Mystery Loves Company
Kathy Harig knows a good mystery starts at home. That's why she devotes so much of her time showcasing local authors.
"There are 1500 authors in this region that have written very good books that are very well-known," she says. It's just a matter of showcasing their talent.
And she's a woman on a mission: She's a member of Sisters in Crime, whose membership consists of both authors and readers, and Mystery Writers in America. Both of these groups work to support authors, and distribute them in the mainstream -- they read manuscripts and host first signings for them. "It's the stuff that big stores don't do."
Oh yeah, and she runs two popular bookstores, one in Fells Point the other in Oxford. "We love to discover the hideaway people that may not hit the best-seller list," Harig says. "Because that's what Barnes & Noble and Amazon can't stock."
(Photo courtesy of mysterylovescompany.com)
A little background
Mystery Loves Company began with the purchase of North Avenue's The Butler Did It in 1991.
And again, Harig was attracted to the Fells Point location for its local focus. "We moved down here because it was independent-friendly," she explains. With rumors of a big-box bookstore coming to a renovated Broadway Market, she worries that the area will lose that local, independent appeal.
Clientele
While the Baltimore store remains very specialized in mysteries, with a few not-so-mysterious local authors thrown in, the Oxford store has more of a small-town bookstore feel, Harig explains, drawing a broader base in."The two stores really play into each other well," she says. "Sometimes Baltimore residents vacationing on the Eastern Shore come across the Oxford store ... and when they return home, they come visit us at the Fleet Street location."
Harig also hosts a radio program that air Fridays between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. and through out the day on Easton's 96.7 FM WCEI, where she unveils the nation's top 5 best-sellers. Many times, "out of the top 5, three will be mysteries," she says.
Harig gets customers from as far away as Alabama and Idaho, who order books from the store -- and she credits their customer service for such loyalty.
Popular sections
"I think right now we're still very much in noir, which is very hard-broiled," Harig says of recent trends.
"We have a strong historical section." Especially American history. Women are also coming to the forefront as strong heroines, with authors such as Miriam Grace Monfredo, author of Seneca Falls Inheritance .
Another trend? "Learning something while you're reading," Harig says. "It came to a head maybe with The Da Vinci Code, where a specialist protaganist comes in and teaches the reader." She says it seems to have gotten out of hand, with some plots even featuring glass-blowing heroes.
Events
Along with numerous author signings, of which they always get a good turnout, Harig eagerly awaits this year's Boucheron, which hits Baltimore in September.
Boucheron gives the city's readers a unique opportunity "to meet people they never ever would have seen," such as Sue Grafton and James Patterson.
To keep customers coming back, Mystert Loves Company has a monthly newsletter, which updates subscribers on events and new realeases. Harig says they have about 300 on the regular mailing list, with 3,000-4,000 receiving e-mails. There are clearly a lot of mystery lovers out there, and they in turn love Mystery Loves Company.
Comments
Just wanted to extend an invitation for your members to have a free read of my mystery novel, FOUL SHOT, at my site, www.PVT-i.COM.
Reader commentary has so far been excellent, all positive.
Thank you.
Dan
Posted by: Dan Coleman | August 6, 2008 10:16 PM