Laura Childs, author of Murder in the Tea Leaves, a Tea Shop mystery, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today to give us some inside secrets for how to attract a publisher.

Welcome, Laura. I’ll turn the floor over to you –

If you’ve written a few chapters, created an outline, or finished your first book, heartfelt congratulations are in order! Because writing is hard work. You’re constantly stretching your imagination to spark ideas and put words on the page. The whole process is stressful, tiring, and makes you feel as if you’re burning the candle at both ends. Because you are.

But now comes the tricky part – you have to grab the attention of that all-important acquisition editor. Okay, a few words about this: Editors who once bought books based on a few snappy chapters no longer do that. They’ve been burned by would-be authors who grabbed the advance but couldn’t finish their book. So now you need to have the whole shebang written, proofed, and perfectly formatted. On top of all this, you have to have a first chapter with a jackrabbit-start. Editors don’t want pages of build-up, they want you to fling your readers right into the action. As my agent once said to me, “You’re writing murder mysteries, so you’d better drop a dead body right there in chapter one!”

Let’s also talk about what goes into a successful novel. Clearly, the internal architecture of your novel needs to be flawless. I’m talking plot, pacing, turning points, character development, dialogue, and a steady build-up of suspense. If you’re a little shaky on any of these points, read a book or two about novel writing (I highly recommend Stephen King’s Stephen King on Writing and Donald Mass’s Writing the Breakout Novel). You could even take a writing class or ask a friendly local author. Any extra information you can soak up is going to pay off in the long run.

Once you have your manuscript fully in order, have a few friends (or bookshop owners or authors) read it. If they all point out one part that isn’t working for them, change it. If they all criticize different parts, let it go. You’re fine.

Now you’re going to need a literary agent. If you don’t actually know an agent, there are lists and websites for this online. See which ones accept unsolicited manuscripts and what their specific requirements are. Once you’ve picked out two or three agents to query, you have to write a whiz-bang query letter telling that agent exactly why he or she should represent you. In other words, you’ve got to compose a short, intriguing synopsis of your book and then enthusiastically explain why it’s the hot new thing. Believe me, agents and editors are always on the look-out for the hot new thing.

Another option is to attend one of the annual mystery conventions like Bouchercon, ThrillerFest, or Left Coast Crime where you can sign up for a pitch fest. This would be you singing and dancing your novel directly in front of a real live editor!

Be sure to keep in mind that editors are always on the hunt for breakout books – books that are unique, don’t tell the same old story, and stand out in their categories. Think about books like The Wife Before, Mad Honey, and Killers of the Flower Moon that are slightly quirky but have rocketed onto the New York Times bestseller list.

If you’re writing genre fiction (cozy, thriller, police procedural, suspense) you need to know what those current trends are and what sorts of books are actually selling. You can read Publisher’s Weekly or subscribe to a free webzine like Shelfawareness.com. And if you happen to have lucked out and been invited to submit your manuscript to an agent, never mistake slow response time for interest. Don’t be afraid to keep the pressure on! And believe me, once you score that all-important literary agent, you want to make them your new best friend. Quiz them on what today’s acquisition editors are looking for, ask them what parts of your novel need propping up, and, above all, listen to and heed all their comments and critiques. After all, you want to make their job (of selling your work!) as easy as possible.

So best of luck with your writing and please, no matter what, continue to believe in your skills and talent. Don’t ever let naysayers tell you that you’re too young, too old, not good enough, not smart enough, or don’t have enough writing experience. Banish those turkeys from your writing life, because if you work hard enough and keep believing in yourself, your novel will get published!

Thank you for sharing this with us, Laura, and good luck with Murder in the Tea Leaves, the latest book in the Tea Shop mystery series.

Readers can learn more about Laura Childs by visiting the author’s website and. her Facebook page.

The book is available online at the following retailers: 

 Amazon – B&N – Kobo – Bookshop.org – PenguinRandomHouse

About Laura Childs: Laura is the author of the Tea Shop Mysteries, Scrapbook Mysteries, and Cackleberry Club Mysteries. All have been on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists. Recently, Book Riot named her mysteries to their list of “25 of the All Time Best Cozy Mystery Series” and her Tea Shop Mysteries were a question on Jeopardy. In herprevious life Laura was CEO of her own marketing firm, authored several screenplays, and produced a reality TV show. She is married to Dr. Bob, a professor of Chinese art history, and has a Chinese Shar-Pei named Lotus.