The Advocates: ITW Debuts

Welcome to our spring/summer series, The Advocates. We wanted to pay tribute to the bloggers, writers, book stores, fairs, conferences, organizations, teachers, and anyone/anything else who has helped us, or the crime fiction community, on our writing and publishing journey. The Advocates is the result.

ITW Debuts

In 2010, as I seriously began to write my first book, I googled “association of thriller writers” wondering what might be out there. I found the International Thriller Writers and spent a few hours longingly looking at the list of authors I’d spent a lifetime admiring. I read all about their big conference, ThrillerFest, and wondered if, one day after I finished my mythical book, I might risk spending the money to attend PitchFest to try and find an agent.

Seven years and one three-book-deal later, when I finally qualified to become a member, I teared up as I submitted the application. And when I qualified for their Debut Author Program, I was over the moon.

But, if I’m going to be perfectly honest (and I always am), I had reservations.

As a grizzled veteran of academic conferences, I suspected that ThrillerFest would most likely be cliquish, with the big names cloistered in their suites. I also suspected that the other debut authors would already be pro writers without much time for a recovering anthropologist wandering around in awe.

Little did I know that it would turn out to be an inclusive celebration of writers at every stage of their career. At ThrillerFest, I met some of the kindest, welcoming, genuinely supportive people in the industry. On the first evening, I remember standing in the hotel lobby, not knowing a soul, and being invited to dinner by a group of writers (including Todd Gerber, Kyle Steele, and Ariana Fae, who have since then become partners in crime at the conference).

I got reassurance and incredible support from incomparable writers in the field like Jennifer Hillier and the Thrill Begins own E.A. Aymar. At the cocktail parties, I got to rub elbows with luminaries like Lee Child and Lisa Gardner.

Like the conference itself, the Debut Author Program was wonderfully run and chock full of amazing experiences. But, by far, the most amazing thing that happened at ThrillerFest was meeting the other writers from the 2017/2018 Debut Author Program. Being a debut is nerve-wracking as hell, and there are so many hurdles to getting published that it’s a rather lonely process. It was glorious to finally meet people on the same road.

Which is why the people I really want to honor here are my fellow debuts. Over the past year, many of us have become mutually supportive cheerleaders for our fledgling careers. We boost posts on social media, announce each other’s book launches, hand-sell each other’s books at conferences, and recommend each other for literary events.

We’ve celebrated as we’ve gotten accolades and been nominated for prestigious awards (L.A. Chandlar was nominated for an Agatha Award and John Copenhaver was nominated for a Barry and Lambda Literary Award!). And we’ve been there to talk to each other when the accolades and awards aren’t exactly piling up like we’d hoped.

In the end, many of us have become friends.

Here are a few of the lessons I’ve learned from my fellow debut authors:

* It’s important to find your community of people, especially those at the same stage of their career. Traditional publishing is a complex and unusual industry. Having people to help navigate the unique ins and outs of this new world is invaluable.

* Support the people coming up behind you. I will admit that I still barely feel like a pro writer, but watching other debuts like Kellye Garrett supporting aspiring writers has reminded me that I’m actually a published author now and it’s part of my job to help others get here.

* Be kind to everyone. I’ve already seen a few examples of authors behaving badly, and I’m always surprised that those people don’t understand how important it is to have fellow writers get your back. Publishing isn’t a zero sum game. We all benefit when we lift each other up.

All of the authors I met at that first ThrillerFest were wonderfully supportive but I want to specifically thank fellow debuts L.A. Chandlar, Joseph Reid, Paddy Hirsch, John Copenhaver, Roger Johns, Lissa Marie Redmond, and Jeremy Finley. I can’t wait to see you all in New York again this year!

Ellison Cooper has a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCLA, with a background in archaeology, cultural neuroscience, ancient religion, colonialism, and human rights. She has conducted fieldwork in Central America, West Africa, Micronesia, and Western Europe. She has worked as a murder investigator in Washington DC, and is a certified K9 Search and Rescue Federal Disaster Worker. She now lives in the Bay Area with her husband and son.
To learn more about Ellison Cooper’s newest book, click HERE:

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