Rawson's Top 5

Like most years since I turned 30, 2010 flew by for me. It was an exciting year, I met and interviewed more than a few of my idols, helped revive a magazine, and started writing reviews along with pumping out fiction. The other thing that set 2010 apart for me was that I read 80 novels this year. Don't get me wrong, I've always been a prestigious reader, but this year there didn't seem to be moment that went by when I didn't have my nose in a book.

I enjoyed most of them, but there were more than a few that left me shaking my head and performing a sky hook into the garbage can with them and even more that left me saying Meh. But there were some truly great reading moments with novels where time stopped moving and I was so absorbed by story that nothing existed outside of it. The following lists are the best of what I read this year.

Quick note, folks. I know I said I would be writing individual reviews for each of my picks, but time managed to sneak up on me and kick my ass. Plus I had a hell of a time narrowing down my choices and I liked so many different novels that I decided to include a top five of my non crime reads and five notable crime titles along with my top five.
Anyway, here we go


My top 5 Non-Crime novels of the year

Yes, I read a lot of non crime fiction. For every two crime titles I read, I dip my toes into another genre. With 2010, I found myself reading a boat load of Urban Fantasy and Apocalypse fiction. In case you didn't notice, there was tons of both.

5) Rut by Scott Phillips
Phillips told me about this book when I was conning--I mean arranging for him to contribute his 'Under the Influence' piece for issue #1 of Crimefactory. Phillips has been one of my favorite novelists for a number of years and I was chomping at the bit to read his take on science fiction. Rut is very much an apocalypse novel, but it's a realistic take on Armageddon, where the end of the human race is slow and drawn out over decades as opposed to a sudden blinding flash of death and chaos. And, of course, the book is hilarious.

4) The Stairway to Hell by Charlie Williams
When I received this novel, Russel Mclean commented on how brilliant he thought the book was. In fact, he called it 'genius'. And Russel, he was right, this is not only a brilliant read, but is Williams best novel to date. Normally I'm not a huge fan of novels about musicians or the pursuit of fame, but Stairway to Hell is so damn funny my predisposed prejudice towards the subject was completely shed. Highly recommended to fans of Neil Gaiman's more vicious novels.

3) Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
Like I said of Victor Gischler, if there was a Kadrey fan club, I'd be the president. (Okay, vice-president, A.J. Hayes would probably be the president) I've put this book into the hands of more people this year than any other. And, yes, crime fiction fans will love it because along with being one of the best examples of Urban Fantasy released this year, it's also one hell of a hard-boiled read. Also on an only interesting to me note, Kadrey is the one author who I own entirely as e-books.

2) The Passage by Justin Cronin
This one got tons of ink this year, but there was a reason for it. The Passage is a fully realized, emotionally complex epic and outside of Charlie Huston's Joe Pitt novels, the Passage is one of the most original takes on the vampire novel I've ever read. It's also one of the most original takes on the Armageddon, where Cronin advances the remains of civilization not five or ten years into the future, but 80. Great read.

1) The Four Fingers of Death by Rick Moody
This was a bold move by a writer whose previous novels mostly dealt with the malaise of suburban America. Much like Rut, Moody portrays the end times as a slow burn, a culture ravaged by out of control consumerism, short attention spans, and bastardized politics has doomed us. This is a novel within a novel and both story lines are utterly compelling.

My Five Crime Fiction notables:

5) The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson
A slickly written, meticulously researched mystery with heavy noir elements. Davidson's first novel length effort is far from a perfect novel, but it is a highly enjoyable read and I'm looking forward to further entries in the Lily Moore series and where she takes her characters

4) Bad Juju and Other tales of Madness and Mayhem by Jonathan Woods
My favorite single author short story collection of the year. Woods is a master of the short form and each story in the collection is a insane nugget of desperation and over the top violence.

3) Broken Dreams by Nick Quantrill
What I like most about Quantrill's PI Joe Geraghty is that, yes, Geraghty's past life is fraught with tormented moments, but he is not over burdened by them. Geraghty has dealt with his pain and has moved on and is dealing with day-to-day life as opposed to letting it turn him into a self serving prick like most fictional PI's. Broken Dreams is a gripping, atmospheric read and like the Damage Done, it's not perfect, but it is highly readable

2) Print the Legend by Craig McDonald
My favorite ongoing series. Each entry in the Lassiter series keeps getting better and better. I can't wait for One True Sentence.

1) Requiems for the Departed edited by Gerard Brennan and Michael Stone
My favorite anthology of the year in a year over flowing with truly amazing anthologies.

I know this has been one long winded bastard of a post, but finally, here are my top five novels of the year.

My Top Five

5) Pike by Benjamin Whitmer
I commented on Facebook when I first started reading Pike that I felt like I needed to take a scalding hot bath every 50 pages or so. I still hold to this opinion. Pike is stripped down, working class noir. Each chapter is like a punch to the face and is one of the most carefully constructed novels of the year.

4) Expiration Date by Duane Swierczynski
This genre bender is classic Swierczynski. Whip crack plotting, near nonstop action, and some of the most intelligent, personal writing of Philly's reigning king of pulp's career. One of the few novels I read multiple times this year.

3) Late Rain by Lynn Kostoff and Johnny Porno by Charlie Stella (tie)
Kostoff and Stella seem to be attached at the hip this year and with good reason. Both authors have produced the two best and, far from easily defined novels, of their careers. Yes, both are crime novels on the surface, but there's so much more going on in each of them. Both are tightly drawn character studies without an ounce of fat on either of them.

2) The Wolves of Fairmount Park by Dennis Tafoya
Tafoya's sophomore effort can be easily compared to the best of Richard Price and George Pelacanos. Tafoya skillfully handles this weighty, character driven tome with the deft skill of a far more experienced novelist. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Tafoya is the novelist to watch in the years to come.

1) The Cold Kiss by John Rector

The moment I cracked the ARC of the Cold Kiss open, I knew I would be including it on my ten best of list. Two hours later as I turned the last page, I knew it would be my number 1 pick. The Cold Kiss is a perfect balance of character, plot, and action. No, the plot of a young couple coming across a shit load of dirty cash and then being hunted down for it isn't the most original, but Rector manages to make it fresh by combining it with an intense locked room style mystery. By the way, if I was a betting man, I'd put money down that five years from now, Rector will be ranked as one of the most renowned thriller writers in the states. The Cold Kiss is an amazing, can not be missed novel

The Best of Whatever—Jason Duke

This was a very exciting year all around, but looking back, the top of my list for 2010 was Bouchercon in San Francisco. I got to meet a lot of wonderful crime writers, hang out at parties like the one Mulholland threw at Gordon Biersch, and drink ridiculous amounts of liquor. I also bought a lot of books while I was at Bouchercon, some were bought for me, and some were given to me. I haven't had a chance to read all of them yet, but most of these books on my list I picked up at the con:

Hogdoggin' by Anthony Neil Smith: granted this isn't from 2010, but it's still my favorite because I really dig Neil's style. Also check out Yellow Medicine, the first in the series (I hope this will be a series, you hear me Neil?)

Do They Know I'm Running by David Corbet: this one I was fortunate to pick up from David himself when he read from it at the City Lights black envelope event. Some of it deals with soldiers and Iraq, which is right up my alley.

Last Known Address by Theresa Schwegel, Jump by Tim Maleeny, One Too Many Blows to the Head by Eric Beetner and JB Kohl: also not from 2010, but great books nonetheless and definitely worth reading.

Pike by Benjamin Whitmer, The Underbelly by Gary Phillips: two I picked up from the PM Press booth at Bouchercon. Gary never disappoints, and Ben's first book Pike will knock you on your ass.

Young Junius by Seth Harwood: what can I say, this book is all kinds of dope, and not because there's a lot of drugs and drug dealing going on. Plus, the special edition was a really nice touch, with the extra artwork and cloth cover, if you preordered like I did.

Killer Tease by Danny Hogan, Broken Dreams by Nick Quantril: a little shout out to my blokes across the pond. Don't get me wrong, all of the Pulp Press line is top notch, this one just happens to be my favorite. A big plus for me because I'm a lazy reader is that these books can all be read in about an hour or so. And Nick hit it out of the park with his first try with Broken Dreams, featuring his private investigator Joe Geraghty. I expect more grandslams in his future, and lots more of Geraghty.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jason Duke is a Sergeant in the U.S. Army with a 15 month deployment to Iraq under his belt. His stories have appeared in Plots With Guns, Thuglit, Spinetingler Magazine, Crimefactory, Crimewav.com, Darkest Before the Dawn, and A Twist of Noir, among others. Jason can be reached at dm_jasonduke@hotmail.com or on Facebook

The Best of Whatever—Chris La Tray

I’ve just barely gotten accustomed to writing 2010 on the stacks of checks I send out to pay the bills every other month and here 2011 is staring me in the face like a personal injury lawyer at a 48-car pileup on Highway 93 south. Hell, I think the only thing I sprouted faster than gray hairs and debt this year were books that appeared in stacks on every available flat surface where they could find purchase. I finally had to break down and build a bookshelf here next to my desk just for the TBR queue; I went old school with some cinderblocks and 2x6s (who says you can never be young again, eh?). Add a beer sign and some empty whiskey bottles and it would be just like college all over . . . except I never went to college and I don’t drink whiskey. Often.

It was a banner year for reading, and trying to settle on just ten to report on was a challenge; I ended up with eleven. Some great ones were left off the list, but that’s to be expected. I’m happy to say that I really only had to deal with a couple clunkers and disappointments, which is cool, but that doesn’t make picking favorites any easier. Hell, if reading were easy, everyone would be doing it.

01. Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. One night of stress and staying alive for a guy who used to be a hitman and is now in the Federal Witness Protection program. Peter Brown, aka Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwa, has remade himself as a medical doctor passing his residency in one of the worst hospitals in the city who must go into self preservation mode when one of his new patients turns out to be a mob guy who recognizes him from his former life. This one rips right along with great action and amusing (and gross) anecdotes from the medical profession (Bazell also happens to be an MD). This was one of the first great books I read this year, and I think everyone I’ve recommended it to loved it. And it’s got footnotes!

02. Queenpin by Megan Abbott. Any one of Megan’s four brilliant books could have made this list, and I read all of them this year. This one was the first I pulled from the pile, so it gets the nod. After I read it I quickly snapped up everything else. Abbott does a phenomenal job seducing the reader into her deep, dark stories, and I wish I had another half-dozen or so to read. The best of its kind.

03. A Fighter's Heart: One Man's Journey Through the World of Fighting by Sam Sheridan. I enjoyed this book as much as I've enjoyed just about any nonfiction book this year. Not only does Sheridan discuss various types of fighting, but addresses the personalities of people who fight, the psychology, and many of the cultural misconceptions. Sheridan is something of an Everyman, it seemed to me, despite the Harvard education. He throws himself into the action without any of they "Hey, look at me, I’m such a fish out of water!" sense that often comes across with writers who actively pursue the discipline they are writing about. A great read, with many interesting insights. It made me realize that maybe not all the guys walking around in those fashion abominations called Affliction and Tapout t-shirts are, by default, utter d-bags. I may not agree with all of Sheridan’s conclusions, but I appreciate the lack of fluff and his approach. His follow-up, The Fighter’s Mind, is in the TBR shelf.

04. The Lost City of Z by David Grann. A book of fascinating real life adventure about Percy Fawcett’s expeditions into the Amazon during the 20s in pursuit of proof of ancient civilizations, and his ultimate, mysterious disappearance. After reading this book a couple things strike me. First, it is mindblowing how much has changed in such a short time; basically over the last 100 years or so. In the late 19th/early 20th centuries, these organizations that existed to expand the borders of the "known world" were totally shooting in the dark (I picture old dudes sitting around in suits and beards, puffing pipes and speculating wildly), because so much remained unknown to them. The difficulties intrepid adventurers faced, and the number of lives lost in pursuit of knowledge, is something that I suspect few people really understand. This story in particular is one that, while it's a fair enough conclusion made as to what probably happened to the three men who disappeared during the apocryphal expedition, we still don't know for sure how it all turned out. It is a mystery for all time, really. I loved it.

05. The Wheelman by Duane Swierczynski. Reading five of this mofo’s books was definitely a highlight of the spring. Few people can make utter bloodletting as fun as Swierczynski can, and I could have happily run with any of his releases. His most recent, Expiration Date, would have been the logical choice for my list, but I went with The Wheelman because it claims the breakneck hole shot on a quasi-trilogy that also includes The Blonde and Severance Package. I can’t think of a better bundle to take on a long plane ride. Blood, guts and awesome. The scene in the garage in this book is an all time classic.

06. Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth. If Rawson forced me to choose a favorite novel of the year, this would probably be it. It takes everything that got me into reading as a youth – action, monsters, heroism – and cranks it all the way up. Even as a graybeard I still love that kind of shit. I suspect Blood Oath would be classified as a thriller, but it’s really just a modern pulp masterpiece. The premise is that since 1867 the President of the United States has had a vampire bound to him by oath, the Blood Oath of the title, to guard against threats from “the other side.” If it sounds hoaky, think again – this shit works. Farnsworth does a masterful job making the concept seem entirely plausible. There are great nods to pop culture and historical events that this vampire, whose name is Nathaniel Cade, has been involved in. Cade is almost a secondary character in the book, which focuses a little more on his new government liaison, a young man named Zach Barrows. The interplay of their relationship, and the nuances of Cade’s relationship with Griffin, the man Zach is replacing, is one of the highlights of the book. The plot of this novel, which promises to be the first in a series, centers around a nefarious scheme involving the real life Dr. Frankenstein and an army made up of walking corpses bolted together from the body parts stolen from fallen soldier in Iraq. This is vampire fiction the way it’s supposed to be written. This one fucking rules.

07. The Wolverine Way by Douglas Chadwick . My #1 choice for nonfiction would be this book. I think if others read it, they may scratch their heads about that distinction, because it might not be so great to a more casual reader. Some of the other NF books on this list are certainly more noteworthy, but this one really struck a chord. Chadwick has made a career traveling the world as a biologist writing for magazines like National Geographic. The Wolverine Way is about his work as a volunteer studying wolverines in Glacier National Park. This is an animal science literally knew next to nothing about, and the information they gathered has been important in our understanding of the ecology of the critter, and how it is one of those keystone species whose success in the wake of climate change can be an important measure as to its severity. I found these revelations, and the details in how they went about their study – as well as Chadwick’s wit and insights – utterly compelling. I was happy to meet the man a couple months ago, and it was a real treat. I loved this book. I’d love to lay eyes on a wolverine in the wild, even if it then proceeded to claw those eyes out of my face and make me eat them.

08. Q Road by Bonnie Jo Campbell. I read American Salvage, Campbell’s latest collection of short stories, and it blew me away. If you haven’t read it yet, get after it. It compelled me to have the local shop order her other two books for me; her first collection called Women and Other Animals (which I’m currently reading) and Q Road, her first novel. Q Road was fantastic. No one I’ve read captures rural life like Bonnie Jo Campbell, who grew up and lives in the very places she writes about. Every character is memorable, every character has a story that will break your heart. Just like real people. This is a beautiful, gripping, fun, sad, and utterly relevant book. Hell, I’m tempted to figure out a way to be in Michigan come July when she has the release party for her next book.

09. The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. I was originally going to list Savages for a couple reasons. First of all, it was the first book I ever read on my Nook. Second of all, it’s freakin’ awesome. Since other people have blathered all over it, though, I decided to run with this sucker. I don’t usually like to think of books in terms of movies, but goddamn – this book should be a movie. I love San Diego, I’d love to learn to surf, and I love Winslow’s tight writing style of short chapters and shorter sentences packed with crackling energy. I love a good slice of California fiction, and this is as good as any.

10. Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O’Brien. O'Brien's story/memoir of converting his South Dakota cattle ranch to a bison ranch is a fantastic read. My family switched almost exclusively to eating bison a couple years ago, so he's preaching to the choir here. I found much of it fascinating, and the prose describing the landscape put me there in the midst of the rolling hills, broken land and bonechilling cold. I've been through that part of the country several times, and bleak as it sometimes appears I can't wait to make it back. A must read for people interested in The West who love great storytelling.

11. Pike by Benjamin Whitmer. Look, I can’t gush over this book any more than every other reviewer who has praised it all up and down. It’s truly great, even if it probably isn’t for everyone. That’s part of what makes it so awesome. I’d like to hang with this dude. I figure any guy who can pull a blurb from Ward fucking Churchill has got to be a guy worth rousing rabble with.

So that’s eleven excellent offerings. And I didn’t even talk about some great movies, comics, collections . . . all of it. A whole friggin’ year’s worth, you know? And now it’s about time to tighten the belt, put on the helmet and start all over again. I can’t wait.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chris La Tray is a rocker, a writer, and a wannabe adventurer. His nonfiction writing has appeared in the Missoula Independent, Vintage Guitar magazine, and World Explorer magazine. His short fiction has appeared at Beat to a Pulp and the forthcoming Crimefactory special edition, Kung Fu Factory. It may appear in other places too if he’d just get around to submitting it. He keeps a reasonably regular blog about basically nothing called Stumbling the Walk.

The Best of Whatever—Chris Deal

1. Pike by Benjamin Whitmer. This book scared me. There’s no horror here, no monsters or demons or ghosts but man at his worst, or maybe his best. Digging through the evil done to reach catharsis, the writing is a beautiful frame holding a horrible painting. Sharp and to the bone.

2. It Came From Del Rio by Stephen Graham Jones. It was a toss up between Pike and Del Rio for number one. Literally, I flipped a coin. It Came From Del Rio is a surprisingly realistic novel about a rabbit-headed zombie chupacabra herder. Split between the perspectives of a father and a daughter, Del Rio hits on what it is to be a father, how those you love can let you down, and how you can achieve salvation decades after you die. Plus, this book has the best cover of the year, hands down

3. Stay God by Nik Korpon. Loaded with pop culture shout outs and rich, amazing prose, this Baltimore dealer novel proves that Korpon will be a force in the future.

4. Transubstantiate by Richard Thomas. I didn’t expect this book. With eight perspectives on a world after something horrible, but we don’t quite know what.

5. The Soul Consortium by Simon West-Bulford. I lucked out. This doesn’t come out until 2012, but West-Bulford creates the most ambitious debut imaginable here. Science fiction but so much more. This is man at the end, literally.

6. The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay ,. A clever twist on the PI, this Boston noir takes the unreliable narrator to it’s extreme: he’s not just unreliable to us, but to himself. How do you solve a crime when you don’t know if what you saw or experienced is real?

7. Occultation by Laird Barron

8. Grease Stains, Kismet, and Maternal Wisdom by Mel Bosworth. A simple novella about love between two people who refuse to let the world touch them. I hit this in one sitting and can’t wait for my next chance. Surprisingly meta and subversively straight forward.

9. Major Inversions by Gordon Highland. A real surprise, this becomes something you could never expect. There are multiple layers to this simple narrative about a slacker musician who falls into something he couldn’t have seen coming. Power through the initially unlikable protagonist and you’ll find more heart than you’d realize.

10. Complete Poems by John Berryman. Nick Cave himself said Berryman was the best, and who am I to argue? With poetry rich with imagery and struggle, these poems will alter the way you see the world as only the best poets can do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Chris Deal writes from Huntersville, North Carolina. His debut collection of microfiction, Cienfuegos, was published in early 2010 by Brown Paper Publishing. Find him online at www.Chris-Deal.com

The Best of Whatever—Brian Lindenmuth

One of my favorite old school SF/F websites was Fantastic Metropolis (RIP) and they did annual "read & appreciated" lists that were a boon to me at the time (and still are). So when Keith didn't ask me to participate I farted in his general direction and sent one anyway. My top 10 list of 2010 release and crime fiction will appear at Spinetingler at the end of the year.

So here's my varied shit I liked in 2010.

Now is the time to catch a hold of the two modern masters, Lynn Kostoff & Jim Nisbet, and never let go. Lynn Kostoff is the best crime writer you haven't read yet and Jim Nisbet is the craziest. 2010 saw the re-release of Kostoff's A Choice of Nightmares and the release of Late Rain. A Choice of Nightmares is great and his books only get better with Late Rain possibly being his best yet. I only say possibly because his second novel, The Long Fall is an all-time crime favorite of mine, yes it's that good. But hell, Kostoff has never written a bad book and trying to figure out which of his are the best is like trying to pick the best Pixar movie. Someone reprint Long Fall now dammit. 2010 also brought us the start of Overlook's ambitious re-issue project of Nisbet's entire back catalog. That means in addition to the new stuff you've FOUR Nisbet books this year.

I also had the occasion to read another older book that instantly became an all-time book for me, Four Corners of Night by Craig Holden. Holy mother hell what a book. It starts out as a police procedural then turns into a deep character study of two men who are lifelong friends then runs the whole damn thing through the grinder. I was gutted after reading it and encourage you to do so if you haven't yet.

Ree Dolly is Mattie Ross's granddaughter and it's only fitting that we get filmed adaptations of both Winter's Bone and True Grit. The former is a brilliant movie and the latter isn't out yet but damn after seeing the previews I've got high hopes. If you haven't read those books (or those authors) yet then do so now. If you haven't seen the movies yet do so now (or when you can).

Matt Kindt's milieu is genre. Not just any specific genre mind you but genre itself and all of the story types that fit under genre fiction. Pistolwhip has its way with noir, Super Spies has its way with spy stories and his latest, Revolver is a mash of different stuff and defies categorization. It's also one of the best graphic novels of the year

Recently I was heartened to see a passing comment from Benjamin Whitmer in the comments of one of his posts about 20th century hobo books. One of the best books I read this year was a re-issue by one of the greatest hobo writers EVER, Circus Parade by Jim Tully. His best books are currently being reissued and you should probably get acquainted. Did you know that one of crime fictions best writers, Charles Willeford, also wrote a hobo book? He did. It was called I Was Looking For a Street and it too was re-released this year. Do yourself a favor and read this.

Waste by Eugene Marten & Bloody Women by Helen Fitzgerald are the greatest fucking psycho-noirs you haven't read yet. Marten is an unknown commodity in the crime fiction community but shouldn't be and U.S. readers need to get hip to Fitzgerald NOW -- she's like Allan Guthrie with ovaries -- c'mon!

Terriers on FX was a great TV experience and it's a shame it only lasted one season. But what a season it was. A buddy PI drama, comedy that started off creaky before turning into an emotional slaughterhouse. When this comes out on DVD make sure to catch up with it.

Initially almost everyone liked Inception and then a creeping tidal wave of backlash seemed to crash against it. In the long run I don't know what the final tally will be but for me Inception was exhilarating and captivating. I loved it (even if I'm still waiting on the van to hit the water).

Mulholland has stormed onto the scene with daily essays on a variety of topics (full disclosure: I've written a couple of them). One of the remarkable things is their willingness to write about the community and genre at large instead of just limiting themselves to their own stable of authors. This is the way forward for publisher websites. Two standouts, and two of the best online pieces I've read all year were "Dead Mower Dreams and the Weeds of Boo Radley" by Tom Piccirilli and " Insulting Your Intelligence (“Just gimme some noiriness”)" by David Corbett. Both are drop dead brilliant and articulate thoughts in a way that I envy.

You want to be on the fucking bleeding edge of crime fiction then you buy every book that Switchblade puts out without hesitation.

Jess Walter is a long time favorite of mine but I hesitated when I saw what last year's book, The Financial Lives of the Poets, was about. I waited until the book became available from the library and after trying to read the first chapter through a haze of laughter tears I knew I was wrong and I never should have doubted him. The Financial Lives of the Poets tackles nothing less than the current financial crisis and manages to make you laugh. Just. Brilliant.

2010 brought us a guy who doesn't talk about doing something, he just does it. That guy is Steve Weddle and this year he brought us Needle Magazine. Needle picked up the ashes of the much lamented Murdaland, gave it a new operating model and boom! Three issues later he's serializing Ray Banks novellas. If Murdaland was like a TO, talking shit and letting the personality take over then Needle is like Jerry Rice, just catching the ball and moving on to the next play.

Two of my favorite comics this year were Meta-4 by Ted McKeever and The Bulletproof Coffin by David Hine and Shaky Kane. I'll be honest, I'm not too sure I know what in the hell they are about but I can't stop reading them and think they may be awesome.

That’s my brain dumpings out on the page for all to see. Maybe you’ll find something there.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lindenmuth. Spinetingler Magazine. Yeah, he's that guy.

Rawson rants—Art vs. Commerce

Recently, Crimefactory friend, (and seriously kick ass novelist) Benjamin Whitmer, wrote a wrap up of his first Bouchercon experience on his blog, Kick Him Honey. The post mostly stuck to what a blast he had at old B-con getting hammered with some of the new millennium crimedawgs and a little bit about the old genre vs. contemporary literature thing. (Who else thinks that motherfucker is a dead horse? Seriously, folks, time to move on) But, Whitmer briefly mentioned something in the opening paragraph of the post that has been on my mind as of late. Here’s what Ben had to say:

“….There was some of the expected horseshit, where writers griped about their panels and whined about their sales, but whatever, somebody’s gotta do it. Talking business bores me fucking senseless, but then, that might be just me.”

I’m not talking about panels here (but I will say some panels at a few of these conventions seem a little half baked, but I digress.) what I’m writing about is novelists whining about their sales.

I’m around a lot of writers, (and I’m sure I’m shooting myself in the foot with more than a few of them with this post) whether virtually or face-to-face and when you’re talking shop with most writers, inevitably the conversation will turn to the commerce side of things, and like Whitmer, whenever the subject comes up, I tune out, because it bores the living shit out of me.

Admittedly, my writing doesn’t keep a roof over my head. I have the advantage of having a day job that I get up for at 3:45 in the morning (With the time change it’s now 4:45, thank god, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to keep it at those hours even when the time changes back and have the option of going back to the early shift. Because with me nearing 40, getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night just ain’t cutting it.) and writing is just a side line. Something I do in-between the job and family obligations. Once in a blue moon I get a check for doing it and that’s pretty okay

But for the most part, I write because I love doing it and I do it without expectation.

That’s right, folks, I don’t really ever expect to earn my daily pay check from this. Would I like to? Hell yes I would! If Little, Brown or Random House came to me saying,

‘You know, Keith, you pudgy suburbanite you, we think you’re a fucking genius, a virtual Mozart of crime fiction and we want to offer you a six book deal. What d’ya say to that?’ I would probably simultaneously crap and jizz myself with joy. Now is that going to happen? Diffidently not. (They may offer to buy a book or two off of me in the future, but you know what I’m saying?) Will I keep writing? Yeah, I will, because without writing, without putting words down on the page on a daily basis, I’m a sad sack, I’m a whiney bitch and not all that much fun to be around. I’ve got the bug and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know publishing is a business. I know that it needs to make money just like Wal*Mart, Ford, or my company has to (Well, not so much Ford, they can just claim poor and have the government bail them out again) make a profit in order for it to exist. And it’s a reality for me, too, because guess what, folks, it takes money to run Crimefactory. (And I’m not bitching about the cost of operating the magazine here, folks.) The URL, the web hosting, the POD edition, all of it costs money and I have to concern myself with the bottom line because I want the magazine to continue, and the whole purpose of the Kindle and POD editions of the magazine is so Crimefactory can become a self sustaining entity and that it doesn’t become a huge drain on our time and resources.

Alright, I’m sure more than a few of you are starting to shake your heads, thinking, what the hell’s the point of all this, Rawson? Shit or get off the pot already. So here I go:

The commerce end of writing is strangling the artistic side.

There I said it.

When you have so many people—both the creative and business end—focused on the single idea of profit above all else, the art of writing is going to suffer. Novelists are going to write (or be forced to write.) books that they may not want to. They may write books that they think are going to be more commercially viable or switch to a style or genre that simply pays the bills instead of fulfilling them as creative people.

And, once again, I know I’m going to have a few people saying, ‘Ah, Rawson, you naïve little shit. If only you knew the realities of publishing.’ But guess what, I do know. Publishers, once again, are nothing more than a profit driven business and I work for a profit driven business which makes BILLIONS of dollars a year, and in the past year, despite my company making record profits, I was in serious fear of losing my job. So even though I’m not part of the mainstream publishing machine, I get it. I understand the fears novelists have of losing contracts if their books don’t sell well, because when it comes right down to it, writing is just another job, a way of putting food on the table.

But, recently, my company has started to think of things a little differently and has started banking on long term gains as opposed to the short term, and because of this change, they’re attempting to change their business model and with them doing this, well my day job has become a much more pleasant place to spend 9 hours of my day at.

And publishing seems to be pushing in this direction with the recent creation of Mulholland books and Little, Brown’s signing of Michael Koryta to a six book deal. It seems that Little, Brown is taking more chances on authors like Koryta, Swierczynski, and Woodrell and helping them develop an audience (or in the case of all three, develop a wider audience) because they know (hopefully) that if you put a little time and effort into an individual, your long term profits via back catalog and not just new releases will help increase profitability of not only the company, but of the writers as well. My only hope is that the other five big New York houses clue into Little, Brown’s model.

Okay, to wrap up (because this shit has gone way too long) from a personal stand point, writing is writing, if I don’t enjoy doing it anymore, or I get too concerned with how much money my writing is making, I’m going to walk away. Done and done and I’ll spend my free time hanging out with my family, watching bad movies, and basketball, and whatever writing I get done will get sent along to small presses like PM Press, New Pulp Press, Serpent’s Tail, Gutter books (By the way, folks, have you taken a look at some of the titles being put out by the small presses? Most of the time I think they’re doing a better job of tracking down, signing, and presenting promising talent than the big boys are.) to see if they want to put it out, or it’ll just sit on my hard drive collecting dust and my sole audience will be me.

(One last thing before I sign off, make sure to check out Crimefactory irregular Andrew Nette's blog Pulp Curry. Andrew has DTK Molise of the blog Kabul Noir, guest posting about Afghan based crime fiction. It's a good read, so make sure to check it out.)