Cozy Mystery Corner discussion

This topic is to discuss cozy series that are being discontinued by the publishers. The conversation began in one of the featured read threads. Those comments were copied and moved here.

Penguin Random House is no longer publishing several cozy series. Cozy readers are being encouraged to contact the publisher.

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/abo...

Comment from Kim:
[Leigh Perry] is one of the authors who was cancelled and is looking for a new publisher."

Comment from Hilary:
Donald wrote: "What do you mean cancelled and looking for a new publisher?? "

Random House and other publishing houses have decided there is little profit to be made from cozy mysteries so they are cancelling series left, right and centre :(

Comment from Donald:

Wow, that's awful, as popular as they are. I know the market seems HUGELY glutted, though, and some of the series are getting a bit silly. Sad to hear, is there any kind of new article or anything you could direct me to, or anything that mentions specific series?? What a shame!

Comment from Hilary:

Donald if you are on Facebook there is a group called "Save Our Cozies" one of the posts is an ongoing list of cancelled cozies

Comment from Helen:

Wow, what a shocker, but it may be that the nature of cozies is changing, just as "romance" novels changed some time ago, from starry-eyed and virginal to suggestive and sexy. Maybe publishers are looking for cozies that have some edge to them. Just a thought.

Lists of cozy series canceled or at risk:
*Updated July 15, 2016

Penguin Random House (Berkley/NAL/Intermix):
Avery Aames - Cheese Shop
Beverly Allen - Bridal Bouquet Shop
Karoline Barrett - Bread & Batter
Janet Bolin - Threadville
Melissa Bourbon - Magical Dressmaking
Jacklyn Brady - Piece of Cake
Lucy Burdette - Key West Food Critic
Amanda Carmack - Kate Haywood Elizabethan
Maia Chance - Fairy Tale Fatal
Erika Chase - Ashton Corners
Peg Cochran - Gourmet DeLite
Laura DiSilverio - Mall Cop
Monica Ferris - Betty Devonshire Needlework
Christy Fifield - Haunted Souvenir
Eva Gates - Lighthouse Library
Rosie Genova - Italian Kitchen mysteries
Victoria Hamilton- Vintage Kitchen mysteries (continuing the series with another publisher, ebook only.)
Mary Ellen Hughes, Pickled & Preserved
Annie Knox - Pet Boutique
Elizabeth Lee - Nut Shop Series
Meg London - Sweet Nothings Lingerie
Molly MacRae- Haunted Yarn Shop (plans to continue the series)
Leigh Perry - Family Skeleton
Cate Price - Deadly Notions
Paige Shelton - Farmer's Market and Country Cooking School
Christine Wenger - Comfort Food

Five Star - has dropped their entire mystery lineup.
Nancy J. Cohen - Bad Hair Day
Maggie Toussaint - Dreamwalker Mysteries
Susan VanKirk- Endurance Mysteries

Limitless Publishing
A.E.H. Veenman - Marjorie Gardens Mysteries

Kensington
Anna Loan-Wilsey - Hattie Davish
Edith Maxwell - Local Foods mystery

Macmillan / St. Martin's Press
D.E. Ireland - Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins (switching publishers)

Not canceled but "at risk"
Kathleen Bridge, Hampton Home and Garden
Nancy Herriman, Old San Francisco
Terrie Farley Moran - Read 'Em and Eat
Denise Swanson, Scrumble River
T.C. LoTempio, Nick and Nora

Nell wrote: "Lists of cozy series cancelled from the Save Our Cozies facebook page:


Penguin Random House:
Avery Aames, Cheese Shop
Janet Bolin, Threadville
[author:Melissa B..."

Will miss the Magical Dressmaking and Piece of Cake series. Really enjoyed both. I hated all the cheese talk in the Cheese Shop books, so quit them some time back. Didn't care for the Gourmet DeLite series much and there hadn't been a Mall Cop book in at least 2 years, probably longer. Also really liked the Haunted Sovenir, Nut Shop and Country Cooking School series. Quit the Betsy Devonshire books awhile back along with the Vintage Kitchen books. The Lighthouse Library series is pretty good, too.

Melodie wrote: "hated all the cheese talk in the Cheese Shop books"

And that's what I like about the series :) I hope some of these get picked up by other publishers, or go to self-publishing or something, because I'm really going to miss them if this is the end :(

Thank you so much for the list. Since I don't have fb (and don't plan to) I was not able to see it there.

There are a lot of good cozies on that list :(

I'm very sorry about Magical Dressmaking and Country Cooking School.

Sadly, I expect this is the tip of the iceberg. Fewer book stores, fewer readers. Most young people don't read, they text, they play Candy Crush, they listen to I Tunes or watch TV. At one time I could walk into a local mall and browse the selections at B. Dalton or Waldenbooks. The SF/fantasy sections and mystery sections were usually close together and spent hours reading the backs of books to determine which ones to buy. Now of course I can do that on my Nook, but it really isn't the same. In a book store you could strike up a conversation with someone about the book they were looking at or offer a recommendation or two. I guess online groups like this fill that same function.

Looking at the list above I see some series I was looking to start on in the near future like the Nut Shop and the two by Paige Shelton.

Gary, I've got the opposite sensation. For people like me, who reads in a language which is isn't their own, and where foreign books don't come or are very expensive, ebooks have been a heavenly gift. And, BTW, I prefer an ebook to a paper book. I like words, not paper ;)

Anyway, I think there's a cozy overload, similar to the romance overload some years ago at Spain. How many new books every month? How many new series? I think it's a bit too much. I enjoy it a lot but...

That's sad. There are a lot of cozy lovers. It's impossible to find them on overdrive. Luckily they're still in book form at the library but it's a genre that I'd hate to see fade out. I love them!

Most of the series are from one publisher, Penguin. There are approx. 20 series on that 'hit list'. Many of them favorites for cozy readers. Some of the authors are looking for another publisher. It's possible that series may no longer be in print format but continue as e-books.

It does feel as though there was an explosion of cozies recently so maybe this is a re-balancing. Hard to say when it's mostly coming from one publishing house.

Hopefully it's just one publisher and hopefully the authors find new publishers.

Barb wrote: "Melodie wrote: "hated all the cheese talk in the Cheese Shop books"

And that's what I like about the series :) I hope some of these get picked up by other publishers, or go to self-publishing or s..."


I had trouble with The Long Quiche Goodbye, it seemed a little dull and I couldn't finish it, but I did save the book, just in case.

Nell wrote: "Comment from Kim:
[Leigh Perry] is one of the authors who was cancelled and is looking for a new publisher.""
Leigh Perry should look into indie publishing. It's a scary venture but given she has a strong following, her readers will follow.

Nell wrote: "Lists of cozy series canceled from the Save Our Cozies facebook page:


Penguin Random House:
Avery Aames, Cheese Shop
Janet Bolin, Threadville
[author:Melissa Bo..."

I was especially sorry to read that Laura DeSilverio's Mall Cop series was being cancelled. That's one of my favorites.

At least they're formally getting the cut. I met a guy who said his publisher decided on the passive-aggressive road of simply not giving his book any support whatsoever, and giving him the runaround when he complains about his treatment.

As someone relatively new to the cozy mystery scene, it is pretty overhwelming when you walk into a B&N and see scattered books from several series on the shelf. I can see why publishers need to cut book series or even reduce the number created in each series, as a book store only has so much shelf space. I end up spending more time in the book store on Goodreads trying to figure out what book is first in a 'new to me' series, what the next book in a series is, or if the series is any good than I do actually browsing for books. It gets to the point that I might as well stay home and order ebooks or books online in a comfy chair than use gas to stand on my phone with Goodreads.

I love cozy mysteries and will be checking out a lot of the listed series, but I can see why it could be less than profitable for publishers when a market is flooded to the point that a smaller B&N can't offer a wide selection from one publisher because there is simply not enough room for them all. I would love to see more standalone cozy mysteries or series with less than 10 books.

Gary wrote: "Sadly, I expect this is the tip of the iceberg. Fewer book stores, fewer readers. Most young people don't read, they text, they play Candy Crush, they listen to I Tunes or watch TV. At one time I c..."

There has been an increase in readers since e-books have become available and you can read almost anywhere. Unfortunately, that's meant a downturn in print book sales and fewer bookstores.

Kim wrote: "As someone relatively new to the cozy mystery scene, it is pretty overhwelming when you walk into a B&N and see scattered books from several series on the shelf. I can see why publishers need to cu..."

I usually decide about new or 'new to me' series based on reviews on GR especially in the cozy mystery groups.

There are several ways to find books in series order. One is to click on the series name in parentheses after the title here on GR. And there are a couple of websites that list series in order:

www.cozy-mystery.com which also has a great list of cozies by theme.

and www.stopyourekillingme.com for all mysteries.

Another site that's great for determining series order is FictFact and they list series from all genres, even kids' series like Magic Treehouse.

When we had local bookstores in our area, I would do my research on Goodreads before I headed to the store with a list in hand of what I hoped to find. I didn't always find what I wanted, but it saved a lot of time at the store.

I like to visit my used bookstores in our area. ( There are 3 locations for one bookstore "company" and if one of the stores doesn't have a book that you are looking for, they will call their other 2 locations ( and if they have it ) -- they will transfer the book to the location that's closest to you.

Looking on Goodreads before I go to a used bookstore saves me a lot of time at the store.

I like to visit the used bookstore in the library. I also get used books from thriftbooks. Once in awhile I drive over to B&N but I would rather buy the used books because I can get them a lot cheaper. I do have my kindle but I still prefer an actual book. Two of my grandsons love to read books. They are 13 and 12. They both stay up late reading especially the 12 year old . He says the book gets good and he doesn't want to stop. I told him to stop at the end of the chapter but he says he always glances at the next chapter and than he is hooked. Than he has trouble getting up for school. The 13 year got a kindle he wanted for Christmas to read on but he still prefers an actual book too. They go to the library a lot to get books.

Hilary wrote: "There are a lot of good cozies on that list :("

There sure are! I do not believe they are not profitable, hogwash!

I am sad to see some of these series go. I really enjoy the cheese shop mysteries and the Gourmet De-Lite. I have found both of these to have better writing than the average cozy mystery. I have a kindle and read ebooks, however I prefer to get cozies in paperback because I have a couple friends that read the same series and we can trade books back and forth. I also have a used book store that I can turn them in for store credit so it saves me a little money.

Nell wrote: "Lists of cozy series canceled from the Save Our Cozies facebook page:

Penguin Random House (Berkley/NAL):
Avery Aames - Cheese Shop
Beverly Allen - Bridal Bouquet..."

T.C. LoTempio' s Nick and Nora Mysteries are also "at risk", the autor herself posted this at the Save our Cozies Readathon Group. Maybe you can add this information on the list?

Thanks, I've added it to the endangered list.

Several posts, especially from authors, mention that reviews are important. Lately I've been rating books but not posting a review. I might post a comment here on CMC but not a GR review. It only takes a few minutes to post a review on GR. And re-reading my past reviews helps me remember a book when there are gaps between reading books in the same series.

I can take 5 minutes after I finish a book and post a GR review. It may be a just a few sentences. It's one small way to promote cozy series and let publishers and authors know that there are loyal readers for this genre. I hope other cozy readers do the same.

Nell wrote: "Several posts, especially from authors, mention that reviews are important. Lately I've been rating books but not posting a review. I might post a comment here on CMC but not a GR review. It only t..."

Yes! You are definitely correct - in addition, reviews are just one of the metrics that publishers use to make decisions about series. Obviously another is actual sales, but Avery Aames just posted that even adding a book to your wish list helps the author and I didn't know that. The other metric is pre-orders which I really don't like because I only occasionally pre-order and many readers I talk to don't either and they don't count merchants pre-orders. Many people who deal with small independent bookstores pre-order through their merchant (I do)

The two on this list that i will greatly miss are the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, which I just found but greatly enjoy, and the Vintage Kitchen series by Victoria Hamilton. I have been guilty of slashing my cozy budget because my library has almost all of them, but i have decided to budget a monthly amount to purchase.

I add plenty of cozies to my TBR list on GR, but not so much my wishlist on amazon. I try LOTS of new series, but only continue with a few.

Also, i have read cozies since The Cat Who mysteries in the 1980's, and i believe the market is glutted right now with too many series. With so many new enticing ones, it is more difficult to keep up with your old favorites. And what is this with coming out with two or three books in a year? This never used to happen and i do not know why it happens so much now.

Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!

Nell wrote: "Several posts, especially from authors, mention that reviews are important. Lately I've been rating books but not posting a review. I might post a comment here on CMC but not a GR review. It only t..."

Hi Nell - just letting you know I received a message on the Save OUr Cozies Readathon website from Lucy Burdette. Her Key West Food Critic Series is not being renewed by PRH. :(

Tina

Melodie wrote: "Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!"

I haven't read it but it seemed like a really interesting time period to set a cozy in, different from anything out there.

Liora wrote: "The two on this list that i will greatly miss are the Lighthouse Library series by Eva Gates, which I just found but greatly enjoy, and the Vintage Kitchen series by Victoria Hamilton. I have been ..."

I like the Eva Gates and the Vintage Kitchen series as well. I don't know what pressure publishers are putting on writers to pace the book releases but I know that some still just seem to be one a year.

Fanficfan44 wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!"

I haven't read it but it seemed like a really interesting time period to set a coz..."

Do you know any of the names of the San Francisco series? I love SF and love reading about it.

Mary wrote: "Fanficfan44 wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!"

I haven't read it but it seemed like a really interesting time..."

First book is NO COMFORT FOR THE LOST. Second book doesn't come out until August.

Mary wrote: "Fanficfan44 wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!"

No Pity For the Dead
No Comfort for the Lost

Mary wrote: "Fanficfan44 wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Hate seeing that Nancy Herriman's Old San Francisco series is at risk. The first book was great!"

I haven't read it but it seemed like a really interesting time..."

Mary-I haven't read this book which is on my tbr list, but All Summer Long: A San Francisco Romance should take place in San Francisco.

The Save Our Cozies readathon is on a Saturday in mid-July. I signed up to participate - if you haven't yet please do. Here's the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

It's likely that I'll get one book read that day. So for the month of July, I'm focusing my cozy reading on series that are canceled or at risk. Many of them are in my TBR. I'll be reading and reviewing them all month.

Nell wrote: "The Save Our Cozies readathon in on a Saturday in mid-July. I signed up to participate - if you haven't yet please do. Here's the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"


Nell,

That sounds like a good idea, reading all cozies for the month of July and reviewing. Lord knows I have many on my TBR list on my Kindle. Thanks for the idea.

Mary

Nell wrote: "The Save Our Cozies readathon in on a Saturday in mid-July. I signed up to participate - if you haven't yet please do. Here's the link:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/......"

Thanks Nell for the support and the post!

I've only read one cozy so far this month, but plan on reading more and will try and write a quick review for them. I'm horrible at writing reviews, but really need to start.

I've started deciding which books I'll read Saturday - I'm hoping to get through two.

jaxnsmom wrote: "I've only read one cozy so far this month, but plan on reading more and will try and write a quick review for them. I'm horrible at writing reviews, but really need to start.

I've started deciding..."

I think I will be lucky if I get through 2 with all the admin stuff. Still I'm really looking forward to the event

Tracy Weber, author of the Downward Dog mystery series, sent an email announcing that her publisher - Murder Ink - will no longer publish new mysteries. She phrased it as good news/bad news because the first 4 books in her series are on sale for ebook.

Several cozy series/authors will be impacted by this decision. I don't see an announcement on the "Murder Ink" website or on Tracy's site yet. Here's part of her email:

"Ch-Ch-Ch Changes
Some of you already know this, but my publisher, Midnight Ink, is going to stop publishing new mysteries effective this summer. This has left me in limbo-ville about what would happen with my Downward Dog Mystery Series.
Midnight Ink has agreed to give me back the rights for the first four books in the series. Books five and six will remain with them, at least for now...

What Does That Mean?
...I've decided to start by self-publishing the first couple of books to gauge interest in the series.

What Downside?
Within the next couple of weeks, Midnight Ink will declare books 1 - 4 "out of print," meaning that until I self-publish them, they will be unavailable. There are still print copies at retailers, but the e-versions will disappear.

And the Good News?
The e-books are on sale, so you can get them mega cheap, if you buy soon.

I saw that yesterday and googled info - https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

Sad to see another cozy publisher close their doors.

Thank you for the confirmation. This will impact several mystery authors.