Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time: being helpful as writer
But first: a news update
Last week’s newsletter stated I didn’t have any public events in September. Turns out, I’m not very good at reading my own diary and completely forgot two things I’m doing next month. I will be guest speaker at the Edinburgh Writers’ Forum September session on Tuesday 9th at The Edinburgh Bookshop (get tickets here).
Later that week I’ll be at the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in Stirling, which runs from Friday 12th to Sunday 14th. I’m not officially part of the 2025 programme, but will be around Saturday and Sunday. (If Carnival of Lies is lucky enough to be a McIlvanney Prize finalist, I’ll dash to Stirling on Friday night as well.)
On Tuesday September 30th I’m a guest speaker at the Edinburgh Literary Salon, talking about crime fiction (more details in a future newsletter). Then we’re into October with the Moffat Crime Fest on Saturday 4th October, tickets available now, followed by the Mallaig Book Festival and Venice Noir in November.
For most of these events I am volunteering my services. I firmly believed established book festivals should pay authors to appear, as Bloody Scotland does for those on its programme, but I’m also happy to be part of smaller community events where there is no fee. Giving something back by volunteering is a positive act of literary citizenship.
Essentially, it’s about helping others, giving something back for all those moments when someone has helped you as a reader or writer. Posting a positive review or sharing your love of a book? That’s literary citizenship. Offering feedback, sharing a pre-order link, volunteering at an event, being a mentor – all literary citizenship.
Why be helpful?
At the moment it feels as if the world is spiralling into a dark place. I suspect most of us don’t realise when we’ve got it great until things go bad. It’s hard to have much perspective on the larger picture if you’re just focused on getting through the day. Whatever the truth of that, being helpful is a good thing in my humble opinion.
Photo by Shoeib Abolhassani on Unsplash
I can’t speak for other fiction genres, but crime writers and readers have a wonderful sense of community. It explains why there are so many crime fiction events in the UK. Some weekends you have multiple festivals happening at once. (Saturday 4th October has Moffat Crime Fest in Scotland and Chiltern Kills in England, for example.)
But the sense of community is not just about festivals, it’s also how people support each other across the year. Established authors giving blurbs for debuts is one example, sharing pre-order links or spreading the word online another. Welcoming new authors into the fold helps them overcome the inevitable impostor syndrome.
Organisations like the Crime Writers’ Association nurturing new talents are not unique to this genre. The Romance Novelists’ Association is renowned for the support it gives emerging writers. The granddaddy of such groups is the Society of Authors which has been empowering writers since 1884, doing sterling work along the way.
Want to get involved? If you’re a writer, I suggest joining the CWA, RNA or a similar group. Your subscription fee helps support opportunities that benefit many. If you can’t afford that, consider volunteering at an event near you, whether you’re a reader or a writer. Alternatively, just help spread the word about great books.
How others helped me
I’ve definitely benefitted from literary citizenship! My novels have featured on prize lists thanks to panels of readers who help sift submissions. Brilliant librarians have welcomed me to their community havens for events. Independent booksellers have suggested customers try a Cesare Aldo historical thriller. To all of them, grazie mille.
Book groups have introduced my novels to new readers who might never have found them otherwise. Bloggers, reviewers and bookstagrammers have all helped spread the word with their enthusiastic, kind words about my characters and stories. Charity shops (often staffed by volunteers) have helped find new readers for Aldo’s adventures.
Other authors have been brilliant, too. Fellow historical crime writers Ambrose Parry and Antonia Hodgson gave quotes about City of Vengeance that raised early awareness for Aldo’s debut. Bestselling authors David Baldacci and Ian Rankin have praised my novels which increased the profile of the series, convincing others to try them.
This welcome has made a difference to me personally. Being treated as a colleague by people who have sold millions of books makes my head spin! (Alas, I still lack the courage to say hello when I see Val McDermid. If she knows I exist, she must think I’m a snob for always ignoring her, but it’s just fear. I hope to get over it one day…)
The Pitch Perfect finalists of 2018, photo by Paul Reich
Book festivals have been key moments. I’ve said so before, but attending Creative Thursday at Harrogate in 2016 truly set me on the path to becoming a crime writer. Winning Pitch Perfect at Bloody Scotland in 2018 was the first industry affirmation I got that my Aldo novels had the potential to find a publisher and a readership.
Readers, writers and others have all helped me to progress, each piece of assistance another act of literary citizenship. This week I’m working on structural edits for the sixth Aldo novel, and that would never have happened without everybody who has gone out of their way for me. That is literary citizenship in action, making a difference.
How I try to help
Having benefitted from the Pitch Perfect contest at Bloody Scotland, I’ve helped to sift entries submitted for it several times since. If you’re going to the festival next month in Stirling and don’t know many others there, hit me up in the comments section. I’ll happily offer suggestions of how to get the best from the weekend.
This newsletter is a kind of literary citizenship. It’s free to read because not everybody has money for a subscription, and I think too much useful information is kept behind paywalls. If anything in this newsletter has been helpful for you, do let others know about it. (I’ve been told debut author groups find this useful, for example.)
If you have a question about topics that might be helpful to cover in a future edition of this newsletter, please put it into the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer (or find someone who can!). Speaking of which, here are some brilliant newsletters about writing and publishing that are well worth reading:
Right, I’ve got structural edits waiting so my brain is required elsewhere. Onwards!
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You've described this literary citizenship beautifully. I'm so grateful for the help I've had along the way - not least from you! Blurbing my book is huge but this newsletter has been like having a wise and experienced mentor along on the journey.
David Wishart has always encouraged me. I’m very grateful. The writing community is so positive. And has great parties.