I wanted to write." What a marvelous statement! And such a freeing decision. I wonder how many authors have written what somebody else said they should write, just to get publish. If you're not writing what you truly want to write, then why write at all? Your whole career is a pretense if you can't satisfy yourself.

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  32. You bring up some good questions. I'm a huge cozy mystery fan and have been having a hard time lately. Last month, I picked up nine new mysteries by nine new-to-me authors. All mass market paperback from solid publishers who release the kind of books I've enjoyed in the past. Six of the books waited more than 50 pages to start the mystery. There was no tension. I felt no immediate need to turn the page. The books were just people talking to each other. Now I love cozies for their characterization, but after awhile, I also want a plot that has more to do with who is putting something in the oven or who is talking to their friend/enemy/cat. I don't care unless there is some kind of conflict besides, "I don't like this mean person next door or this other person is too thin/beautiful/therefore they must be bad."

    Two of the books had a mystery going, but the story read like a dozen other mysteries on my shelf (maybe I read too much). There was no unique sizzle. I only finished one of the books. It told a fun, interesting tale. But buying nine at full price was an expensive way to read one book. I've had this happen more and more often lately - although not usually with almost my entire book buy. The month before, I bought eight books and three were solid mysteries. The other five took more than 50 pages to start and I stopped reading. The three I enjoyed are all first books, with no other books to buy.

    This month, I only bought five new books. It's getting harder and harder to keep investing. I haven't started any of this month's books yet. I'm re-reading the Amelia Peabody series first. But I really hope I have some good, new books to read.

    In short, I think the genre itself is wonderful, but it is becoming very hard on readers. I used to go to Malice Domestic, bring a suitcase of books home, find all kinds of new-to-me authors, and spend the next year buying the rest of the series/multiple series by these authors. Now, it's been months since I've blasted through a new series. That's probably why I'm reading Amelia Peabody again - I'm desperate for that feeling of being caught up in the story.

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  33. Angie, do tell us who the winners were among all those losers. Let's publicize the authors who are doing what Sandra yearns for -- coming up with something new!

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    1. Angie, I would also like to know which books you actually finished. I start many, many mysteries that I don't finish. No tension, no suspense in the opening chapters.

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  34. Angie, I'm with you. I won't wait 50 pages for the mystery to get started. After a while, you learn which authors favor a slow, slow start and believe readers should be happy to spend a lot of chapters "getting to know the characters and their world" before beginning the story. If something hasn't happened in the first couple of chapters, I discard the book.

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    1. Sandra and Angie -- I think it depends on what you mean by the mystery "getting started." I'd put in that category the appearance of interesting problems, quarrels and challenges that are likely to come to violence before long. That can play well with the cozy's concern with people and places. I think of Dorothy L. Sayers' Murder Must Advertise and Gaudy Night. (The latter isn't everyone's cup of tea, I know.)

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    2. When a book is only 70,000 words or so, I expect the murder to occur no later than chapter 2, and preferably by the end of chapter 1. Sayers wrote in a different era, before people were "trained" by TV and movies to expect the story to start immediately. Today I think Gaudy Night would be published as literary fiction. I've never regarded it as a mystery.

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