Crime Writers' Week 2024 recap

The first few weeks after launch often hold the key to a book's lifelong success. To make sure you make the most of your launch period, you'll need a proper plan in place. In this workshop, Reedsy's co-founder Ricardo Fayet will show you how to craft and execute the perfect launch strategy for your next release. In particular, he'll teach you:

• how to nail your product page

• how to collect reviews even before you launch

• how to research and leverage retailer metadata

• a proper strategy to tickle the retailers' algorithms

• the most effective tactics you can leverage to boost your sales numbers right after launch

Ricardo Fayet is one of the four founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the world's top publishing talent—from editors to cover designers, book marketers, or literary translators. He's the author of two books on marketing for authors: How to Market a Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market and Amazon Ads for Authors: Unlock Your Full Advertising Potential.

You've got your protagonist and your culprit, but what about everyone else? Instead of staring at a blank page trying to come up with characters, I'll give you a clear strategy to design a compelling cast that will add texture to your dialogue, create intrigue around the investigation, and animate your story world.

Rachel Arsenault is a developmental editor and writing instructor specializing in crime and fantasy. Her background in anthropology and her love of fiction found a home in analyzing stories to pull out patterns and strategies that help her clients write compelling plots and immersive worlds. Rachel has recently taken to studying storytelling in video games and has been sharing this process live via Twitch.

Special links:

Learn more about Rachel Arsenault:

• https://www.rachel-arsenault.com/

• https://www.twitch.tv/storycipher

• https://www.storycipher.me

In this workshop, we'll explore how to leverage voice, tone, and setting to immerse readers in the "mood" of your story, evoke an emotional experience, and create unputdownable narratives. Topics will include defining authorial voice vs character voice, how tone can set and manipulate reader expectations, and how to unleash the transformational power of setting. Using examples from bestselling novels and masters of crime fiction and with exercises to get the creative juices flowing, writers will learn how to access these critical tools to take their writing to the next level.

A voracious reader of all kinds of fiction (and sometimes memoir and nonfiction), Kerry Savage (she/her) is an Author Accelerator certified book coach who works with novelists from the planning stages through revision, helping writers get their best book ready for the world. She is also a J-school grad and former project manager, as well as being hard at work on her first novel (a work of historical fiction based on the life of a real badass female pirate). She serves as a volunteer mentor for the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). She loves good wine, cheese, and trying to keep her succulents alive.

Special link:

Access Kerry's presentation slides, free resources, and a link to sign up for a special rate on a 10 page manuscript review and 30-minute Zoom session: https://www.kerrysavage.com/prowritingaid-crime-week

Learn how to humanize your crime stories by creating multidimensional, relatable characters that captivate readers and add emotional depth to your narratives, making your crime novels truly unforgettable.

Dana Pittman is a USA Today and Amazon Bestselling romance and paranormal romance author, certified developmental editor, and the Chief Storyteller with Danja Tales, a boutique romance developmental editing company in Houston, Texas. She specializes in romances (contemporary, steamy, billionaire, etc.), paranormal romance, fantasy, suspense/thrillers, and plotting. And she'd love to chat with you about YOUR novel.

Special links:

• Learn more about Dana Pittman: http://www.danjatales.com/

• Check out So You Wanna Write a Novel (for FREE): https://soyouwannawriteanovel.com/

During this networking session, you will have the opportunity to meet other people in the crime writing community through speed dating. We will be sending you into breakout rooms in groups of four or five. 

Unlock the full potential of your crime novel in "Edit Your Way to a Thrilling Crime Novel Using Technology." This session dives deep into how you can use ProWritingAid to help you refine your manuscript to perfection. You'll learn how to harness the advanced features of ProWritingAid to enhance your crime novel's suspense, clarity, and overall readability. ProWritingAid's Director of Community, Hayley Milliman, will guide you through the process of:

• Identifying common pitfalls: Discover how to spot and correct common mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and style that can detract from your novel's impact

• Strengthening your narrative: Use ProWritingAid's tools to tighten your plot, develop compelling characters, and maintain a gripping pace that keeps readers on the edge of their seats

• Analyzing readability: Utilize readability reports to make sure your novel is accessible and engaging

And more!

As Director of Community at ProWritingAid, Hayley Milliman focuses on building engaging, helpful learning content for the millions of users who rely on ProWritingAid to make their writing clear and effective. Hayley has a robust writing portfolio and has written for dozens of publications on topics related to education, marketing strategy, history, entrepreneurship, and more.

Wanda M. Morris is the award-winning author of All Her Little Secrets, which has been praised by Karin Slaughter as "brilliantly nuanced" and reviewed by The Boston Globe, LA Times, New York Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seattle Times, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, among others. Her second novel, Anywhere You Run, won the Anthony award for Best Historical Novel of 2023 and was longlisted for the prestigious Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Prize. She is married, the mother of three, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Special link:

Order Wanda's new book What You Leave Behind: https://bit.ly/44J4z80

Louisa Luna's seventh novel, Tell Me Who You Are, will be released in June 2024 by MCD Books at Farrar, Straus & Giroux. She is the author of the Alice Vega series: Two Girls Down, The Janes, and Hideout, which won the G.P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award at the 2023 Edgars. Her other novels include Brave New Girl, Crooked, and Serious as a Heart Attack. She was born and raised in the city of San Francisco and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.

Special links:

• Learn more about Louisa Luna and order her new book, Tell Me Who You Are: https://www.louisaluna.com/

• Follow Louisa Luna on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisalunawriter/

Join Savannah to learn how to use red herrings to mislead and surprise your readers. She'll talk through how to misdirect readers while planting clues, how to keep secrets from readers while still playing fair, and how to pull off an amazing plot twist—with plenty of examples from popular novels, too.

Savannah Gilbo is a certified developmental editor and book coach who helps fiction authors write, edit, and publish stories that work. She's also the host of the top-rated Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast, where she delivers weekly episodes full of simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away. When she's not busy crafting her own stories, you can find Savannah curled up with a good book, a cozy blanket, and her three furry partners in crime.

Special link:

Get Savannah's free Writing Effective Red Herrings Cheat Sheet: https://www.savannahgilbo.com/pwa

Unlock your novel's potential, and plot your way to success in just five beats. Join us for an inspiring and empowering workshop led by acclaimed writing teacher and story coach Jessica Brody, author of the bestselling plotting guides, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel. By breaking down the storytelling process into five foundational beats, Jessica will reveal the key elements that make any novel successful and show you how to apply them to crime fiction. Whether you're a beginner writer or seeking to enhance your storytelling skills, by the end of this presentation, you'll walk away with a simple, easy-to-follow blueprint that you can use to outline, write, or revise your crime novel.

Jessica Brody has written over 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults, which have been translated and published in over twenty languages, and has been hired by Disney Press to write several books based on popular Disney franchises such as Descendants and LEGO Disney Princess. Jessica is also the author of the number one bestselling plotting guides, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel. She is the founder of the Writing Mastery Academy, which is dedicated to helping fiction writers unlock their full potential.

Special links:

• Learn more about Jessica Brody: https://www.jessicabrody.com/

• Get your first month of access to Jessica Brody’s Writing Mastery Academy for only $10, and download free resources here: https://www.writingmastery.com/crimewriter

1 million-copy bestselling author, Suzy K. Quinn, shares five secrets of bestseller success.

Suzy K. Quinn is an internationally bestselling author, ghostwriter, entrepreneur, and renowned book consultant. As Editorial Director of our London office, Suzy leads Kevin Anderson & Associates' initiatives in the UK, Europe, and beyond. Working closely with writers, literary agents, and publishers in the UK, Suzy also corresponds closely with KAA’s American office, providing our clients with a global approach to publishing.

Special link:

Free two-minute publishing consultation with Suzy, and a mini manuscript review by KAA's former literary agent, Adriann Ranta Zurhellen: https://www.ka-writing.com/book-review-consultation-services/

In this session, we'll dive into the details of how keywords and categories work on Amazon, tactics crime authors can use to gain traction, and optimizations for effective sales results.

Included topics are:

• Finding profitable keywords that crime readers actually search for on Amazon

• Identifying niche bestseller categories while avoiding devastating ghost categories

• Learning how to become a category bestseller without spending thousands

• Strategies to make a book more discoverable to target readers

• ...and more.

Data Engineer turned Amazon bestselling author, Hank Marcacci writes in several genres on Amazon KDP. As Product Manager of Publisher Rocket, he's always on the lookout for how authors can better connect with readers who will love their work.

Special offer:

Purchase Publisher Rocket Lifetime Access using the link below before June 23rd, and get the Mastering Keywords and Categories Course (normally $50) for free: https://kindlepreneur.com/Crime_week

Session resources:

View and download Hank's slides here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/177Nj_yAE57rNKU84r1okLtlU6O755779/view?usp=sharing

Bestselling novelist and comic book writer Alex Segura shares the secrets of writing your own original stories and adventures in complex, shared universes.

Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, which The New York Times called "wittily original" and named an Editor's Choice. National Public Radio described the novel as "masterful," and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. Secret Identity was also listed as one of the Best Mysteries of the Year by NPR, Kirkus, Booklist, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and more, and it was nominated for the Anthony Award for Best Hardcover, the Lefty and Barry Awards for Best Novel, the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel, and won the LA Times Book Prize in the Mystery/Thriller category.

His next novel, the YA Spider-Verse adventure Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow is out now from Disney Books/Marvel Press.

He has also written a number of comic books—including The Mysterious Micro-Face (in partnership with NPR), The Black Ghost, The Archies, The Dusk, The Awakened, Mara Llave: Keeper of Time, Blood Oath, stories featuring Marvel properties the Avengers, Sunspot, White Tiger, Araña, America Chavez, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Star Wars, and DC's Superman, Sinestro, and The Question, to name a few.

Special links:

• Learn more about Alex Segura: https://www.alexsegura.com/

• Order Secret Identity: https://www.alexsegura.com/books/secret-identity/

• Order Alter Ego: https://www.alexsegura.com/books/alter-ego/

Serialized storytelling lets you leverage all the character and world-building you've done in your first story and expand it out into a long form story that will keep readers coming back for years to come... but how do you do that when the case is solved in the first story? Come learn how to create series-style plot and character arcs that can connect your individual stories and help them build to an ongoing resolution that will keep readers hooked. Hosted by Wattpad's Creator and Content Education lead, Tom McGee.

Tom McGee helps writers of all kinds tell the best version of their story possible. As the Creators + Content Development lead at Wattpad, Tom oversees the teams that help hundreds of writers hone their craft with both storytelling advice and learn how to succeed in the webnovel environment. Previously, Tom worked as a dramaturge, helping playwrights develop their scripts; an award-winning actor, puppeteer, director, writer, and producer of indie theater in Toronto; a communications and crisis consultant specializing in storytelling; and recently taught playwriting at Queen's University. Tom holds a Masters degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in Drama and Classics from Queen's University. He grew up on Murder She Wrote, Nero Wolfe, and Sherlock Holmes, and he loves a good crime story. Tom is also the long-suffering showrunner/Dungeon Master of Dumb-Dumbs & Dragons, Canada's biggest D&D live-play podcast and several other shows with his company Dumb-Dumbs & Dice. He lives in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, with his wife, toddler, and a stack of unread mystery books that haunt his waking hours.

Special link:

For more tips on writing great genre stories, webnovels, and serialization, check out the (free) writing resources on the Wattpad Creators Portal: https://creators.wattpad.com/writing-resources/

DIY Ransom Note. During this networking session, attendees will be placed into small breakout groups to complete a ransom note writing activity.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the complexities of launching your author career? Do you find yourself lost in a sea of conflicting advice from various sources? Do you want to arrange a meeting with a CPA but don't even know what you need to ask them to get the most out of your billable conversation?

Unlock the roadmap to entrepreneurial success in the literary world. From a quick breakdown of tax structures to simplifying bookkeeping essentials, we'll set you on the "write" path. :-)

Discover the key distinctions between hobby and self-employment income, and gain clarity on whether you need an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Delve into fundamental tax concepts like income and estimated taxes, issuing 1099s, and other surprise requirements, empowering you to make informed decisions with confidence because, in the eyes of the government, ignorance is no excuse.

Understand the implications of self-employment taxes for you and your family's financial landscape, along with basic knowledge of sales tax obligations as a business owner.

With expert information and practical wisdom, you'll establish a rock-solid foundation for your author journey. Bid farewell to confusion and overwhelm, and embark on the path to a thriving and sustainable author business.

Ashley Guion is a seasoned Certified Public Accountant with a Master's degree in accounting. With extensive experience in public accounting, she specialized in supporting small business owners in the US with tax preparation, planning, and expert bookkeeping assistance, including QuickBooks Online setup. Prioritizing family time, Ashley transitioned from public accounting to be with her two young boys while pursuing an unexpected passion for writing. Recognizing a lack of accounting resources for authors, Ashley decided to utilize her expertise to support fellow writers. Now, between diaper changes and bedtime stories, Ashley's committed to making financial literacy a breeze for authors. 

Book coach and MTS expert Samantha Skal will live-coach three writers' first pages in this 50-minute session, followed by an AMA session for anything MTS related.

Samantha Skal (she/her) is an Author Accelerator certified book coach and agented author who specializes in coaching mystery, thriller, and (romantic) suspense authors from novel planning all the way through agent pitching, and especially loves twist brainstorming, figuring out pacing issues, and the hell that is revision. She is the Co-Executive Director of ThrillerFest, International Thriller Writers (ITW)'s annual writing conference, and a frequent volunteer mentor for the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). An enthusiast of homemade sourdough and cheese of all kinds, she also adores (scary) stories that keep her up at night and good red wine.

Former top cop and now bestselling crime writer, Graham Bartlett will take you through why you don't have to sacrifice drama for authenticity. He will show you how good research and understanding build brilliant stories and characters your readers will love. With time for your questions, this is a session you don't want to miss.

Graham Bartlett rose to become chief superintendent and the divisional commander of Brighton and Hove police. His first nonfiction book, Death Comes Knocking, was a Sunday Times Top Ten bestseller, which he then followed with Babes in the Wood. He co-wrote these books with bestselling author Peter James, and has since turned to fiction and published Bad for Good, Force of Hate, and City on Fire, all starring Chief Superintendent Jo Howe. Graham is also a police procedural and crime adviser helping scores of authors and TV writers inject authenticity into their work.

During this networking session, you will be placed into small breakout rooms to get to know each other and discuss your takeaways from the week.