On Oct. 8, Doug Levin asked:
"I'd like to hear more about Boucheron from attendees. What
went on?
What is the state of the industry? Hope for new hard-boileds
or more
cozy, cozy, cozy?"
A few scattered thoughts from various panels made up of
agents,
editors, writers, and reviewers. Continuing trends:
Female
protagonists created by female writers; this would indicate
a cozy
tendency, but PI writers like Grafton, Paretsky, et. al.,
cop-writers
(especially those who are or have been cops) like Judith
Smith-Levin,
Anne Wingate, et. al., spy writers like Gayle Lynds, though
perhaps
not HB by the standards of some on this list, at least tend
towards a
harder view of things. Newer trends: Techno-thrillers might
spread
out to cover other areas of crime fiction besides espionage
(i.e. B.
D'Amato's *Killer.App* a cop novel about a computer genius
criminal).
The short story: Things are better in short stories than
they have
been for many years. New, small circulation, crime fiction
magazines
(i.e. *Murderous Intent*, *Whispering Willows*, *Mystery
Buff*, etc.)
provide an avenue for new writers to serve their
apprenticeship and
gain professional credits for their resumes; however, many
of these
mags eschew HB; on the other hand, Gary Lovisi's
*Hardboiled*, still
hanging on, specializes in them; new anthologies, rampant
the last few
years, may experience a downturn. The state of HB: Good
news, or at
least hopeful news, here. The success of the films *LA
Confidential*,
*Jackie Brown*, etc., will likely lead to a resurgence of
interest in
American HB. PI stories, procedurals continue to be
popular.
Breaking in: hard to get a book sold without an agent; hard
to get an
agent without professional credits; solution? See short
story entry
above. Hope this helps. Be advised, it's one person;s
impressions. -
Jim Doherty
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