Dear Mystery Publisher,

Library Journal will be previewing 2018 spring, summer, and fall mysteries/thrillers in the April 15, 2018 issue. The focus will be on notable series debuts, stand-alone titles, and first novels being published between April and November 2018. The article will also explore the current state of the genre. Among the topics we’re interested in exploring:

• What will be the breakout thriller of the summer? Moving beyond Gone Girl/The Girl on the Train-type books, what are the new trends in psychological suspense?
• Has the political women’s movement seen its counterpart in crime fiction, perhaps with an uptick in strong female characters?
• New directions for best-selling mystery authors. What new series or stand-alones are they launching? Are they changing how they publish? Are they going hybrid, balancing between independent and traditional publishing?
• Historical mysteries. Do World War I and World War II continue to be popular with writers and readers? What other historical periods are trending now?
• What’s new in the cozy world? Are traditional Golden Age-style mysteries making a comeback?
• Are you acquiring more mysteries in translation? Is the Scandinavian crime fiction scene cooling? What new areas of the world are attracting attention from U.S. publishers?
• Are you seeing more genre-blending in crime fiction?
• With the call for more diverse books in recent years, are publishers receiving more submissions featuring diverse protagonists, themes, and situations? Is the genre becoming more multicultural in terms of authors and stories being told?
• Are you acquiring more self-published titles?
• What’s happening with the genre in other formats (digital, audio)? Thanks to the best-selling success of Amazon’s Echo, Google’s Home, and other voice-activated speakers, will mystery audiobooks become more popular with genre fans who can listen on these devices?
• Are any new crime fiction imprints or small presses launching in 2018? What’s new in the indie mystery publishing scene?
• Libraries are an important market for mystery publishers. How are publishers tailoring their library marketing efforts? Are they finding new ways (besides ALA conferences and BookExpo) to connect with librarians and their patrons?

Please email the following information: author, title, ISBN, page count, price, marketing plans, formats available (print, audio, ebook), and a brief description—(along with any relevant quotes from editors or publishers)—to Jordan Foster at jordan.foster13@gmail.com and be sure to cc Wilda Willams at wwillams@mediasourceinc.com.

The deadline for submitting information is Feb. 9, 2018.

Sincerely,

Wilda Williams
Fiction Editor
Library Journal
123 William St., Suite 802
New York, NY 10038