SinC survey

The Sisters in Crime Mystery Book Consumer Study is done and is online. I will look for the link and give it to you later. Analyzing the results should help in planning marketing strategies. So I will be looking at the study closely in the days and weeks ahead. I haven't read the study yet -- and I look forward to seeing some of the racial demographics -- but here are some of the results. (I am quoting below directly from the e-mail I got today.)

The majority of mystery/crime fiction buyers tend to be women over the age of 45. Overall, 68 percent of mysteries are purchased by women; more than half of mystery buyers are more than 45 years of age. Buyers 18 to 44 years of age purchase 31 percent of the mysteries sold.

Most of the mystery buyers – 48 percent – live in suburban areas, 27 percent reside in rural areas and 25 percent live in urban areas.

The majority of mysteries – 35 percent – are purchased by individuals who live in the South, 26 percent are purchased by people in the West, 20 percent by those in the Midwest and 19 percent by individuals in the Northeast.

Mysteries are obtained mostly through purchases from brick-and-mortar stores, followed by library borrowing and online purchasing. A total of 39 percent are obtained through in-store purchases, 19 percent are borrowed from libraries and 17 percent are purchased online. Online purchases in the mystery genre top those for other types of fiction.


More later.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Who's Lookin'? Part II

This is my last post of the year and I thought it appropriate to look back at some of my stats for my blog. It is my 96th posting this year, which tied the record set in 2008 as the year with my most blog postings. I had wanted to reach more than 100, which in itself is rather modest, but it's not to be this year. While I am okay with the number of postings in 2010, I want to stretch a little more in 2011.

I first wrote about my stats three months ago shortly after I first realized there was a way of keeping track of some of my page views. I think the stats have been available to each blogger only since May or June.

I was a little depressed by the numbers -- still am -- but I am grateful I have any numbers at all. After pouring over the statistics, I have no greater understanding of what it all means than I did back in September.

Yet, I do find some of it quite interesting.

Though readers in the U.S. continue to make up the majority of my page views, there has been some slippage since September, when 67.6 percent of page views came from the U.S. Today, that figure is just 54.5 percent. Tied for second place are Canada and the Netherlands with 5.5 percent each of my page views, up from 4.3 percent for Canada back in September and 4.6 percent for the Dutch.

Alone in fourth place is Germany, with 5 percent of my page views. Germany wasn't even in the Top 5 back in September.

My most popular month was October, but there was a drop-off in November and into early December when I had less time and opportunity to blog. It has picked up in the latter half of December and I hope I haven't lost many readers.

Although I haven't the foggiest reason why, I seem to be popular all over the world, except in Africa and Antarctica. Apparently, I haven't reached people in some of the hottest places on the planet and in some of the coldest.

No big surprises in my most popular blog postings. (Well, I'm kinda surprised because my two most popular postings are among my oldest.) Just as last September, "Querying agents," from June 18, 2008, and "What's in a name?, Part II," from Jan. 4, 2008, are in a virtual tie for first place in page views. They make up 20 percent of my total page views, though that is a drop from 25 percent back in September.

Coming in at No. 3 is (not surprisingly) "Finding an agent? WTF does it take?" from Sept. 13, 2010. I think the title and the subject matter caught people's attention.

But the fourth-place favorite surprised me. It is "Being a picker at Amazon," which was only posted 10 days ago. In fact, that posting is my No. 1 posting for the month of December, easing out both my top-ranking posts from 2008.

I still haven't the slightest idea what people in Russia, Brazil, the Ukraine, Argentina and Poland find interesting about my blog. But I hope all of you out there keep reading. And it would be nice if you'd comment now and then.

Have a Happy New Year. I will see you in 2011.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.

Who's lookin'?

Fellow blogger Anne Gallagher pointed out something to me last week and I have been fascinated by it ever since. On blogspot, there is a category on your dashboard called "stats". By clicking on it, you can view general statistics on who is looking at your blog and from where.

I was a little depressed at the numbers at first but got over it once I realized this feature apparently only goes back as far as May or June. (I think June.) But there is some interesting information, although I have no idea what it all means.

I am an aspiring author in the American Midwest blogging, well, about myself, mostly. I wouldn't expect to have much appeal to someone outside the country, and certainly not outside of English-speaking countries. I only write in English. (Don't get me started on how hard it is for me to learn another language.)

But only 67.6 percent of my pageview hits are from the United States. I have hits from five of the seven continents of the world. Apparently, no one in Africa or Antarctica has read me.

After the United States, some 4.6 percent of my pageviews come from The Netherlands, followed closely by 4.3 percent from Canada (which doesn't completely surprise me) and -- get this -- 4.1 percent from Bolivia. Who in the world in Bolivia is reading me?

I also have 13 page hits from China and 10 from Russia. What in the world am I saying that would interest someone in those countries? Is it the Secret Police? I don't know. They aren't leaving me any comments.

Some 28 percent of all my pageviews have come in the last month. But that doesn't mean my September posts are what people are looking at.

Two posts make up one quarter of all my pageviews -- and they are both from 2008, more than two years ago. My No. 1 most popular post (at 12.7 percent of all pageviews) is Querying Agents, from June 18, 2008, followed closely by What's in a Name, Part II, from Jan. 4, 2008 (12.3 percent of all pageviews).

They also have the most pageviews in the last month. But at No. 3 in pageviews this month is Finding an Agent? WTF does it take?, from last week. I was clearly frustrated when I wrote that one. But in terms of overall hits, that post from Sept. 13, is only tied for eighth in overall pageviews.

Now, what does any of this mean? I really don't know. But I hope to figure out why people are reading certain things and hopefully address those concerns more often. But it would be helpful if some of you people in Israel, Brazil, Italy, Denmark and Japan would leave me a comment from time to time.

I am glad, however, that people are reading. I hope you keep doing it.

Thank for reading everyone out there. Now get back to writing.

Fan mail

Having a reader write or call to say they enjoyed your work is, I have found, one of the truly wonderful things about writing. I write with the reader in mind but first reader I work to please is always me. After that, I hope I connect with someone else. As I work, I am never sure.

I have gotten some very positive comments on my short story "The Missing CD" which is in BEDLAM AT THE BRICKYARD, which was published in June. And yes, most of the comments have come from people I know. But I have gotten a couple of e-mails from out of the blue.

I got an e-mail just today from someone who asked me about a detail in the story. It involved the storage room where Speedway Museum officials keep the vehicles that are not displayed on the museum floor.

I told her I wrote what little I knew about that aspect of the museum, which I had researched, and I made up the rest. That is why it is called fiction.

I don't know what I will do when I have a novel published and I start getting some mail that is not so positive. Probably what I have always done as a reporter: Thank the reader and not let their comments get to me.

We will see. But for now, I am enjoying what little fan mail I get.

Thanks for reading and keep writing.