Do you feel like you're running out of time to publish your masterpiece? Sarah Weinman has generated tons of comments by suggesting that all mystery writers (an in turn, all writers) are facing a new deadline.
According to Weinman, publishers have less patience with new writers nowadays. As publishing profits diminish in the digital age, publishers won't wait more than one book for a new writer to catch on--effectively killing new mystery serial writers like my all-time-favorite private detective novelist, Raymond Chandler.
It's something to think about. You really need to make your first book count. Mike MacLean began this discussion, you should read his essay too--these two smart writers will teach you more about the nuts and bolts of the publishing business than you can learn in a graduate writing course.
"It used to be, in the majors' eyes, that a crime writer could start slowly and build over time; then they had fewer books before it was time to "break out"; now it seems the "breakout" must happen right away, because there's not as much interest (or bottom line) in options 1 or 2. Single titledom must happen right away, unless you're specifically writing a book that fills a particular niche, established or brand new."
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