Crimefest 2013: Event Summary Part 2
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This is part 2 of a summary of the talks and panels I attended at Crimefest 2013 (click here for part 1).
FRI 30 MAY (cont’d)
How Self-Publishing Fits into the Current Publishing Ecosystem
Joanna Penn
Author, online entrepreneur and public speaker Joanna Penn of the popular writing/publishing site TheCreativePenn.com gave a 20-minute spotlight talk on self-publishing. It drew an eclectic audience comprising both aspiring authors considering self-publishing their first book, to published authors considering a change of publication route, or are considering hybrid publishing (a mixture of traditional and self-publishing), to established authors thinking about self-publishing their backlist. The general consensus seems to be that 20 minutes was not nearly enough!
Joanna started by pointing out examples of self-published authors whose books sold so well that they are later picked up by a literary agent. As such, self-publishing is a very viable option.
According to a Book Expo America study, the main reasons authors choose to self-publish are: creative control, money, and ease of process. Most authors who choose traditional publishing want only the prestige of seeing their books on bookshelves.
Like anything else, self-publishing is a business, and to see returns you have to first invest in creating the best product you can. At the most basic, you would need to hire an editor, a cover designer, and an interior book designer (click on the links for a list of Joanna’s recommended editors/cover designers).
Joanna advised that you should start off by releasing an e-book only, as it is cheaper, and easier to make changes. Primary sites to publish your book are Amazon KDP (which garners the majority of e-book sales) and Kobo. Secondary sites include sites like Smashwords. If you want to release a print book, use print on demand (she recommends Createspace or Lightning Source).
Once your book is released, you must know how to market it (Joanna has a free Auhor 2.0 Blueprint on her site). Some examples:
Key words and correctly classifying your book
Encourage readers to sign up for e-mail blasts
Consider paid advertising
LET’S GET VISIBLE by David Gaughran
Gain some understanding of Amazon algorithms (suggested read: Let’s Get Visible by David Gaughran)
Finding the right price: from Joanna’s experience, her sweet spot is pricing the first book in a series at $2.99, and pricing subsequent books in the same series between $3.99 and $4.99.
Consider the perma-free option: making the first book in a series permanently free
Price pulsing: drop the price of your book (to $0.99, say) for a limited time as a promotion. This will bring the book up the Amazon charts. Once this happens, up the price of the book again.
Moral Hypocrisy in Crime Fiction? Not Me!
Felix Francis
Penny Hancock
Steve Mosby
Stav Sherez
Participating Moderator: Sophie Hannah
Moderator Sophie Hannah started by saying crime fiction provides a framework for good versus evil. How important is this battle? Should there be a move towards less judgmental fiction, perhaps as a battle within one person?
ELEVEN DAYS by Stav Sherez
Stav Sherez said that the good v evil battle is more sophisticated now, with more grey areas. The best crime fiction makes you aware that resolution does not ti
e everything up in a neat bow, and that crime will continue (perhaps another baddie will fill the void).
Steve Mosby said he doesn’t see good and evil, but rather people doing good and evil acts. Crime fiction nowadays is more adept at dealing with social issues.
Penny Hancock was more interested in what might tip a person over the edge, and believed that everybody has the potential for good and evil. Felix Francis agreed, but noted that there are some people who do very evil things, and these people are the interesting ones in society. He also noted that a crime story should always have a conclusion.
Sophie then pointed out how many crime novels sought to understand the motivation of a psychopath. Is this a way of excusing or condoning their act?
Stav could understand a crime of passion, but not others. In any case, the police in real life will not be interested in motive but only in apprehending the criminal.
Penny said she felt an urge to understand and to not judge. On speaking with a criminal psychologist, psychopathic killers tend to exhibit a combination of t
he following:
Childhood adversity
Mental illness
Drug abuse
“X factor”
Felix argued that many people suffer from 1-3, yet they do not kill. We may understand them, but never excuse their actions.
During audience questions, someone asked if there were such things as morally neutral acts. The idea of group evil was also raised, where it is much easier to do evil as part of a large group due to deferred responsibility and peer pressure. It was also discussed how psychopathy can now be detected using brain scans. The question is: can it then be used as a valid defence in court?
Serial Killers: Why Do We Love Them?
Xavier-Marie Bonnot
Steven Dunne
Matt Hilton
David Mark
Participating Moderator: Caro Ramsay
Moderator Caro Ramsay opened proceedings by providing the definition of a serial killer: someone with 3 or more victims over a period of no longer than 30 days. She then asked why we all have such a fascination for serial killers.
Steven Dunne said a serial killer makes a worthy opponent for your protagonist, depicting a battle between good and evil. Also, they interest us because we not only want to know whodunit, but ‘why’dunit.
Both Xavier-Marie Bonnot and Matt Hilton agreed that the fascination with serial killers like Ted Bundy is that they are criminals you could like as people. David Mark pointed out that there is a major difference between the cool, sexy, charming, and intelligent serial killers in crime fiction and those in real life. He wondered how they are wired differently. Steven added that in reality, serial killers are very unsettling, as there is often a sexual or control element in their killings, and very few are actually evil geniuses as depicted by Hannibal Lecter.
Caro ended the panel with an interesting question: which serial killer, real or fictitious, would you like to have dinner with, and why?
To be continued…
Come back tomorrow for part 3 of the Crimefest 2013 Event Summary
Self-published authors: have you tried any of Joanna’s suggested marketing tactics (price pulsing, perma-free, etc.)? How did they work for you?
Could and should a clinical diagnosis of psychopathy using brain scans become admissible evidence in court?
Which serial killer would YOU like to have dinner with?
Source: J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer
