TICO PublishingINTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS ADOPT “KILLER YEAR”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Writer’s Organization to Mentor and Promote Debut Novelists
Every best-selling author began as a debut novelist. But making the step from promising beginner to proven success can be tricky, which is why International Thriller Writers (ITW), the first professional organization for thriller writers, is lending a hand to 14 suspense novelists with debuts in 2007.
Founded in May 2006, Killer Year is a collective of suspense novelists who have banded together to support one another. “Fiction is a crowded market,” said founding member J.T. Ellison. “By working together, we hope to reach a larger audience than we could alone.”
It’s an idea that resonated with M.J. Rose, who heads up ITW’s marketing committee. “One of our mandates is to build a community of writers who can help each other. Another is to get serious attention for our authors and make them stand out from the crowd. Not just established authors, but debut authors as well. This program fits both those goals. And it helps us to do unto others as we wish others had done unto all of us when we got started.”
One ITW member will mentor each Killer Year member, providing individual advice, blurbs and a short review of their book they can use in promotional material. They will also introduce Killer Year at a special breakfast during ThrillerFest 2007, the premier event for the thriller writing community. After 2007, Killer Year will remain an ongoing program, with ITW welcoming a new class of debut novelists.
“It’s amazing,” said Killer Year-member Marcus Sakey. “I grew up on books these people wrote. I never dreamed they’d one day be helping with my own.”
On the ITW side, Lee Child, Jeff Deaver, Tess Gerritsen, Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, Jim Rollins, Anne Frasier, Douglas Clegg, Duane Swierczynski, Cornelia Read, Harley Jane Kozak, Allison Brennan, Ken Bruen and Joe R. Lansdale have volunteered to shepherd the Class of ‘07.
International Thriller Writers was created to celebrate the thriller, to enhance the prestige and raise the profile of thrillers, create creative marketing and press opportunities, to award prizes to outstanding thriller novels and authors, and to encourage collegiality within the thriller community. ITW members have more than 1.8 billion novels in print.
Killer Year is an elite group of 14 debut suspense novelists working to create an interactive community with potential readers, buyers, reviewers and publishing professionals. The Killer Year founders are Jason Pinter (THE MARK, Mira), Brett Battles (THE CLEANER, Bantam Dell), J.T. Ellison (ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS, Mira) and Sandra Ruttan (SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, Tico).
Members include Robert Gregory Browne (KISS HER GOODBYE, St. Martin’s), Bill Cameron (LOST DOG, Midnight Ink), Toni McGee Causey (BOBBIE FAYE’S VERY (very, very, very) BAD DAY, St. Martin’s), Sean Chercover (BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD, William Morrow), Patry Francis (THE LIAR’S DIARY, Dutton), Marc Lecard (VINNIE’S HEAD, St. Martin’s Minotaur), Derek Nikitas (PYRES, St. Martin’s Minotaur), Gregg Olsen (A WICKED SNOW, Kensington), Marcus Sakey (THE BLADE ITSELF, St. Martin’s Minotaur) and Dave White (WHEN ONE MAN DIES, Three Rivers Press).
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Contact:
J.T. Ellison
615-662-6792
jtellison@jtellison.com
KillerYear.com
