Self-published thriller writer joins Kindle Million Club - what does it mean?

Crime and thriller writers continue to dominate the select but growing membership of the Kindle Million Club - authors who have sold more than one million e-books on Amazon Kindle - but the latest entrant is noteworthy for another reason; John Locke is a self-published thriller writer, and the first self-published author to join the likes of big-name print and e-book bestsellers Lee Child, James Patterson, Stieg Larsson and Michael Connelly in the Kindle Million Club. Is this a momentous day in publishing? Does it underline the opportunities provided to modern-day authors via online publication?

Amazon.com announced yesterday (NZT) that thriller writer Locke, whose books are released through the online retailer's Kindle Direct Publishing, has sold just over 1 million e-books, many of them priced at 99 cents. The 60-year-old Louisville businessman-turned-thriller writer's novels include VEGAS MOON, WISH LIST, and A GIRL LIKE YOU. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given his online success, his latest book is a non-fiction one, HOW I SOLD 1 MILLION EBOOKS IN  5 MONTHS. I would be curious to see what Locke has learned from his experiences, and how they could be applied by other writers.

To me, online and e-book publishing brings both opportunities and challenges for budding and established authors. Just like the traditional publishing world, some authors will make it big, and many won't - and this distinction won't always be a pure meritocracy. Good and great authors will be relatively overlooked, and other lesser authors will seem to have 'undeserved' levels of success, in the eyes of some. Although the better the book you write, the better your chances will be, writing a good book in of itself won't guarantee big sales - if readers aren't aware of your writing, or aren't enticed to give it a go, it will be difficult to build a strong and growing readership. Online publishing allows authors to make their books more widely available (eg Kiwi authors who aren't published in print in the US or UK can be available for readers in those countries if they have e-book versions of their Australasian-published titles), but at the same time this very trait of the technology makes it very easy to 'get lost in the flood'. There are literally millions of books out there - so how will readers come across yours?

Plenty to think about, and Locke's success will certainly inspire many. I'd love to read your thoughts on the evolution of e-publishing, and what it might mean for writers of all stripes.

Michael Connelly becomes the seventh member of the Kindle Million Club

While more and more e-books are being sold all the time, the group of authors that have sold one million books on Kindle remains a select one. This past week crime writing maestro Michael Connelly (pictured above with me and Kiwi author Ben Sanders at Connelly's recent Auckland event) became the seventh member of the 'Million Club'.

Interestingly, five of the seven authors who've passed the million mark on Kindle are crime writers (six, if you include Nora Roberts crime-writing persona, JD Robb). The club, so far:

• Stieg Larsson;
• James Patterson;
• Nora Roberts;
• Charlaine Harris;
• Lee Child;
• Suzanne Collins (popular children's author); and
• Michael Connelly.

It's interesting that the likes of JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, and Dan Brown haven't yet joined the club - but perhaps that is more to do with their readers not yet embracing e-books to quite the same extent (and that Brown and Rowling's phenomenal sales peaks were a couple or more years ago).

I'm very pleased to see a quality crime writer the likes of Connelly having this kind of e-book success, and the way in which crime fiction readers have embraced e-book technology. With quality New Zealand crime writers who get good reviews of their books by local and international reviewers, readers, and award judges, still struggling to get published in print in the bigger US and UK markets, e-book sales may be one key way in future for Kiwi crime writers to reach a wider audience of readers, who would enjoy their books once they gave them a change (and knew about them in the first place).

What do you think of the growth in e-book sales? Do you have a Kindle, iPad, Kobo or other e-reading device? Do you buy many e-books? If so, do you still buy print books? What do you think of the crime writer dominance in the 'million club'? Thoughts welcomed.

9mm: An interview with Steve Malley

Welcome to the third instalment this year of Crime Watch's exclusive 9mm author interviews, and the 47th instalment overall. You can check out some of the previous author interviews by clicking on an author's name on the sidebar to the right, on '9mm' on the header bar above, or you can see the first 44 instaments here.

But for now it is time to once again polish off the gun and point it towards a creator of tales mysterious and thrilling. Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback on the series so far - I really appreciate it, as I know many of the participating authors do as well.

For those new to this rodeo, 9mm consists of the same 9 Murder Mystery questions put to a variety of New Zealand and international crime, thriller, and mystery authors. I hope you have all been enjoying the series as much as I (and the authors) have been. Suggestions are always welcome as to who else you'd like to see interviewed. Upcoming interviews include the likes of CJ Box, Victoria Houston, Kathy Reichs and Robert Crais, amongst others.

Today I am very pleased to introduce you to another up-and-coming Kiwi crime writer, Steve Malley. Christchurch-based Malley is an expatriate American who describes himself as "Tattooed, pierced and dreadlocked" - he is a writer, graphic novelist and professional artist. His debut thriller, CROSSROAD BLUES, was published in Amazon Kindle format last year. It is also available from the Smashwords website, in a variety of e-formats. Malley's second novel, POISON DOOR, was released earlier this year, and has been getting very positive reviews. Set in Christchurch, POISON DOOR revolves around three main characters: tough cop Sarah Crane, who is faced with a series of brutal murders and the disappearance of young women no one else seems to miss; vicious drug lord Tommy Knowles, who finds himself on the brink of disaster; and 14-year-old Michelle Swanson, whose nightly wanderings get her into terrible danger.

You can visit Malley's website here, and his blog Full Throttle and F**k It! here. You can buy POISON DOOR from Smashwords, Amazon (for US$0.99), and Amazon UK.

But for now Malley faces down the barrel of 9mm.

9MM: AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVE MALLEY

Who is your favourite recurring crime fiction hero/detective?
These days I’m all about the Parker books by Richard Stark. The guy’s got this tough, matter-of-fact attitude that’s so compelling. I’m also a big fan of John D. Macdonald’s Travis McGee series (nobody does suspense quite like MacDonald) and Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins.

What was the very first book you remember reading and really loving, and why?
Batman comics were my first love. I pretty much learned to read just so I could figure out what Batman was saying in the word balloons.

My first proper novel was 1984, by George Orwell. I was only eight at the time, and the library wouldn’t let me take it out. After a bit of a talk with me about why on earth I wanted to read such a thing, my Dad went in and got me adult borrowing privileges. 1984 blew my mind. Just, absolutely blew my mind. Graphic sex, violence, rat-bite horror, an ominous and all-powerful villain, this book had EVERYTHING. And the hero loses in the end! I’ve never read a darker thriller. I was hooked!

Before your debut crime novel, what else had you written (if anything) unpublished manuscripts, short stories, articles?
I actually started as a graphic novelist, writing and drawing my own work. My first book was Leather Tales - meant as a thoughtful meditation on violence and second chances and the dark pull our bad old habits retain through the years. As happens, all that was overshadowed by the plot: lesbian assassins taking on The Mob…

There were four more graphic novels after that before I turned my hand to novels and had to start the learning curve all over again. Effective storytelling is just so different between the two media.

Outside of writing, and touring and promotional commitments, what do you really like to do, leisure and activity-wise?
Well, I'm a professional artist, and I deeply love my work there too. Also, after a hiatus of some years, I've returned to studying my two favorite martial arts: Wing Chun and Kali/Eskrima.

What is one thing that visitors to your hometown should do, that isn't in the tourist brochures, or perhaps they wouldn’t initially consider?
At the moment our newest tourist activity is Earthquake-Touring. Christchurch had a 7.1 rip through a few months ago. A few thousand aftershocks and a good-sized jolt on Boxing Day (that’s the 26th for those of you in the US) have turned much of our town into piles of rubble. People here just get on with it, but tourists always seem to gaze openmouthed at the devastation.

[Ed Note: this interview was conducted a couple of days before the latest, devastating killer earthquake that Christchurch suffered on 22 February. I've been in contact with Steve since, and he's okay, although like everyone in Christchurch, he was badly shaken. Please feel free to donate to the Red Cross relief effort here].

If your life was a movie, which actor could you see playing you?
I'd love to get Gary Oldman or Jake Gylennhaal, but I'd be happy enough with Steve Buscemi. :)

Of your books, which is your favourite, and why?
Right now it’s my latest. Its working title is Wrecking Ball, and we’re still in that honeymoon stage where I’m happy with how it’s going and excited to see how it ends. A month or two from now, when I hate how it’s going and wonder if it ever will end, well I know that’ll be another story...

What was your initial reaction, and how did you celebrate, when you were first accepted for publication? Or when you first saw your debut story in book form on a bookseller’s shelf?
The first time ever was with Leather Tales. I walked into this comics shop and there it was -right on the shelf. I mean, here was this owner, didn’t know me from a bar of soap, and he had like ten copies of my book on display! I couldn’t believe it, had to ask what made him order it. Tony must have misunderstood me, because he started justifying himself, saying, "Yeah, there’s a lot of violence and nudity and stuff, but there’s a real story here too." The rest is kind of a blur, but I’m pretty sure my head swelled to the point where they had to grease my ears to get me through the doorway!

What is the strangest or most unusual experience you have had at a book signing, author event, or literary festival?
Oddly enough, the strangest thing happened at an event where I wasn't even present. A couple of European fans emailed me a picture of them at a convention, dressed as two of my characters. I don't have the words to do that feeling justice.


Thank you Steve Malley. We appreciate you taking the time to talk to Crime Watch

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Have you read any of Malley's crime novels or graphic novels? What do you think of e-books? Do they make it easier to give new, lesser-known authors a go? Thoughts welcome.

POISON DOOR by Steve Malley now available

Following the publication of Vanda Symon's BOUND (now a #1 bestseller) and Cat Connor's EXACERBYTE in recent days, another Kiwi crime writer has had his latest novel released this weekend - Steve Malley's second thriller, POISON DOOR is now available on Amazon Kindle (for the very reasonable 'he's an unknown author to me but definitely worth trying at that price' price of USD$0.99). I have a copy of POISON DOOR, and am looking forward to reading it soon.

Here's the blurb:
"Sarah Crane is one tough cop. In a country where police don't carry guns but criminals do, she has to rely on the strength of her wits and the skill of her bare hands. Faced with a series of brutal murders and the disappearance of young women no one else seems to miss, she'll stop at nothing to get to the truth. In troubled young Michelle, Sarah sees a reflection of her own dark past.

Tommy Knowles is a vicious killer. From a London orphanage to the shores of New Zealand, he has risen from life on the streets to control this small country's heroin trade. Now his own success has led him to the edge of disaster. To secure the weapons he needs in the fight for his life, Tommy will trade as many innocent lives as necessary to secure his survival.

Michelle Swanston is fourteen and in danger. Safer on the Christchurch city streets than she is in her own home, Michelle's night wanderings take her into a hell worse than any she ever imagined. With no way of knowing who she can trust, no one else she can rely on, this terrified young girl is determined not to go down without a fight..."

Malley is an expatriate American now living in New Zealand. Describing himself as "Tattooed, pierced and dreadlocked", he is a writer, graphic novelist and professional artist. His debut thriller, CROSSROAD BLUES, was published in Amazon Kindle format last year. It is also available from the Smashwords website, in a variety of e-formats. Unlike CROSSROAD BLUES, Malley's latest thriller is actually set in New Zealand as well.

You can visit Malley's website here, and his blog Full Throttle and F**k It! here.

Do you think low-priced e-books are a good way to try new, unknown authors? Are you a Kindle user (or other e-reader)? Have you read any of Malley's work? Thoughts welcome.