A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published by Peggy Blair
Reviewed by Lisa Timpf
In A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published, Peggy Blair shares information, backed up by experience, about the writing, publishing, and marketing process.
As suggested by the title, some sections of the book focus specifically on mystery writing. For example, individual chapters discuss mystery sub-genres like cozy, noir, and police procedurals. Many of the examples Blair provides come from her experience writing her mystery novel The Beggar’s Opera.
But some sections contain advice that is more broadly applicable. For example, sections on dialogue, dialogue tags, polishing your manuscript, revisions, and other topics are applicable to writers of all genres.
In addition to over fifty chapters on specific topics, A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published also provides some reference sections. Blair includes a query letter that proved effective in drawing interest for her own work, in case other writers want to use elements of the same approach. She also offers information about contests and awards, primarily for crime and mystery books.
The chapters are short and focused, and the book’s coil-bound format make it easy to keep the book open to the pertinent page when using it as a reference.
Blair writes in a forthright manner, without sugar-coating. She is up-front about the difficulties in landing an agent, or about placing a book with one of the major publishers. The inclusion of her personal experiences is valuable in illustrating points and supporting the points made.
A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published includes advice about the writing process, about finding agents, and about the various publishing options that exist today. Blair covers copyright, public lending right, contracts, and other items as well.
Though some of the material in the book covered ground I was familiar with, A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published offered some new-to-me nuances, including facts I didn’t know about ISBN and bar codes, some innovative ideas for book launches, and ideas for non-traditional sales avenues. I also appreciated the many Canadian references, including remarks about the experiences of other Canadian authors.
Blair speaks from experience when she discusses the difficulty in getting published. The Beggar’s Opera received 156 rejections before she decided to submit it for the Dagger Debut Award, held by the Crime Writers Association (U.K.). Though she didn’t win the award, her book was short-listed and the experience eventually led to a publication contract.
Helpful, to the point, and well-organized, A Mystery Writer’s Guide to Getting Published offers a perspective from someone who has been there. Though mystery writers should find it a useful resource, writers of other genres should also find valuable advice within Blair’s book.
About the Author
Peggy Blair was a lawyer for more than thirty years, most of which she spent working with First Nations. She has a doctorate in Indigenous law and is named in Canadian Who’s Who. A renovator, artist, and Level 6 boxer, she is perhaps best known for her #DearestMartha tweets during the Freedom Convoy. She lives just outside Ottawa with a friendly cat and a TV-watching dog.
About the Reviewer
Ontario resident Lisa Timpf writes poetry, book reviews, short stories, and creative nonfiction. Her speculative poetry collections Cats and Dogs in Space (2025) and In Days to Come (2022) are available from Hiraeth Publishing in print and electronic formats. You can find out more about Lisa’s writing projects at http://lisatimpf.blogspot.com/. Lisa is also on Bluesky, @lisatimpf.bsky.social, and her author Facebook page is @lisa.timpf.author.
Book Details
Publisher: ReBound Press
Publication Date: July 2025
Type: Coil Bound
Pages: 150
ISBN: 978-0-9919236-9-4