Pro-mojo from James W. Ziskin

What is the best money you ever spent on promotion and marketing? Travel for bookstore reading events? Advertising? (If so, where—in a conference program book? Newspaper? Social media? Amazon)? Giveaways? A “discovery” website like BookBub or Fresh Fiction?

Over the years, we at 7 Criminal Minds have come to the consensus that there is no grand secret for selling books, no magic bullet, or foolproof stratagem. Maugham famously pointed out that there are three rules for writing a novel, but no one knows what they are. By the same token, no one has figured out how to sell novels either. God knows simply writing a good book is no guarantee of sales. Social media? Nope. Print ads? Do print ads still exist? In fact, not even giving your book away for free works. Yes, people hate to pay for entertainment, but they also place little value in products that cost nothing. It can’t possibly be worth a fig if they’re giving it away, right?

So we writers must content ourselves with fumbling around in dark spaces, probing and palpating like a determined proctologist or an enthusiastic nose-picker, in search of some eureka moment of enlightenment and inspiration.

But we never find it, do we? (By the way, sorry about the imagery in the preceding paragraph.)

What’s my answer, then, to this week’s question? What is the best money I’ve spent on promotion? You might as well ask me which breath is the sweetest one I’ve ever drawn. The truth is each one is opportune and gainful in some way. Every dollar spent, every conference attended, every reading…um…read. They’ve all represented a commitment to and an advancement of my work. Another step on the journey. We want to be read and appreciated, not only for some pie-in-the-sky hopes of achieving fame or striking it rich, but because we’re storytellers. Fish gotta swim. And writers gotta write.

Here are some examples of money I’ve spent. Some earned me  a small measure of visibility, others didn’t. Some struck the right tone, others failed. The key is to make your promotions stick. The stickier the better. Business cards and bookmarks aren’t too sticky, but magnets are. And T-shirts and model cars.

Bookmarks — My first publisher was great at providing these free of charge. Lovingly, hopefully, I placed loads of them on tables at writer’s conferences, only to see them swept into a garbage can without ceremony on Sunday as the staff cleared the convention center for the next event. Still, you do need bookmarks, if only to have something to hand out to potential readers who might not otherwise remember your name.

Business cards — These are no longer useful. Dump them. A bookmark serves the same purpose. People can look you up on the Internet.

Ellie Stone New Holland, NY T-shirts — 

I once had retro T-shirts made up to promote my Ellie Stone series, which is set in the early 1960s. They were meant to recall the old-school gym shirts that were around back then. They cost about $10 each. Pricey but fun.

Vintage toy cars — I did a promotion for CAST THE FIRST STONE with die-cast Volkswagen vans. Everyone wanted one. Did it sell books? Not sure. But at $9.00 each, the promotion was an expensive one. Still, I feel to this day the cost was worth it, helping to create some buzz for Ellie Stone at Bouchercon.

Fridge magnets — Less expensive than the VW van, stickier, and cheaper. But more coveted? Not by a long shot.

Dewar’s White Label and Black Jack Gum — For Left Coast Crime, I made a STONE COLD DEAD gift bag containing the Ellie Stone T-shirt, a pack of Black Jack Gum (extremely sticky), and a miniature bottle of Dewar’s Scotch, Ellie Stone’s brand. The gum was a key plot point in the book. It turned out to be a promotion that got great attention.

For me, every dollar spent learning about writing has been worth something. From the auctions, giveaways, airfares, hotels, and drinks in the bar, I don’t regret a single dime. In particular, the conferences I’ve attended have been rewarding, and not just for the socializing. They’ve been tremendous learning experiences. I like to think I’ve taken great advantage of the opportunities available at such gatherings. I’ve been informed, instructed, and inspired. How so? Well, not to use the passive voice, for one thing. And a million more unquantifiable dividends. Not every endeavor needs to show a clear return on investment. Spending money on your dreams is never wasted. Even if the dream never comes true.

***

And now some self-promotion that costs nothing:

THE PRANK — A picture clipped from Playboy magazine, a missing Swiss Army Knife, and a prank gone terribly wrong conspire to make Christmas 1968 a deadly holiday to remember.

THE PRANK will be released in July 2026.

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A steady climb

Thoughts on Promotion and Marketing

by Dietrich Kalteis

The foundation of any successful book is writing one that readers value: something inventive and original, but not bizarre or quirky purely for the novelty. I wouldn’t want to be the first to venture into some strange sub-genre like musical crime fiction, with book blurbs like: “He’s on the case—and on the dance floor.”

I think the smart marketing happens before any thoughts on promotion begin, starting with a standout cover and top-notch editing. When readers encounter a book that catches their eye and draws them in—whether through an ad, a recommendation, a blurb on the back, or just casual browsing—they’re likely to become curious. That eye-catching cover and a gripping first chapter can turn browsers into buyers. And let’s face it, without those elements, even the cleverest ad campaign might flop.

When I get that confident feeling that I’m really on the last draft of the book I’ve written (and assuming it’s been accepted for publication), the next thing is to consider ways of getting it into readers’ hands—ideally on a realistic budget. Which will likely exclude blimps, skywriting or jumbotrons, leaving me to focus on building an audience through owned assets and direct connections.

Starting (or growing) a newsletter through an email list or launching a blog can be a good step. It puts the writer in contact, creating a direct line to readers who hopefully already like said writer’s voice.

Unlike social media, where algorithms can bury posts overnight, an email list gives consistent, predictable access to readers. And when going this route, a good email service provider can be worth considering, paired with a strong lead magnet to encourage sign-ups. A free short story, bonus chapter, or a downloadable PDF/Kindle sample that ends on a cliffhanger can spark those impulse buys. This targeted approach can attract the right readers: the kind who like a writer’s style and are more likely to spread the word.

An up-to-date author website is another key asset. It’s another good spot to post a sample first chapter, testimonials and reviews to build credibility and give visitors a taste of the work.

Maintaining a regular blog on the site—whether personal posts (like Off the Cuff) or group contributions (such as Criminal Minds)—adds fresh content that keeps visitors returning. I share new blog posts on my website and promote them on social media to expand reach. This creates a reinforcing loop, the content building engagement and social media amplifying visibility.

I’ve also had good results with NetGalley, distributing advance copies to readers, bloggers, and librarians before launch.

Collaborating with other writers is another smart move. And contributing to short-story anthologies lets writers share audiences and amplify reach.

And of course, nothing sells a book better than positive reviews. They’re the most authentic endorsement—the kind that may convince hesitant readers to take a chance.

In the end, marketing a book shouldn’t be left entirely to publishers, publicists, or marketing teams. Effective promotion begins with the book itself. When a writer pours their heart and soul into crafting a compelling story, that authenticity and passion shine through on the page. Readers sense it, connect with it, and that emotional resonance becomes the most powerful foundation for word-of-mouth buzz, glowing reviews and organic sharing—turning a book into its own best advocate in a crowded market.

Promo Puzzle

 

Terry here, with our doozy of a question for this week: What is the best money you ever spent on promotion and marketing? Travel for bookstore reading events? Advertising? (If so, where—in a conference program book? Newspaper? Social media? Amazon)? Giveaways? A “discovery” website like BookBub or Fresh Fiction? 

 Promotion is so hit and miss that it hardly seems possible to figure it out. Gone are the days when publishers routinely promoted their authors—maybe by helping pay for an ad or buying bookmarks. Or even, heaven forbid, helping to arrange a book tour. I look on with envy at those top tier authors whose publishers organize a book tour. And with absolute raging jealousy at those whose publishers actually pay for the expense of the tour. Not that I begrudge them, mind you. I mean I just wish we all could get those perks. 

Still, I have had some enjoyable promotional experiences. Probably my all-time favorite was when I stopped in at a local wine store and started chatting with the owner. She found out I was an author and asked if I might like to do an event at the store. I wrote a proposal, she accepted and it was a rousing success. I had a local bookseller come to sell the books and she sold out the forty copies she’d brought. I had arranged to give a ticket to each attendee for one glass of wine each. The store sold so many cases of wine that she simply opened up the bar for “seconds.” Not only was it a rousing commercial success, but it was great fun. 

On the other end of the spectrum, an Eileen Fisher clothing store asked if I’d like to do an afternoon “stop by and talk to the author” event. It was a dud. People came in to buy clothes and seemed confused about why an author was standing there with a pile of books. Not that they minded partaking of the wine and cheese the store had provided! 

So, it’s really hard to tell what’s going to work. 

The most common events, of course, are bookstore readings. And Covid threw a big wrench in those. Before Covid, I routinely went to bookstores not only in Texas and California, but in other states in between where I knew people who could help by bringing in readers and book buyers. 

It was a grand old time, even though occasionally no one would show up. I knew that was always a possible. 

When I was a new author, it seemed like anything I spent on promo was “worth it.” Hop on a plane and go from place to place reading at bookstores? Great! Buying promotional items like pens, little flashlights, bookmarks? Yes! Buying ads on Amazon or Facebook? Sounds good to me. BookBub? You bet! Fresh Fiction? Sure. I loved talking in front of people. Giving away swag was fun! Ads seemed smart. I was selling books, I was welcomed by bookstores, I arranged to read with other authors. I was invited to be on panels at Book Festivals. I was flying high. 

It barely entered my excited “new author brain” that most of the money I spent was going in to the pocket of my publisher. And that I was spending a lot more on promotion than I was getting back in royalties. And I was a little spoiled because although my first publisher didn’t spend money on my travel, they paid for bookmarks, they promoted my appearances, and they brainstormed with me about how to promote the books. Plus, my books were carried by Penguin-Random House, and their local rep got me all kinds of gigs I might never have gotten into.

My first inkling that I was spending a lot more than I was getting back happened in the dead of winter. At a bookstore event in Austin, even though it was sleeting outside, I had a good audience, including people who had driven well over an hour to attend.

The next day I was to go to Dallas, but I heard that the weather was going to be awful there. So I called the bookstore to make sure they were still going to have the event. They assured me that I should come despite the weather. Expenses: A plane trip. A hotel. A car. No one showed up. No one. Turned out that people in Dallas didn’t go out much when it was 15 degrees. 

And then Covid happened and for those of us who are firmly mid-list, the bookstore events because harder to book. I began to find that only if I arranged to speak with other authors would bookstores welcome me. And other authors lamented the same thing. The other issue was that I moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. In the Bay Area I had wide range of bookstores that were happy to host me, knowing I’d bring in a good audience. In LA I know some people, but they are all spread out geographically, and it was hard to get them to drive an hour in the evening. I actually feel like a poor country cousin, depending on long-established LA authors for invitations to join them. And those are few and far between. But there are people like fellow "mind" Eric Beetner, who beats the drum for authors all over LA. 

So I’m left these days wondering where the promotional money should be spent. I take out ads in mystery magazines and conference programs. I have run a few Amazon ads that seem to go nowhere, and Facebook ads simply baffle me. I think the writers who are most successful with those ads hire book promoters to run ad campaigns, and from what I’ve heard, those are expensive and authors rarely make their money back. Which leaves word of mouth. Always the best. Friends and family. Newsletter friends. Old fans. Golden. People who buy books for their relatives, who tell their book clubs, who tell friends. 

So…if you’re reading this, first….BUY MY BOOKS.

And then tell your friends.

Does Drinking with Fellow Authors Count as Marketing? - by Matthew Greene

 What is the best money you ever spent on promotion and marketing?

The rudest of rude awakenings I experienced as debut author was the realization that marketing was going to fall on my shoulders. Coming from the theatre and film worlds, I'd grown accustomed to fading into the background, letting my work speak for itself. Little did I know, the world of publishing doesn't take kindly to "vanishing" unless you're literally J.D. Salinger. And I, sadly, am not...yet! So, I had to get used to the subtle and not-so-subtle art of selling myself.

That being said...I'm not claiming to be good at this whole marketing thing. But I will get better. Watch this space.

To get back to the question, though, I will state proudly that I don't regret a single dollar spent on travel, events, or conferences. It may seem contradictory, since reading and writing are seemingly solitary acts, but nothing sells books (or authors!) quite community. So, of course, I leapt at every opportunity to connect in-person with readers and fellow authors at events like Malice Domestic and Bouchercon, as well as signing and events I planned myself.

More than the practical output of moving books and engaging with readers, these events offered the opportunity to build my network, which I'd argue is the most important thing a debut author can do. I happen to be working in a genre that is full of the kindest and most generous people I've ever met, which makes the "work" of networking a joy. Sharing drinks and meals, chatting between panels and signings, and staying up late for cocktails and disco dance parties (you know who you are)...it all adds up to the kinds of relationships that enrich your professional and personal life. 

This would be my strongest advice to new authors: find every possible chance to connect "irl" (as the kids say) with this fabulous community of new bookish friends. It will help get your books in front of people and feed your soul at the same time. And it's all tax-deductible!*

*Not legal financial advice. Please consult with an actual accountant. But...probably?

The Secrets We Keep by Poppy Gee

My husband can rest assured I'll never share our secrets!
(Maybe I shouldn't be sharing this funny photo either!)

How do you choose your characters? Do you base them off of people from real-life? If so, how you disguise your characters so their real-life counterparts don't recognize them?

Guilty as charged.

I used to deny this, and insist that all my characters are fictional. The truth is, they're an amalgam of people I know really well, people I've met briefly, people I've seen on television or in a movie, or have read about in the newspaper. The trick is to pinch details here and there, and then artfully disguise them within the character so you don't get sued or told off at a family reunion. 

When I start writing, it helps me to think of someone I know as the basis for the character. This is a compliment, because the person is someone who stands out to me: they're intriguing, complex and fascinating. By the time I've got the story up and running, the character has grown into themself, and are quite different to the real life inspiration.

In my novel Vanishing Falls, my protagonist Joelle was inspired by a newspaper report I read about a young teenage girl who got caught up in a heinous crime. I read everything I could get my hands on about this real girl, and there wasn't much. She had an intellectual impairment, she was a foster child, she was underprivileged, and she disappeared out of public records after the men who committed the crime were sent to jail. I believe she changed her name and hopefully, got on with her life. I was so intrigued with her that I decided to write a novel about a girl like her whose life had a happy ending. In my novel, Joelle is happily married, is the proud mother of twins, lives in quaint cottage beside a creek, and is a valued member of her community. I did a lot of research/interviews to shape the character, too. 

In my debut novel, Bay of Fires, I was intrigued by a childhood friend who is obsessed with ocean fishing. I grew up hearing his stories, watching him fish for fun and professionally. This is an industry/hobby that is very removed from my life, and I imagined a female character who has a similar environmental consciousness, a strong sense of autonomy, a person who doesn't feel particularly compelled to conform to social expectations, with loads of integrity. Apart from those things, my protagonist is very different to her muse - her back story is her own, and that's what shapes her decisions. No one except my friend has ever really questioned me about it. I interviewed him at length so he knew what was going on and he didn't mind. 

A mistake I see some writer friends making in early drafts is writing about the problems they have with their husbands, parents, siblings, or friends in an attempt to make sense of it, and not concealing the recognisable qualities of those people. I think it's an amateur mistake but I also think it's lazy, and, if it's unflattering or biased, it's potentially cruel. None of us as writers would want to be written about unfavourably in a published document. Change their job, the city they live in, the decor of their house, the sport they play, the school they went to and the restaurants the adore etc... it's easy to do, and will save much heartache and embarrassment later. 

Unless, the person has become an arch enemy or a nemesis. But that's a post for another day!

Inspiration for writing bad guys, with some pictures of good guys, by Catriona

How do you choose your characters? Do you base them off of people from real-life? If so, how you disguise your characters so their real-life counterparts don't recognize them?

I don't base characters on real people, generally.

For instance, I've never written a villain who's utterly and completely without a single redeeming feature. A man who is not only stupid, but also ignorant; not only ignorant but proudly so. Too uninformed to know how uninformed he is and too lazy to amend it.

I've never written a character whose greed is both oceanic and petty, who is so shallow that the greed for trinkets is his entire raison d'etre, whose very shallowness prevents him from understanding the worthlessness, so that he can't comprehend the scorn his obsessions attract from others.

I've never written a character whose cynicism about goodness, kindness and honesty have rotted him from crumbling bone to pitted skin, so that he's blind to what he's missing, but instead blunders about convinced that what he sees in others' eyes is envy.

I've never written a character so self-regarding that he ranks people only in terms of how much they flatter him, while his self-absorption stops him ever seeing the contempt behind the pandering words, even while he has to invent extra, imaginary people stroking his bloated and revolting ego because there aren't enough toadies in the real world to keep the stinking fantasy afloat.

I've never written someone absolutely without humour, who can't delight in anything, whose closest dim approach to joy is a kind of rancid glee in his own perceived triumphs, in others' supposed weakness as they live their lives based on, and bound by, values he is incapable of recognising for the wondous things they are.

I've never written a man drawling, sneering, mocking, mimicking, putting spoiled infant tantrums to shame with his jibes, endlessly embarrassing himself with pitiful attacks on his betters, while being so thin-skinned and insecure, so fragile and patchwork and rickety, that any slight, glancing however lightly against his poor, pathetic vision of himself, sends him shrieking into hysteria, thrashing and squealing like an eel trapped in a bucket, until because of the very humanity he doesn't share and cannot see, we all, from helpless pity, look away.

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Is that you? by Eric Beetner

 How you you choose your characters? Do you base them off of people from real-life? If so, how you disguise your characters so their real-life counterparts don't recognize them?

I’ve taken names, verbal tics, physical attributes from people I know, but never a whole person. Part of that comes from not wanting them to take offense if I kill them off, but also I feel like if I’m writing about someone I know then I’m shortcutting the creative process for myself.

Also, I write about a lot of bad people doing bad things and I’m fortunate enough to only know nice people, I guess. I don’t even have a weird uncle in prison somewhere I can draw from. My extended family is midwestern nice and would be very boring in a book. The closest I came was using my Grandfather’s first name for a character who was a boxer, as he was in real life. Even that came with too many explanations that he, in fact, never killed anyone like the character, even in self defense like the character. It got exhausting to keep clarifying that the only thing the two people shared was a name and an occupation.  

If people want to choose to see themselves in a book of mine I always find that curious. And it’s fascinating to find out how they see themselves. “You though that might be based off of you, huh? This guy who killed three people?”

There are also a few names I’ve kept a ban on, like my wife’s. No matter how far removed from her I would write someone, sharing a name would invite some awkward conversations and assumptions about how she thinks I see her. Is she a femme fatale? A victim? A shrill, hard-boiled matron? I want to avoid that at all costs. Same thing with my kids. I can live without those three names in my fiction.

Characters come to me when I find the right person to plug into a plot who would give it the maximum friction. Someone outside of their comfort zone. Someone not used to dealing with an extreme situation of life and death. Someone you might not expect to be involved in a crime novel.

I like writing older characters, and often dislike writing children. I like writing outside of my gender and race, but always worry I’m getting it wrong. 

Mostly, I like making up people from out of thin air. I like nothing beholden to impressions of someone I know in real life. I like the total freedom with a person I’ve invented. And when they begin to feel fleshed out and fully formed to the point that certain reactions or feelings they have make sense and what they wouldn’t do or say are apparent, then I know I have a three-dimensional character. 

If I ever did use a real person as inspiration or placed a person I know in a story and didn’t change a thing about them, I would never try to hide it. If I ever do it, it will be an homage. I’d want them to know. I’d want them to see it on the page and hopefully get excited and not embarrassed or question what I think of them in real life. It could be an honorific, a tribute or a payback for some kindness they paid to me. But if you end up in one of my books, trust me, you’ll know it. 

The Shape of What Remains in Character

How do you choose your characters? Do you base them on people from real life? If so, how do you disguise your characters so their real-life counterparts don’t recognize them?

 

The characters in my Shane series are composites and amalgams. They were part of my ecosystem. They’re all dead, which is convenient. As for The Company Files, my characters are part of a narrative strategy. For you to understand me, I need to provide context.

I didn’t do writing right. I wasn’t the child who knew he wanted to be a writer at seven, Crayola in hand, the plot outlined in cursive, back when they taught Penmanship and Geography. I was seven in 1975. For those who remember Arithmetic, I was born in 1968.

I’ll spare you the stereotype of Gen X as feral latchkey kids who learned self-reliance. My childhood was starker and stranger than that. I had a room that wasn’t mine. My clothes were elsewhere, in two parts of the house. A bedside table held a .357.

Home was not where I wanted to be.

If asked who I was then, I might say: listen to the opening of Billy Joel’s Vienna. That was me. Ambitious. Afraid. Moving too fast without knowing why.

By twenty-one, I had lived and experienced more than most, and internalized trauma.

Reviews and readers say I write hard-boiled crime fiction tinged with a quirky sense of humor, or that I write intelligent historical fiction.

Yes and No.

What I write isn’t trying to look like 1975; it’s that I learned something from 1975. A reader can take the work at face value, or read between the lines and see it as metaphor—for society, and for trauma normalized.

Walker, from The Company Files, survived World War II. He floats, unmoored, and slowly learns that he is a writer. That’s me. I survived things most people don’t, and I didn’t come to writing until my early forties—after cancer, after learning how to live with what remained.

Shane Cleary, in my series set in 1970s Boston, is displaced. He doesn’t belong.
He navigates dangerous systems because he has no faith in benign ones.

I was betrayed by every institutional authority figure there was.

I was the cub fed to the wolf as a child. Those who should have offered sanctuary provided betrayal—psychological and physical violence. Shane’s long arc is learning to live with the violence he committed in Vietnam and recognizing Bonnie as home. His cat, Delilah, is his conscience and the one living thing he trusts. I’ve spent years trying to reconcile the violence visited upon me and what I did in self-defense.

I was an inquisitive kid—call it intelligent or precocious—but I saw patterns early and asked questions. Too many questions. I was told, explicitly, to shut up. Nobody cared what I thought. Nobody wanted to hear it.

I write spare and compressed because fear is an efficient teacher.

Some contradictions I observed at a young age:

• We say separation of Church and State, but recite the Pledge of Allegiance and mention God.
• If we don’t know geography, “conflict” is out of sight and out of mind.
• If you’re bombarded with media nonstop, you don’t think—you react.
• If you don’t know how to write cursive, thought and connection are lost.
• We buy stuff we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.

Style for me isn’t about being current. It’s about being coherent.

I write between categories, which makes me a challenge to agents. I write what I know and what I knew. I know the Seventies because I lived them as a child. This isn’t nostalgia. It’s integrity. The decade has been labeled the Me Decade, but it’s really the graveyard of Sixties idealism. The Eighties, for me, were Conservatism, Consumerism, and Cocaine. After that, the pattern repeats—same impulses, new packaging.

Are my characters based on people I knew?

Yes and No.

Composites and amalgams, like I said earlier. I won’t name-drop because the dead can’t defend themselves. I didn’t write them to exploit them. I write to work through trauma. Catharsis. I write to reveal uncomfortable truths. All my fiction is about pattern recognition.

A reviewer once declined to cover my work because I write about organized crime. I found that ironic and unfortunate. My protagonists are anti-heroes. They live at the intersection of personal history and History with a capital H. Nuance is lost these days. I’d like to think I write about living in the Upside Down. My “bad” guys have ethics. My “good” guys and the ‘System’ are corrupt and amoral.

Look outside your window and tell me it isn’t a mafia democracy.

 

And now, coming to the stage…

 

 

How do you choose your characters?

 

Long before I ever attempted to write or publish a word, this was the question I heard asked to every writer I’ve ever heard speak. Whether it was an experienced journalist doing a professional interview, or me, timidly raising my hand from a fold-up chair in a room full of aspiring writers like myself. We all want to know the same thing, where do these strange people living in our heads come from?

 

The simple answer is, I don’t know. They simply appear. Sometimes they rush into the creative waiting room in my brain, quietly take a seat, and wait politely for me to build their world giving me little more than a name and a desire to tell their story.

 

Other times, they come charging in, their whole story already intact, refusing to be still until I’ve written down every single word. But whether they slink in as quiet as a ghost or kick in the door. There is nothing more exciting than meeting or finding a new character.

 

I once sat behind a lady with a thick white rope of a braid hanging all the way down the middle of her back. I shuffled her write into my waiting room, where her story is still percolating today. One day I hope to bring her to life on the page. And when someone asks, how did you come up with that wild character, maybe I’ll tell the boring truth, or maybe I’ll have written her a whole new backstory by then.  

 

This is one writer’s way, not the only way. I know this all too well. I’ve heard that some writers actually plan their entire stories before ever writing a word, including their characters. They sketch them out, get to know them, and build their story around the character. Far be it for me to judge, but I’m judging, but not really. Everyone’s process is different. And for that reason, I’ve come to believe that is an impossible question to answer.

 

But we’ll keep trying, because characters are the most important part of the story, right?

 RIP Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Keith Porter Jr. 

 

Staying Connected Across Continents - by Harini Nagendra

In-person conferences are great for socialization and building a community and increasing motivation. But if you're not in the position to make it to one of these conferences, what are some good way to stay involved in the writing community?

This week's question felt very personal - as most of you know, I'm based in India, and write for an international readership. Most of my readers are in India or North America (USA and Canada) - and while I do go to a number of in-person literature festivals and other writers' events in India, I've made it to just one writer conference in Canada, and one in the US, over the past 5 years and 4 historical mysteries.

I'd love to do more in-person events - the energy and camaraderie that comes from meeting other writers over meals and drinks, and the high of meeting readers face-to-face, can't quite be captured online. And yet the barriers are steep - flight distances, costs, visas, and complex logistics.

Writer networks have been a great boon for me. I'm a member of three terrific writer organizations - Sisters in Crime, Crime Writers of Color and Mystery Writers of America - through these, I've made so many friends, despite having never met most of them in person, including James Ziskin, Catriona McPherson and Gigi Pandian, just to name a few. When I was struggling to find time and mind space to complete my latest book, I reached out to writers I've known only on email for advice, and based on years of their own experience with writing, through good times and bad, they offered suggestions that helped me push through and cross the finish line. 

I've also coordinated online conversations with some of the writers I first met through these writer communities - like Sujata Massey, with whom I did an Instagram conversation, and whom I later had the joy of meeting in Bangalore. A shoutout to all my writer friends reading this - if you make it to my city, let me know! 

And of course, there are ways now to participate in writer conferences online too - a couple of years back, I participated in the Surrey International Writer's Conference in Canada and gave three workshops, meeting other writers there too, all thanks to the magic of online conference platforms like Zoom.

With a little ingenuity and a lot of persistence, there are many ways in this age of internet to stay connected with your writing tribe - it's not quite the same as an in-person conference, but can come quite close!     

     

Sow What You Reap from James W. Ziskin

In person conferences are great for socialization and building a community and increasing motivation. But if you're not in the position to make it to one of these conferences. What are some good way to stay involved in the writing community? 

Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to have made many friends in the writing community. I advise all writers, aspiring, new, and old hands to do the same. The benefits of belonging are undeniable. But be sure to sow or you will not reap.

Ways to belong:

When my first novel (Styx & Stone) was published in 2013, I didn’t know anyone in the writing biz. My editor suggested I attend conferences to get to know people, so I started with Bouchercon (Albany). I’ve written in this space before that many in our community have less-than-fond memories of that conference, but I had a blast. For me, it opened up a brand-new world of ideas, possibilities, and dreams. During those four days back in 2013, I made lots of new, fast friends. But along with the camaraderie, I embarked on a long journey of learning and enrichment, thanks in great part to the many conferences I attended in the years that followed. I quickly came to consider Bouchercon, Left Coast Crime, ThrillerFest, Malice Domestic, New England Crime Bake, California Crime, and other industry gatherings as priceless opportunities to improve my craft. I tried to attend as many panels as I could and introduced myself to other authors and readers whenever they stood still. Yes, I made the most of my time by listening and socializing. But I also paid it back to the community. How? I invited countless others into the conversations I was having, introduced newbies and wallflowers to my acquaintances, and tried to be a good citizen. An author unwilling to lend a hand—or ear—to an aspiring writer or eager reader is an author who should have stayed home.

If, however, you’re unable to attend conferences as often as you’d like, there are other ways to get involved. You can join professional organizations such as Sisters in Crime (SinC), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), and local writers groups. Want to meet some fine, generous writers? Offer to judge some of the juried award competitions such as the MWA’s Edgars and Thrillerfest’s Thriller Awards. It’s a ton of reading, but that’s a good thing!

You should also make productive use of social media. We all know social media can be a cesspool of…well…sewage. But we can at least attempt to water down the sewage with some positivity. Make friends on Facebook, promote yourself but also others. If you only toot your own horn, you’ll end up in a one-man band. There’s also Instagram and Bluesky, but I find that writers tend to gravitate toward Facebook. Don’t be afraid to reach out and request friendships! But be careful whom you accept. Avoid the bots and trolls.

What will you get out of it?

So what benefits can you expect to receive from all this hard work and socializing? That’s easy.

1. Emotional support—ears to bend, encouragement, care.

2. Editorial support—e.g. beta readers, subject-matter experts, etc.

3. Promotional support—ideas for publicity, brand development.

4. Friendship

5. Resources—research, questions, networking.

6. Hive mind—get advice and answers.

7. Blurbs—Be polite and realize it’s a big ask. Pay it forward and backward.

8. Introductions—you might be able to make important contacts with agents, editors, writers you admire.

9. Help in burying bodies—This goes without saying.

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Stay Connected

In person conferences are great for socialization and building a community and increasing motivation. But if you're not in the position to make it to one of these conferences, what are some good way to stay involved in the writing community?

by Dietrich

Writing conferences can be pure magic. There’s that electric buzz in the air, the random hallway chats that turn into lifelong friendships, those spontaneous coffee runs where you network or brainstorm a plot twist with someone who just gets it. Hearing a favorite author on a panel or sharing a quick word can light a fire like nothing else. And being there is a reminder that we’re part of this wonderful tribe of storytellers.

But life doesn’t always make it easy. Travel costs add up in a hurry. Work and family obligations pull us in a dozen directions. Distance can be a real barrier. Hopping to the next big event can mean setting aside work and spending a chunk of time away. 

And for those of us who lean introverted, the crowded hallways, endless small talk, and noisy conference bars can feel more draining than energizing. I’ve come home from great events feeling both exhilarated and completely overstimulated, needing a full day to recharge.

The good news is we don’t have to miss out on the community, motivation, feedback or networking. The online writing world offers plenty of ways to stay plugged in—right from the home office, the couch, or wherever we write best. No suitcase, no sensory overload, and we can engage at our own pace.

There are dedicated online communities and forums like Absolute Write Water Cooler year-round. Virtual workshops, panel discussions and courses are everywhere — sites like Writer’s Digest University and MasterClass, and many more. There are organizations that offer on-line support too: Authors Guild, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, International Association of Crime Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and so on.

Social media has become the modern-day water cooler. Facebook groups, X, Bluesky, Instagram and similar platforms let us share snippets, celebrate wins, vent about rejections, and swap advice. We can join genre-specific groups or follow authors we admire. Okay, it’s not the same as shaking hands in person (not even close), but those quick daily interactions keep the momentum going and can lead to real friendships and collaborations.

Marketing has moved online too. We can build a newsletter, promote on social platforms, host virtual launches, and join online book clubs—all low-pressure ways to grow an audience and connect with readers.

The bottom line: whether we’re dealing with budget, health, introversion, or simply prefer our own space, the writing community is wide open online. We can build meaningful relationships, get thoughtful feedback, stay fired up, and promote our work—all without getting off the couch.

Release date: March 31, 2026