Book sculpture by Stephen Doyle
Congratulations go to Peter Robinson, winner of this year's Dilys Award for Before the Poison. The award is handed out by the IMBA (Independent Mystery Booksellers Association) to the crime fiction book member booksellers most enjoyed selling, and is named in honor of Dilys Winn, the founder of the first specialty bookseller of mystery books in the United States
Congrats also to the winners of this year's "Lefty" Awards from the Left Coast Crime Conference. The Lefty for best humorous mystery novel went to Brad Parks, for The Girl Next Door; The Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award was given to Catriona McPherson for Dandy Gilver and an Unsuitable Day for a Murder; The Rocky for best mystery novel set in the Left Coast Crime Geographical Region went to Craig Johnson, As the Crow Flies; and The Watson for mystery novel with best sidekick was awarded to Rochelle Staab, Brouja Brouhaha.
News from the bookselling world continues to be volatile and sometimes contradictory. According to a new report from Bowker Market Research, U.S. chain bookstores lost 13 percent of their share of book purchases in 2012. Meanwhile, sales at independent bookstores are rising, established indies are expanding, and new ones are popping up across the country, according to an article in the Christian Science Monitor. And eBooks? The AAP released new figures for the U.S. eBook market, revealing it grew by 8% in the first 11 months of 2012, from $6.1 billion to $6.6 billion.
Ebook publisher Untreed Reads has put out a call for submissions for its upcoming anthology, Moon Shot: Murder and Mayhem on the Edge of Space. Editor Jay Hartman is looking for stories between 1,500 to 5,000 words set in space or connected to the space program (past, present or future) but with a strong mystery/crime/suspense angle. The deadline is May 30th, and authors will receive a royalty split.
The Q&A roundup this week includes Alexandra Sokoloff over at the Female First blog talking about her novel The Unseen; and Cara Black joined Murderati to talk about her latest, Murder Below Montparnasse.
Archaeologists have found 13 black death skeletons beneath London and believe there could be 50,000 more victims, all buried in an emergency cemetery in the 14th century. The adult skeletons, laid out in two neat rows, were uncovered during excavation work for a £14.8 billion Crossrail project.
Comments