Interview with a Publisher

by John A. Broussard

The following is an interview with Sally Powers, publisher of I Love a Mystery magazine: http://home.earthlink.net/~sallypowers/.  

John A.Broussard: What is the origin of I Love a Mystery?

Sally Powers: Back in the mid-1980s I had been reading mysteries almost exclusively for about five years. I woke up one morning with the idea for I Love a Mystery full blown in my head. I published very erratically but with the idea of four issues a year. I did about ten issues altogether. That was back in primitive pre-computer days, so it was all type, cut and paste. It was large format—regular magazine size—which was then professionally run off. I did reviews and wrote articles, and a number of friends locally also contributed reviews and articles. I remember Dick Francis came to town and one of my friends, who was a huge fan of his, was able to interview him by phone. I did some pieces on sub-genres, i.e. California mysteries, religious mysteries, and then coverage of Bouchercon (the world mystery convention) and the Boston Mystery Festival. This last was wonderful—run by a fellow newsletter publisher, Jim Huang of the Drood Review. That's where I first met Jane Langton, Linda Barnes, Stephen Dobyns . . . lots of the authors who are now so well known but who were just getting started in the 1980s. In 1988 I moved to London and had to give up publishing. But I never stopped reading mysteries. In 1992 or thereabouts I felt the need for a creative outlet, and the idea of starting up the newsletter again seemed like a logical move. I started off much smaller. The first five or six issues, if you can call them that, ran one or two pages. Gradually I expanded the subscription base (by advertising in other mystery publications and putting out flyers at conventions) and solicited reviewers (also through ads), and the newsletter grew.

JAB: How about a quick rundown on your background as an editor/writer/publisher/reviewer?

SP: Other than a love of mysteries I had no experience in any of the above except for my publication—which became, appropriately, I Love a Mystery.

JAB: What’s the background of your reviewers?

SP: As reviewers, with the exception of yourself and Larry Coven, we are all amateurs. Several of the reviewers are writers or wanna-be writers, like Manya Nogg who is continually developing scripts for TV and film. At least one, D. L. Browne, is a published author. Mary Ann Steele operates a bookstore in Arizona, and I found Lorrie Inagaki when The Armchair Detective magazine folded. All I ask is that a reviewer genuinely love mystery and detective fiction and be honest in their reviews. If they don't like a book, I don't want them reviewing it. It's important that the subscribers learn to trust what we recommend. Two years ago I reviewed Jane Rubino's second book and really enjoyed it. When the galley for her third book came out, I sent it to one of the reviewers I thought would like it. She didn't, and didn't review it. I requested a second galley, sent it to Margaret Parenti and she loved it. Incidentally, Jane is published by Write Way, a small publisher with an excellent record for Edgar nominees. I have a friend who is a fabulous cook but not a mystery reader. She does an occasional review, as Chef LL, on recipes that are included in a mystery novel (like Diane Mott Davidson's books) or mystery related cookbooks. Recently she made the orange sticky buns from Rita Mae Brown's Sneaky Pie's Cookbook for Mystery Lovers. They were great!

JAB: Do you ever need more reviewers?

SP: Always. In fact, I went out and solicited a reviewer, Eden Embler, off DorothyL, a List Serve I belong to. I've approached someone else who is just getting out of the book selling business and asked if she would—once the dust has settled—be interested in reviewing. I asked Eden because I'd enjoyed her postings to the List and liked her sense of humor. The bookseller had published a marvelous catalogue with great synopses of mystery novels. Incidentally, DorothyL is a wonderful group of mystery writers and readers who communicate via e-mail and share their love of mysteries.

 
JAB: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to write reviews?

SP: Less is more. The only complaint I've had in the last however-many years has been that a couple of reviewers have given away too much of the story. I try to remind reviewers of this in my yearly group letter to reviewers. I also think that making a personal statement in the review—letting a reader know how you felt about the book—is important.

 
JAB: Do you edit the reviews?

SP: Yes. Some more than others and some not at all. If I haven't read the book and the review confuses me, I'll contact the reviewer for clarification. Sometimes it's grammar or just cleaning up a run-on sentence. Having said that, I also read behind my reviewers at least once a year. That means I'll read a book that a reviewer is going to review and then see how the review comes off against what I read. Sometimes it's interesting how the review comes from a point of view I would never have thought of. Recently I ran both Harriet Klausner's review of Grace F. Edwards’s book No Time to Die and my own because we had come at the book from two such diverse viewpoints. In a recent issue one of the reviewers, Mary Ann Steele, had read a very unusual book, The Walking Tour by Kathryn Davis. We batted e-mails back and forth in order to get the clearest review of a book that is incredibly literate but, as Mary Ann said, the most obscure of the millennium. Interestingly, this book is making all the "Year's Best" lists. I also have a proofreader who tries to keep me honest and catch all those errors the spellchecker makes <g > .

JAB: Do you ever reject a review?

SP: I've had to cut several reviews out of a recent (September 1999) issue because we were running way, way too long. I try to keep to 40-46 pages and I was over 60. The only other time I've rejected a review is because in reading it (and I can't remember the book now) I did not believe that the reviewer liked the book at all and it showed in the review (and that turned out to be true)—even though she had not actually criticized the book. I have one reviewer who sends unsolicited reviews in addition to the ones assigned, and I will sometimes reject those because I don't believe they fit our profile.

 
JAB: What do you feel a review should do for the reader?

SP: At a minimum, it should give the broad outline of the book. If the reviewer is really caught up by the work, the review should make the book sound so interesting you want to go out and buy it NOW. My proofreader is not a mystery reader and doesn't read for content but for errors. However, one review in the September issue by Eden Embler made her sit up and take notice. That's the response I'm looking for. Of course I hate it when any of the reviews elicit that response in me, like Carol Howell’s review of Mrs. Pargeter's Point of Honour by Simon Brett—I've got too many books piled up on the TBR stack now. But Mrs. P moved to the top of the stack.

 
JAB: How do you go about getting copies of books to be reviewed?

SP: Publishers are, for the most part, thrilled to send out books for review. They do tend to send the books they are pushing, and you have to dig for the new mystery author who is somewhere in their mid-list. This past May, Book Expo was in LA, and I made a lot of contacts with small-press publishers of mysteries. I'm very interested in giving exposure to new authors and new publishers. The big guys have publicity budgets but the smaller publishers and the mid-list authors tend to get lost in the shuffle. If you see any mystery authors out on tour, unless it's Patricia Cornwell or Mary Higgins Clark, the chances are they are footing the bill themselves. And they've had to make their own contacts for appearances at the bookstores as well. One of the problems I have is that there are several publishers who regularly send me books for review. Since they have authors under contract, we get books each year by Earlene Fowler, Greg Rucka, Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Ed McBain, etc. Because I want to showcase new authors, but not forget the favorites, I'm constantly juggling repetitive appearances by the usual suspects. I keep reminding myself that even though Sue Grafton is on her fifteenth book, some people may not have read her, and others who have read her have gone on to other authors and should be reminded that she's one of the very best in the field.

 
JAB: How should an author go about having you review her/his book?

SP: This is a difficult question. Authors will write me to check if their publisher has sent their latest. If they haven't, I’ll tell the author—no promises—that if they will send a copy I'll see what I can do. It all depends on what the book is, what reviewer I have available at the time who might be attracted to the book, and if it's timely for an issue. As you can imagine, these are the newer and less publicized authors. In fact, I was in that position this fall of having two works from authors for review. If we hadn’t covered the books I would feel guilty, but I made it clear to the authors that there were no guarantees. As it happens, I reviewed one of the books myself. A new reviewer, Michele Reed, reviewed the other—Nancy Cohen's first novel Permed to Death—and really enjoyed it.

 
JAB: Are there some varieties of books in the mystery genre that you will not review?

SP: Our subscriber base is fairly wide ranging. Their tastes run the gamut from cozies, to private eyes, to literate mysteries. Although we have recently reviewed both Dean Koontz and Stephen King, I would say we don't deal in horror very often. Definitely no true crime. Child jeopardy is also low on our list—although that has as much to do with the reviewers' sensibilities as it does with any blanket policy. Occasionally we'll venture into crossovers. Last year we reviewed sci-fi writer Connie Willis’ To Say Nothing of the Dog. The November issue reviewed Willis’ Christmas book, Miracle and Other Christmas Stories. Stephen King's Heart in Atlantis was recently reviewed as a Non-Mystery Special. A great many mystery writers either started in another genre or write in other genres while they produce their mysteries. I'm working on a feature for sometime next year that will explore these writers and their non-mystery books. Polly Whitney and Anne George both have books out this year that have garnered lovely reviews and they aren't part of their ongoing mystery series.

 
JAB: Do you have a web site?

SP: http://home.earthlink.net/~sallypowers. It’s a very rudimentary site. One of these days I hope to have someone design a web page that will include some bells and whistles. But it gets our name out there. I try to update it at least every month. The month a newsletter goes out there's an overall view of what that issue included and perhaps a review. Months when there is no newsletter, I put up a couple of reviews from the previous issue. If there’s a convention I've sent flyers to, I'll try to have reviews that appeal to that particular audience—since the flyers include the web site. I recently attended Bouchercon, the World Mystery Convention. It takes place once a year, rotating to various parts of the country. I put out flyers, passed out sample newsletters and took photos of a lot of authors for future newsletters. I always enjoy hearing all the diverse chat about mysteries. This year Dana Stabenow and Val McDermid got my personal vote for funniest panel—not an easy task at 9 AM. Of the other conventions I've attended, Malice Domestic—devoted to the cozier line of mysteries—was exceptional, and Left Coast Crime and Cluefest were small and very user friendly.

 
JAB: Who decides what reviews are to be published in I Love a Mystery?

SP: I do. Since I send out the books for review, I control the content even before the reviews come in.

JAB: Who are your subscribers?

SP: It's an interesting thing about mystery readers, or at least those I've had experience with, that they don't interact the way science fiction devotees are said to. I still have some subscribers who go back to the original publication in the 80s, and I receive their renewal checks each year but I don't know any more about them today than I did in 1985. There are, of course, the exceptions. Mal and Mary Keiller always drop me a line about their enjoyment of the latest issue. But even at conventions a surprising number of subscribers attend panels, buy books but don't really participate. Although many of my subscribers aren't on the Internet, a number of them who are continue to subscribe to the printed newsletter. It gives me hope for the future of the printed page in the face of the burgeoning e-book market.

 
JAB: How does one subscribe to I Love a Mystery?

SP: A subscription to I Love a Mystery is $10.00 for six issues. There's no guarantee as to how long it will take to get the six issues out, although usually we manage five a year. I figure out the schedule in January of each year and then try and stick to it <g>. Anyone interested can send for a sample issue (usually the latest one published). Just send your snail mail address to sallypowers@earthlink.net.

Written queries may be sent to: I Love a Mystery, 13547 Ventura Blvd. PMB #111, Sherman Oaks CA 91423 USA.

-- JAB
John A. Broussard