Joltin' Joe: Author J.A. Konrath
Thursday, September 11, 2008 at 10:15PM Thriller author and Chicago nativeJ.A. Konrath has been called everything from the Svengali of self-promotion to the anti-Christ. A lightning rod for controversy, at times he is. Boring he is not.
Konrath’s blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, the place where he regularly dishes out his unique brand of marketing wisdom, has become must-reading material in the book world. Where most bloggers typically get a comment or two in response to a piece they’ve written, Konrath’s online forum routinely stirs up 30 or more to put in their two cents. All because, God forbid, he admits that he doesn’t read all the books he blurbs or intrepidly advises his readers to not bother with the SASE when sending out queries.
Is there a method to his madness? Yes, without question. Read the books in his Lt. Jaqueline “Jack” Daniels thriller series – ''Bloody Mary'', ''Whiskey Sour'' and the soon-to-be-released ''Rusty Nail'' – and you begin to understand. Not unlike his protagonist, he takes all his shots seriously but with a hearty slice of humor. He’s also strong enough to publicly acknowledge that, at times, he has gone overboard. Even as he’s teaching he’s learning.
Whether you love him or hate him it’s hard to argue with his success. At mystery conferences he’s the one that others talk about. His books sell like hotcakes and although he hasn’t broken through to the best seller lists yet, don’t be surprised when he does.
Probably the best kept secret about Konrath, though, is that he sells other writers just as zealously as he sells himself. No matter how busy he is (and he is, indeed, very busy these days) he always makes time to support his fellow writers. And that really tells you all that you need to know about him.
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CWA: Please tell our readers a little about yourself. Just who is J.A. Konrath?
J.A..: I'm the author of the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series, ''Whiskey Sour'', ''Bloody Mary'', and the upcoming ''Rusty Nail''. They take place in Chicago, and are sort of a cross between the scares of Thomas Harris and the laughs of Dave Barry.
I’m also the world’s greatest lover. If you want, I can send you some videotapes.
CWA: Why J.A., not Joe?
J.A.: Fiction buyers tend to be sexist—women usually prefer female authors, and men prefer those with a Y chromosome. Initials make me sexless, much like my teenage years.
CWA: Are you a native Chicagoan? How does being a Chicagoan influence your writing?
J.A.: I lived in Wrigleyville growing up. Now I’m in the suburbs, but I try to get downtown a few times a month. Chicago is one of the great cities of the world. The food. The music. The arts. The hookers.
CWA': What, if any, are the advantages of being an author living in Chicago? What are the disadvantages?
J.A.: Chicago is filled with authors—Raymond Benson, David Ellis, Libby Hellmann, Barb D'Amato, Brian Pinkerton, Jay Bonasinga—and we hang out often. There’s always something to do. Every writer and reader should visit Twilight Tales, a reading event that takes place every Monday night at the Red Lion Pub, across the street from the Biograph.
Parking and traffic are the only disadvantages. I’m on the boot list, meaning that if they catch me, my car will be booted and impounded. Who could have guessed that the city would get so uppity over 87 unpaid parking tickets. How many times do I have to explain that there was gum in the meters?
CWA: Any thoughts on why more publishing houses and literary agents haven’t roosted in Chicago?
J.A.: I blame the weather.
CWA: Have you ever considered, or would you consider, moving to New York or Los Angeles to be closer to their respective literary offerings?
J.A.: I’m not a huge fan of either. Chicago has everything NY has, but it’s cleaner, less expensive, friendlier, and has a winning baseball team. LA is fine, the sun shines most of the time, and the feeling is laid back, but we all know it’s going to sink into the ocean someday soon.
Travel is so cheap and easy, that I can get to either when needed.
CWA: What’s the one question you get most often from aspiring authors, and what is your response to that question?
J.A.: Where do I get my ideas? I hunt through James Patterson’s garbage.
CWA: If you could just give one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?
J.A.: There's a word for a writer who never gives up... published.
CWA: How do you define success as an author?
J.A.: Piles of money, so high you can make forts out of them, but you never would because you’d want to sleep in the fort and when you woke up the next morning you’d have a wad of twenties stuck up your unhappy place.
CWA: You’ve got a three-book deal with Hyperion. That alone would make most would-be authors green with envy. How did that come about? Do you credit talent, luck or hard work, or all of the above?
J.A.: I credit the genie who came out of that antique lamp I found in the attic. I blew the first two wishes on a sandwich and a new patio door.
Okay, you caught me. I was lying. My second wish was also a sandwich.
But that hard work, talent, and luck stuff—I bet that’s important too.
CWA: On your blog, A Newbie's Guide to Publishing, you’ve written that you spend one month out of the year writing a book and the other eleven months promoting it. Does that mean that being a successful author is 1/12 writing and 11/12 marketing? In other words, should would-be authors being majoring in marketing instead of creative writing in college?
J.A.: There are 50,000 novels published a year, and 4 out of 5 don’t make money. You have to get people to read you, or else you won’t be a writer for very long.
I’m trying to get the entire world to know about my books, one person at a time. So far, I’m up to 19 people, including you.
Fun Fact: If you stacked up all the hardcover copies of Bloody Mary, it would be 50 feet taller than the Sears Tower. But boy, that sure would be a lot of work. Plus, I don’t think they’d let you.
CWA: Your blog has sort of taken a life of its own. You almost seem to have a cult following. Are you surprised at its success?
J.A.: Honestly, yes. I really didn’t think that anyone cared about what I have to say. It turns out, they don’t. They just like arguing with me.
CWA: What are the pros and cons of blogging? Should all writers be blogging?
J.A.: All writers should blog, but they need to have something to say beyond what they had for breakfast, and how much they hated last night’s Sopranos.
Pros: You can reach people, interact with fans, get attention and publicity, disseminate information, broaden your name recognition, and have fun.
Cons: It’s a time black hole, taking you away from other important things, like bathing, or talking to your kids about drugs.
CWA: What’s the biggest mistake that authors make when it comes to promotion? What’s the biggest mistake that you’ve made when it comes to promotion?
J.A.: Lots of authors think that once they sell a book, the hard work is over. The fact is, no one cares about you or your book. Sending out a few postcards and doing a signing at the local Barnes & Noble won’t make you a bestseller.
The biggest mistake I’ve made would have to be the Hug a Naked Author Day at the Schaumburg library. But that’s only because the cops busted it up.
CWA: You’ve been labeled in some circles as the King of Self-Promotion. Is that an accurate tag? If so, is it a badge you wear with honor?
J.A.: Really? The King of Self-Promotion? Do I get a moat? I don’t care for labels. That’s why I cut them out of the backs of my shirts. It’s nice that people know me for my promo efforts, but I’d rather be known for writing fun books. If someday I hit the bestseller list, I’d be happy to slow down on the marketing front.
CWA: Can you ever go too far with promoting yourself? If so, where do you draw the line and have you ever crossed it?
J.A.: I try not to annoy people. There’s a fine line between getting the word out and standing on a soapbox yelling "ME! ME! ME!" Have I crossed that line? Probably.
My main rule is: If I get sick of hearing myself, other people are probably sick of it too, so it’s time to shut up.
CWA: You seem to take a glass half full approach to promotion. You see positives where others might see negatives. Is there such a thing as bad publicity? If so, give an example.
J.A.: No such thing. I once made an ass out of myself at a writing convention, and it was talked about for weeks. You can’t buy exposure like that.
CWA: I think most writers are in awe that you are able to write a fiction novel in one month. How do you do it? What's your secret?
J.A.: The secret is: I’m fast..
CWA: Why mysteries?
J.A.: They’re what I love to read.
CWA: What trends are you currently seeing in the mystery field? Book publishing in general? Are there any roads that are more open to aspiring authors than others?
J.A.: If you want to get published, read recently published books by first time authors and they’ll show you what is currently selling. Most bestsellers started their careers years ago, when the market was different.
It doesn’t matter what genre you write in, as long as your book is good, and you’re tireless in your efforts to sell it.
CWA: What’s in store for J.A. Konrath? What do you have on tap for readers?
J.A.: I’m working on the fourth Jack book, DIRTY MARTINI. I’ll be in various anthologies and magazines in the upcoming months, including one I edited called THESE GUNS FOR HIRE, which is a collection of hitman stories. This summer I’m visiting 500 bookstores on a tour I’m calling "Will Joe Survive?"
Plus, Carson’s will be releasing my signature scent, called Nocturnal Emission, available in parfum, eu du toilet, and cologne.
CWA: What is your ultimate goal as an author? What do you see the future holding for you?
J.A.: I want to make enough money to buy Nebraska. Then I’ll rename it Joebraska, and invite all of my friends to visit. You can come, if you want.
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