Time to Debunk Those Myths About Millennials

I started out with a beef about the "millennial" generation. I have three children who are "millennials," and only one has finished reading my mystery novel! It's because millennials just don't read anything longer than 140-character text messages, I grumbled. They Tweet, Instagram, and check Facebook multiple times a day, but they don't have time to consume books because they are so busy communicating and connecting and letting everyone know where they are and what salad they are eating. Since they can quickly get all their entertainment online, it's not surprising that they've lost the habit of sitting for long hours with a Kindle e-book or turning printed pages without lots of graphics, I reasoned. Besides, old-fashioned mysteries about human failings and betrayals can't compete with a generation raised on movie wizardry, sexy vampires and zombie apocalypse. Unfortunately, the statistical data says otherwise: The "2012 U.S. Book Consumer Demographics and Buying Behaviors Annual Review" actually found that those born between 1979 and 1989 spent more money on books in 2011 than older Americans, buying 30% of books, while the well-off boomer generation of their parents only bought 24% of books. In jumping to conclusions about millennials based on a sample of two, I'm guilty of joining a lot of other misguided social pundits. I've had numerous conversations with boomer friends who bemoan millennial selfishness, short attention spans, unreasonable workplace expectations, and so on. If you have slipped into the millennial-bashing rut, or if you are a maligned millennial, you should read the amusing Washington Post blog piece "Please stop having dumb opinions about Millennials" by Alexandra Petri. It's time to debunk that "Me Me Me Entitled Trophy-Wielder Constantly Instagramming My Hookups While Having No-Strings Attached Salads" caricature. See the article at http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2013/10/07/please-stop-having-dumb-opinions-about-millennials/

Solving the Mystery of the Mystery Reader

As an avid mystery fan, and now the author of a mystery novel, I'm naturally curious about the profile of the average mystery reader. In 2011, Sisters in Crime, an organization for advancement of women crime writers, released its first survey of buyers of mystery books, based on data gathered by Bowker's PubTrack sales analysis division. It turns out that my fellow mystery readers look a lot like me in some ways: female (68%) and over age 55 (48%). They are also more likely to be Southerners (35%), to live in suburban areas (48%), and to have no children at home (77%). However, I depart from the norm when it comes to purchase behavior by embracing the digital age, making both print and e-book buys while shopping in book stores and online. In contrast, most mystery readers prefer retail stores (39%) over online (17%). And while 90% reported knowing about e-books, only 13% had read one (mostly those who were under age 30).  So how do I attract more mystery buyers to my online-only book distribution? Leading purchase drivers such as "well-known author" and "book series" aren't helpful, but one top-ranked purchase influencer is within reach: recommendations from friends and relatives, as well as other readers. So keep posting Amazon, Kindle and Goodreads reviews -- and talk it up, guys! For the full report, go to http://www.sistersincrime.org/associations/10614/files/ConsumerBuyingBookReport.pdf