Robert Dugoni: You're Only As Good As Your Last Book

by Clay Stafford,
Founder Killer Nashville,
Publisher Killer Nashville Magazine

A New York Times bestseller with eight novels under his belt, Robert Dugoni knows a thing or two about writing and the publishing industry. Killer Nashville Founder Clay Stafford catches up with Dugoni, who shares his  life experiences and  coming to terms with the craft he loves. While Dugoni got his feet wet with a nonfiction expose, "The Cyanide Canary", it was the the touchstone for a prolific career that would launch his popular David Sloane series and other stand alone novels. 

Since an early age, you’ve wanted to be a writer. Instead, you became an attorney. Why did it take you so long to make the true leap?

I come from a family of compulsive overachievers. I have nine brothers and sisters. Growing up as the middle child I watched as they chose their career paths - doctors and pharmacists. They were science oriented. They weren’t writers. I always loved to write, but I was also strong in science. So a part of me felt pressure to also become a doctor because doctors were important. Doctors were respected. And yet, I had this continuing desire to write. When my high school basketball career fizzled I got the best advice of my life from the most unusual source. The basketball coach told me that the journalism instructor mentioned that I could really write, and maybe that would be a better path. So I became the editor-in-chief and moved toward journalism at Stanford. Again, however, my peers were all heading to professional school. I’d ruled out medicine, but I thought I could go to law school, get a degree and get on with my writing career. It didn’t work out that way, at least not right away, but the passion to write never left and when it hit me hard again in my thirties, I pursued without hesitation.

How did the success of “The Cyanide Canary” (your first book / a nonfiction book) influence you in your fiction writing?

The Cyanide Canary was the opportunity I needed to get my foot in the door. I could write, but like many writers out there, I was unknown and unskilled. This was back in the day of query letters and self-addressed stamped envelopes. A long story short, failure pushed me to get better, to study the craft, to learn storytelling. So when an EPA agent spoke to me at a party and said he had a story to tell, I was prepared to tell it because I had used failure to drive me to get better.

You have two series out with different publishers. Tell us about the process of switching publishers and getting to know a new set of characters.

Sometimes life has a way of throwing us curveballs and the writing life is no different. What I’ve learned is not to sweat the small stuff and to try to enjoy the journey. I never intended to write the David Sloane series. The Jury Master was a stand-alone. Then it hit the NY Times and the publisher wanted more Sloane novels, so I wrote Wrongful Death. I really didn’t understand what a series was, so again I started studying other writers, like John Lescroart. I studied how he carried characters and their relationships from one book to the next. I sat down and devised a three-book plan for David Sloane. Those books became Bodily Harm, Murder One and The Conviction and they all dovetail nicely on one another. When I finished The Conviction I felt like I’d finished David Sloane’s journey and I wanted to try something different. I had an idea for a female Seattle homicide detective and I wrote a proposal. My publisher wasn’t excited about it. Thomas & Mercer, however, was very excited and they had a plan on how to expand my audience. I liked what I heard and I loved the people I met. It’s been a runaway train ever since. When it was released, My Sister’s Grave became the #1 Amazon download for two months, and now it has been on the New York Times Bestseller lists for the past three weeks.

Nothing wrong with that! Congratulations! Is switching publishers a reality of the business or a calculated move on your part and what should writers take from that?

I think it can be both. Sometimes publishers tell you it’s time to move on. In this market, when you aren’t established with a publisher for multiple successful books - and sometimes even when you are, you’re only as good as your last book – or as good as your book sales to be more accurate. It’s a business. Publishers love to find good stories and exciting new voices, but they have bottom lines they can’t ignore. If a book doesn’t sell, they have to decide whether they want to take that gamble again.  From a writer’s perspective, I think the most important thing to ask yourself is does your publisher treat you like they care? Are they interested in what you’re writing next? Are they enthusiastic about your work? Do they pester your agent to make sure all is well, that you’re happy? If not, it’s like any relationship. You can see the handwriting on the wall and at that point it’s time to start looking for a relationship that is more fulfilling and productive.

With the publisher change, is David Sloane finished?

I don’t know yet. I think if I find the right story for David Sloane he could easily come back. He might even make an appearance in a Tracy Crosswhite novel.

Speaking of Tracy Crosswhite, this second series is a bit different from your first. Are you making a conscious effort to get away from the legal drama and into a police procedural? In doing so, do you see yourself expanding your core audience or redirecting it?

It’s definitely different. My Sister’s Grave still had elements of a courtroom drama for legal thriller lovers out there. The sequel, Her Last Breath, which will be released September 8, 2015, is much more of a straight police procedural. It was a conscious decision to try something different. As I said, I was struck by Tracy Crosswhite, who first appeared in the David Sloane novel Murder One. I kept thinking about who she was, why she had gone from being a chemistry professor to a homicide detective, what it was like being the only woman homicide detective. Eventually I found the right story for her.  My audience has expanded exponentially, more than ten times the number that had read the David Sloane novels. But the repercussion has been that many My Sister’s Grave readers have gone back and bought the David Sloane novels and it’s been fun to hear from a whole new audience. As I said, it’s been a wild ride.

Being deeply into your David Sloane series and now just starting your Tracy Crosswhite series, what “series skills” did you learn from the Sloane process that is making your work with Crosswhite easier?

Series are not really about carrying forward story lines. Series are about carrying forward the relationships between the characters. Readers of series want to know what is going to happen between characters. The emails I get are much less about “what’s next for Tracy Crosswhite” and much more about, are Tracy and Dan going to stay together? Will Johnny Nolasco continue to be a pain in her side? I tell writers to think of the Harry Potter series. Each novel wrapped up the story nicely, but the relationships between Harry and his friends and Harry and his enemies continued from one book to the next.

You published “The Academy” in digital only. It’s a short story prequel to your new series. Do you see yourself publishing more e-only books or stories? What was the thinking behind this one?

I wrote The Academy for myself. I wanted to know how Tracy went from being a professor to the Seattle Police Academy. It sounds strange, I know, but I honestly believe stories exist someplace and my job is to tap into that place and simply tell that story. That’s why it’s almost impossible for me to prepare a detailed outline. My brain just doesn’t work that way. I sent the short story to my agent and she loved it. She sent it to Thomas & Mercer and they loved it. So we thought about how we could use it – maybe as flashbacks in another novel. It really didn’t fit into My Sister’s Grave. So we came to the mutual idea of using it as a way to promote My Sister’s Grave and to thank all my loyal readers. I wanted to give it away as a gift for those people who wanted to know more about Tracy. E-Book was really the only way to do that.

Quick question: “The Academy” is listed as a “short story” and it’s “free.” What does it say about readers who complain it is a “short story” and explain that they don’t “buy” their books on installments? :o)

I’m laughing now and I was laughing when I read a few of those comments. It’s ironic, isn’t it? I don’t know what more we could have done. It says “short story” right on the Amazon page. I take it as somewhat of a compliment. To me it means the reader wanted more and was disappointed they didn’t get it. As for “buying” a “free” download on an installment, that was never the intent. Readers don’t have to read The Academy to understand and enjoy My Sister’s Grave. That novel stands on its own. Writers need to have thick skin and understand you’re never going to please everyone – even when it’s “free.” There are people out there who are looking to criticize, who are bitter about life, and who like to be contrarians. Then there are those who genuinely just don’t like the novel and that’s okay. Not every book is for everyone.

I just thought it was funny that readers download a free short story and then complained because it wasn’t a full novel. Go figure. On another note, you’ve been compared a great deal to author John Grisham. What is your take on that? Is it your solid good looks?

I think it had more to do with the fact that I’m a lawyer and came out at a time when every new legal thriller author was compared to Grisham because he and Scott Turow are the face of the genre. I’ve always admired Grisham’s ability to tell a story. He has that innate Southern writer storytelling gift that not everyone is blessed with. So to be compared to him is a compliment.

How do you think you and Grisham are similar? Are different?

People enjoy my plots and my stories. They enjoy the journeys my characters take them on. I’m strong with action scenes. I think those are qualities similar to Grisham. As for differences, I don’t write the real courtroom dramas that were the staple of many of Grisham’s early novels. My David Sloane novels were more like Sycamore Row. They have a lawyer and they have a legal element, but much of the story takes place outside of the courtroom.

Have you ever met Grisham?

No. He’s one of the few I’ve never met who I’d like to someday. It would be an honor.  My mother is 82 and been a big fan of his for many years. I always try to get her signed books when I meet authors she enjoys. She has quite the collection, but Grisham is not among them.

You have come a long way since “The Jury Master” (and even since your appearance as a Killer Nashville Guest of Honor). How do you see that you have grown as a writer? What lesson(s) could you impart to the up-and-coming writers reading this?

Killer Nashville was such a great experience. I still tell people about the surprise gift I received and they are floored, as was I. As an artist you are always trying to improve your craft and get better. My writing has improved. My storytelling has improved. What I really think has improved is my character development. It’s a fine line when you’re writing mysteries and thrillers. Not all readers of that genre want to get bogged down in intimate character details. They buy the books to try to solve the mystery or to go on an adventure and they want the story to move. At the same time, I think I’ve learned how to better incorporate character details into the action – what the character is feeling and why at certain moments without slowing the story down. I believe that is the reason for the runaway success of My Sister’s Grave. Readers really identify with Tracy and with her relationship to her sister, Sarah. As a result, they feel Tracy’s loss intimately and they want to find out whether or not she’s going to be okay.

You do a lot of workshops and classes. You are an incredible teacher. How do you justify the time it takes away from your writing to do these seminars?

I’m doing less teaching. It’s inevitable. I have kids heading off to college and I’m trying to be a part of every moment of their lives. I try to help with their academics and their athletics, to support them at every game. That’s not easy when you’re on the road. At the same time, I love to teach and I feel like I’m qualified to teach writing because I had so many failures early in my career. I can identify with that writer sitting at a conference screaming inside, “I can do this! Just tell me what mistakes not to make so I can get a chance to be read!”

Readers: If you ever get a chance to take a writing course with Robert Dugoni, don’t hesitate for a minute. I’ve seen him at work. He’s a master. Read more about Robert Dugoni at http://www.robertdugoni.com/ and connect with him at https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni, https://twitter.com/robertdugoni, https://www.pinterest.com/RobertDugoni/, https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/63650.Robert_Dugoni, and http://www.robertdugoni.blogspot.com/. 

See you next month!

Until then, read like someone is burning the books!

Clay Stafford

---

Clay Stafford is an author / filmmaker (www.ClayStafford.com), founder of Killer Nashville (www.killernashville.com) and publisher of Killer Nashville Magazine (www.killernashvillemagazine.com). In addition to selling over 1.5 million copies of his own books, Stafford’s latest projects are the documentary “One of the Miracles” (www.oneofthemiracles.com) and writing the music CD “XO” with Kathryn Dance / Lincoln Rhymes author Jeffery Deaver (www.jefferdeaverxomusic.com). He is currently writing a film script based on Peter Straub’s “Pork Pie Hat” for American Blackguard Entertainment (www.americanblackguard.com).

Robert Dugoni is the #1 Amazon and New York Times Bestselling Author of eight novels. His latest, My Sister’s Grave, was the #1 Amazon bestseller for two months and Amazon, Library Journal, and Suspense Magazine all chose it as a 2014 Best Book of the Year. Dugoni is also the author of the best-selling David Sloane series, The Jury Master, Wrongful Death, Bodily Harm, Murder One and The Conviction, as well as the stand-alone novel Damage Control. His books have twice been recognized by the Los Angeles Times as a top five thriller of the year. Murder One was a finalist for the prestigious Harper Lee Award for literary excellence.Dugoni’s first book, the nonfiction expose, The Cyanide Canary, was a Washington Post 2004 Best Book of the year. Dugoni’s books have been likened to Scott Turow and Nelson DeMille, and the Providence Rhode Island Journal has called him the “the undisputed king of the legal thriller” and the “heir to Grisham’s literary throne.”    Visit his website at www.robertdugoni.com, email him at bob@robertdugoni.com, and follow him on twitter @robertdugoni and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorRobertDugoni

Killer Nashville Interview with Tony Vanderwarker

What happens when Tony Vanderwarker, the founder of one of Chicago’s largest ad agencies, decides he wants to write fiction? He connects with author John Grisham and learns to do-in his ugly babies. Here is a wonderful story of mentorship and the trials and errors of being a writer. Thanks to Beth Terrell for conducting this interview.Enjoy…and be inspired!

Clay Stafford
Founder of Killer Nashville 

Tony Vanderwarker

KN: Please welcome Tony Vanderwarker to the Killer Nashville blog.  Tony, could you tell us about your path to becoming a professional writer? When did you know you wanted to be one? How did you get started?

I’ve always wanted to write novels, I think as far back as a teenager. When I was in the Peace Corps in Africa in my late teens, I wrote oodles of ersatz Rimbaud poetry and three or four meandering novels – all of which I burned when I came upon the disasters some years later. But I did get interested in film through working with the government’s film unit and went to film school at NYU. I ended up making a major motion picture, which got minor attention, so I decided to write shorter films. I then went into advertising and cashed out of the business in my late forties. I’ve been writing novels ever since.

KN: Did you always write thrillers? What drew you to the genre?

I began writing comic novels, but they didn’t sell, so I tried thrillers figuring I’d imitate my friend (author) John Grisham. Wrote a couple and got lucky. John offered to take me under his wing and teach me the secrets of thriller writing. So the novel I have coming out, Sleeping Dogs is the one I wrote with him over a period of about five years.

Sleeping Dogs by Tony Vanderwalker

KN: John Grisham was instrumental in helping you come up with the idea for that novel, wasn’t he? Could you tell us about that?

At our lunch when Grisham offered to mentor me, he said, “Okay, we need a plot. You said you had a couple ideas, let’s hear them.” I pitched the first, swing and a miss. The second he shot down also. So I pitched the third as I began to sweat.“So there are actually seven unrecovered nukes scattered around the U.S. as a result of mid-air accidents and collisions during the Cold War,” I told him.“You’re kidding,” he said.“No, all over the place, Georgia, North Carolina, Oregon – the Pentagon claims they are harmless.”“Whoever heard of a harmless nuke? What if the bad guys got a hold of one?”So with Grisham engaged, we began a long and arduous process of crafting a novel together.And the interesting part is, when Sleeping Dogs ran into a glut of similar thrillers on the market, I pulled it and wrote a book about writing with John calledWriting With The Master. It got picked up and the publisher also decided to publish Sleeping Dogs. So both came out on Feb 4.

KN: Two books on the same day? That’s pretty impressive. What does your writing schedule look like?

I write from 9-12 in the morning, that’s usually when I run out of gas and my dogs get tired of lying around in the studio. They are lousy on plots and terrible spellers, but they contributed the title of my novel.I take off weekends and holidays. Otherwise, it’s rigorous. I’m lazy and have a dread of the blank page so if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t get any work done. I do two to three pages a day, many of my ideas come to me when I’m half-asleep in the middle of the night. In the morning, my bedside table ends up looking like a bunch of stickies were shot at it.

Writing With the Master by Tony Vanderwarker

KN: But you’ve worked hard to make the technical details authentic. How much and what kind of research do you do?

Lots, Siri is with me constantly. I’m always asking her crazy questions like, “What did Mussolini have to do with the Mafia?” or, “What’s the difference between an mk mod 47 nuke and some other one?” She’s a tireless co-worker. But it really depends on what kind of book you’re working on and how familiar you are with the territory. Bubonic plague is something I know nothing about (fortunately) so Siri and I are spending a lot of time on that. Reading up on nukes took months. But the ad agency stuff comes flying out of my head faster than I can get it down.

KN: And how about your personal experiences? How do they inform your work?

My life seeps into everything I do. I was having lunch with my publicist a couple weeks ago and she asked about my kids. I described my daughter, who is a theatre director, as a tough and resolute person who is not afraid to tell anyone to go jump. And Sharon said, “Could she have been the model for the lead female characters in Ads For God and Sleeping Dogs?” I hadn’t realized it, but she was right on. Probably included a bit of my wife also since she comes in the same size.

KN: What do you hope readers will take away from Sleeping Dogs?

That nuclear weapons are scary as hell and we ought to pay more attention to how they are stored and handled before we create a catastrophe. Sleeping Dogs brings to life the possibility of terrorists recovering one close to a major population center and coming close to detonating it, immolating millions and making the Eastern Seaboard uninhabitable for centuries.

KN: That does sound scary—and is a message a lot of people probably ought to hear. So how do you get the message out? What sort of marketing and promotion do you do?

The whole nine yards: social media, website, writing websites, email lists I’m on, Kickstarter, plus I have two publicists, one at my publishing house, the other a freelancer I’ve hired. I began marketing this book back in June 2013 and I’ll continue until I’ve bored everyone to tears and is begging me to stop.

KN: What’s next for you? 

Two directions: First, I’ve resurrected two comic novels I wrote years ago and am bringing them out later in the year, probably from a publishing house I’ve started with a friend. So Ads For God and Say Something Funny will be coming back to life. I’m also writing new comic novels as well as another thriller. The comic novel is titled Client From Hell and is about the Mafia taking over an ad agency. The thriller is a sequel to Sleeping Dogs.

KN: You have some pretty eclectic interests as a writer. What authors have inspired you?

The list is endless, but particularly Ford, Franzen, Updike, Kesey, Grisham (for his stories), Hiassen (for his humor) and above all, Cormac McCarthy.

KN: Any advice for aspiring authors?

Be patient. Words are tricky characters and don’t always do what you want. And slow down, speed kills good writing. And about your work, ask yourself the question one of Fellini’s characters posed in 8 ½, something like: “Is this really remarkable or just the foot of another cripple in the sand.” Ruthlessness is as much a part of writing as imagination. You have to be able to do-in your ugly babies.

---

Tony Vanderwarker is the founder of one of Chicago’s largest ad agencies, and is the author of the memoir Writing With the Master: How a Bestselling Author Fixed My Book And Changed My Life about his experience being mentored by John Grisham while writing the thriller Sleeping Dogs (both released by Skyhorse in 2014). He has also penned the forthcoming novels Ads for God and Say Something Funny.

Things Readers Want to Know/ Author Del Staecker

If you’re a seasoned author, you get asked the same questions by non-writers. If you’re a beginning author and haven’t yet found your stride, sometimes you find yourself asking the same questions. It’s always beneficial, even for the most seasoned pro, to note how other craftsmen do things. I’m always learning. I think that’s why Killer Nashville is such an incredible experience for me every year. An interesting writer for me is Del Staecker who literally locked himself in an isolated Idaho cabin to write his first novel by longhand just because it was something he always wanted to do. From there, success followed. So here’s the questions Del might have asked back in those days and here also are the answers he gives from his seasoned hand. Experience is always the best teacher, unless you’ve got someone like Del and you’re willing to listen. Thanks Del for taking the time to share.

Clay Stafford,
Founder of Killer Nashville

At readings, signings and other appearances, readers often ask, “Where do you get your ideas?” “How do you create characters?” and, “Do plots just come to you?” I encounter questions such as: “Where do your characters come from?” “Do you create profiles?” “What makes a character a good one?” and, “How do you make dialogue sound so real?”I have not been trained to be an author. By that, I mean I have not received instruction through an MFA program, or writer’s seminars—formal or informal. For me, writing has come from a life of reading and personal experiences, and although I attended college and received an excellent education, I am a self-taught writer. Correction, I am more a storyteller than a writer.But let me share what I know about creating, developing, and (upon occasion) completing written works worthy of publication.

Q- Where do ideas come from?

A- I allow my memory to wander and my imagination to work. I jot down ideas and occasionally thumb through stacks of notes. If an idea has life—staying power—it jumps out of the pile and demands more thought. I have the beginning of a story, then the characters go their own way. For example, Tales of Tomasewski began when I imagined the experience of searching for a street hustler I knew many years ago. What the character and the person searching for him did is the story—it emerged from their actions.

"More Tomasewski"/Del Staecker

Q-Are plots outlined?

A- Nothing is planned. I never know where the story is going. What happens is inexplicable and devoid of method. Strong characters extend good plots. When I began writing The Muted Mermaid, it was one story that grew into three books (Shaved Ice and Chocolate Soup being the other two parts). Tales of Tomasewski started as a single short story and grew into a novel. Subsequently, it has led to contracts for two additional books based on the lead character.

Q-Where do characters come from?

A-From life’s experiences. Each character is a person, or parts of a person, that I have met. Sometimes the traits from several persons blend into one character. Jake Thompson (aka Jan Tomasewski) is a blend of an acquaintance from my college years and many of the people I grew up with on Chicago’s Southside.

Q-What about constructing and using character profiles?

A-No. Characters are represented by their actions and their participation in the situations in which they are embroiled. In fact, the characters take off based upon their own energy, and as real personalities, they are finding their place in a particular universe. I believe the author’s imagination is a creator of that universe. More than once, I’ve awakened from a sound sleep to overhear their conversations. Occasionally, they talk to me.

Q-What is the secret to a good character?

A-They are engaged in activities that seem plausible for them, they exchange thoughts in believable dialogue with other good characters, and they perform deeds in settings that are a fit for them. If their conversations sound authentic and the settings seem real, then the characters are real to the reader.

Q-How is realism attained?

A-The characters do it all on their own. Once their universe exists, I am just a storyteller—an observer, a reporter, informing readers about the world the characters inhabit. My job is to get the description right.

Q-Getting back to profiles—what if a character “goes rogue?”

A-If they are real, then characters can be contradictory. In fact, at times they must be. Also, characters develop. Over time, we all change. Sometimes we grow, and sometimes we regress. Strict adherence to a profile would stifle the “real-ness” of a character. Remember, consistency can be boring. Granted, characters have recurring traits. Ledge Trabue’s quirky stomach and The Professor’s love of food are elements that are timeless and solid for them. Jake Thompson’s sarcasm is eternally his.

Q-How about killing a character?

A-One reader gushed, “I love how you kill people!” Telling that reader the truth was easy. I do not kill any characters. Simply, the characters do their thing. Characters are eliminated by other characters as action unfolds.

Q-What’s the key to writing believable dialogue?

A-Listen to the conversations that characters are having and simply repeat them. After letting things set for a while, I return to each dialogue and read it aloud. Listen as if you are there. I hope I’ve been helpful in shedding some light on the writing process. My coming to the world of writing books for publication was based upon a lifetime of reading and experiencing life. I do not claim any special expertise, just love for a good story.

---

Del Staecker is an Executive committee member of the International Association of Crime Weriters, Chair of the 2014 Dashiell Hammett Prize Committee, and author of five crime thrillers. His Ledge Trabue trilogy, The Muted Mermaid, Shaved Ice and Chocolate Soup, is set in Nashville and New Orleans. Visit his website at www.delstaecker.com.

(To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)

An Interview with 2014 Killer Nashville Attending Editor Bryon Quertermous

All the agents and editors who come to Killer Nashville are looking for new authors. We make sure of that before they are invited. Sometimes, though, we see a new house that is incredibly hungry. And, for us, that’s a good thing. In our Guest Blog – which in this case is more a question and answer – Bryon Quertermous, commissioning editor for Exhibit A Books (distributed through Random House), sits down with us for a little one-on-one to build the excitement as we move forward to when he arrives at Killer Nashville this August looking for new literary talent. I’m hoping everyone who reads this will come to our FREE AGENT / EDITOR ROUNDTABLES at Killer Nashville, meet Bryon and our other acquiring agents, publishers, and editors, and maybe – like so many before – get up from the table with an editor or agent interested in acquiring your next book. Thanks Bryon for talking with us. And so the excitement builds… Happy Reading!

Clay Stafford

Bryon Quertermous: In an effort to help spread the word about our phenomenal new crime fiction imprint, Exhibit A Books, and to help me find the next generation of crime writers, I’ll be attending the Killer Nashville conference this August. To help those who aren’t familiar with myself or Exhibit A Books, I sat down with Killer Nashville organizers to answer some questions.

Killer Nashville: Welcome, Bryon. Let’s start with a little bit about Exhibit A books. What can you tell me about the imprint?

BQ: Exhibit A is the crime fiction imprint from Angry Robot Books. Our aim with Exhibit A is simple: one look and you’re hooked. Whether it’s a hard hitting procedural, shocking psychological mystery, international noir tale or something entirely new, this is an ethos we’re running right through from our acquisitions strategy to our eye-catching marketing strategies, covers and distinctive branding. Exhibit A is the new focal point for compelling fiction in the crime fiction community. We’re looking for authors who are not only great writers, but great ambassadors for the Exhibit A imprint, with a solid emphasis on fostering close relationships between authors and readers and producing books that can be enjoyed by all readers from fans of Castle to life-long historians of the genre.

KN: Tell us me about your background as an editor. Is it something you’ve always wanted to do or did you fall into it?

BQ: Editing is something I’ve always wanted to do. I was the editor of my college newspaper and college literary magazine because I love finding new writers and encouraging them and sharing their work. After college, I spent a year in New York City working for Random House with their crime fiction and science fiction imprints before deciding I hated being poor in the city and moved back to Michigan. Since then, I’ve worked whatever editorial jobs I could find, including starting my own award-winning crime fiction magazine Demolition, which I ran for four years. I also worked as a freelance editor and as an editor with Harlequin’s digital-first imprint Carina Press.

KN: What are you looking for in a submission?

BQ: There are a lot of things that go into getting my attention with a project, but the most important of those is a cool, engaging voice. I can help an author fix a plot or make characters better, but if an author doesn’t have a compelling voice I’ll have to pass. Aside from that, I’m also looking for authors who get what we’re trying to do with Exhibit A and want to be part of our family. We like to try new things and challenge some of the traditional publishing status quo so authors who are eager and inventive really get us excited.

KN: So many small presses don’t have the ability to pay advances or get their books into major stores. Is that a problem for Exhibit A books?

BQ: Far from it. We do pay advances and have a very generous royalty structure to get more money to the author faster. We’re distributed by Random House in the US, which gets us on the shelves at major chains such as Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million among others, including prime placement with online booksellers and promotions such as Kindle Daily Deals.

KN: What do you say to a writer who says, “I had a friend who made a million dollars self-publishing his book. Why should I send my book to you if I can do it myself and keep all of the money?”

BQ: As I said before, we’re looking for authors who want to be partners with us. Some authors are also great at business, great at design and packaging, and great at promotion. Other authors either don’t have these skills, or don’t have the time or money to put into publishing their own books. We offer a stable of professional editors, cover designers, production geniuses, and publicity and sales staff to help our authors. We take on the risk and the upfront aspects of publishing and let the authors concentrate on the part they’re the best at: writing great books. But we do realize we’re in a new and exciting environment and work with our authors to broaden their exposure. We don’t do non-compete clauses, and we encourage our authors to self-publish books that might not fit our mission and to publish with other traditional publishers if they choose for other projects.

KN: How do you pronounce your last name?

BQ: Kwuh TER Muss. Like Thermos.

KN: Thank you, Bryon. I know our attendees are looking forward to meeting you in August!

---

Bryon Quertermous was born and raised in Michigan. His short stories have appeared in Plots With Guns, Thuglit, and Crime Factory among others, and in the anthologies Hardcore Hardboiled, The Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, and Uncage Me. In 2003 he was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger Award from the UK Crime Writers Association. He currently lives outside of Detroit with his wife and two kids and is  the commissioning editor for Angry Robot’s crime fiction imprint Exhibit A Books. His first novel, Murder Boy, will be published by Polis Books in 2014. (To be a part of the Killer Nashville Guest Blog, send a query to contact@killernashville.com. We’d love to hear from you.)