Author, Compulsively Readable Thrillers
Libby Fischer Hellmann 
It’s not unusual. But this time around the literary circus surrounding the 2016 election is unprecedented. And that includes books about the most controversial political figure of our lifetime. Trump’s personal manifesto alone, ‘Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again‘, sold 235,000 hardcover copies in just eight months. In addition, a raft of old … Read more
Note: If you know about this case, I hope you will keep an open mind and read on. Tuesday, July 12, 2016, is the on-sale day for a true crime book written by Robert Kennedy, Jr. As some of you know, Michael Skakel and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. are first cousins. Michael’s late father “Bucky” and Bobby’s mother, Ethel … Read more
A blog post on Publishers Weekly recently claims that “digital fatigue” is making ebooks less appealing, and, as a result, fewer of us are buying them. Huh? What is “digital fatigue?” According to the author of the PW article, the phrase was coined by Codex president Peter Hildick-Smith who believes this is a new consumer … Read more
(Updated: Originally published in November, 2013) Thanks largely to Amazon and Audible.com (which it owns), audiobooks are quickly changing the way we “read.” Yes, I’m a book addict, but there’s just not enough time in the day for me to escape with a great story. So I make time. When I’m in the car, walking … Read more
The Audible website hosts more than 200,000 audiobooks, and more readers listen to audiobooks than ever before. If you’re a writer who’s just starting to think about converting your work to audio, here’s an overview based on working with ACX, Audible’s platform for audiobook production. It’s open to all authors, indie and traditional, as well … Read more
Thanks to Scott Biram for the title… As the poet, novelist and short story writer Charles Bukowski said, “Writing about a writer’s block is better than not writing at all”. I know what he means. For the first time in years I am uncertain what to write. I’m stumped, stuck in the mud, and blue. … Read more
Audiobook sales are booming. Goodereader says that the global audiobook industry is currently worth 2.8 billion dollars and that approximately 3.88 million audiobooks were downloaded in 2015 compared to 2.47 million ebooks. Indeed, audiobooks are the fastest-growing distribution method in publishing today. I won’t go into all the reasons–you probably already know them–but I will … Read more
Co-authoring with prominent authors or their estates (when they’re no longer with us) is a fast-growing trend for crime authors. Many are following the James Patterson model, who released 15 novels in 2014 alone. “23 other authors have been paid out of Patterson’s own pocket to write them for him. It is not a fact … Read more
Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is due out in September 2016. Fans of The Boss can’t wait for the release of Born to Run on September 27th. It’s fully expected to be an international bestseller, and the rights have already been sold all over the planet. Simon and Schuster should score a massive hit. But what makes … Read more
Some readers read mainly one genre. Romance, for example. Or historicals. Or Sci-fi. The genres include many variations on a theme, but, generally, each novel is similar to the next. Which can be comforting. You know what you’re going to get. I’d like to think the crime fiction genre is different. As a crime thriller … Read more