Joanne Sinchuk, founder and manager of Murder on the Beach bookstore moved from Connecticut to South Florida to be warm. In 1996 she opened her bookstore in Sunny Isles Beach and relocated the store to Pineapple Grove in Delray Beach in 2002.
Q: How did you decide to open an independent bookstore?
They always say: do what you love. I love books. I also liked the concept of being self-employed, so the idea of having a cozy bookstore in a nice warm place was very appealing to me.
Q: Why did you decide to specialize in mystery/thriller/crime fiction?
It was a marketing decision. I wanted a niche market, and I felt that was a good one. By focusing in on the mystery/suspense genre, we can carry many more books than a large store like Barnes and Noble which has to stock a little bit of everything.
Q: I’m sure you read a lot of mysteries. Do you get a chance to read other genres?
People are surprised to hear I read books other than mystery. My favorite thing to ask them is: does the guy who owns a pizza shop only eat pizza? I love to read so I read across multiple genres.
Q: You get some big hitters like James Patterson and David Baldacci in the store. How do you draw them in?
It depends upon establishing a reputation with the big publishers in New York. When Florida author, Jonathon King won the Edgar Allan Poe award in 2003 for The Blue Edge of Midnight, we sold over 100 books at a signing. That got the attention of New York and gave me a good reputation with them. It’s been easier to get the big names since then. Now, they want you to write proposals to request an author. You have to include a marketing plan and an estimate of how many books you might sell. I write more than a hundred proposals to publishers every year to bring authors here. I only get a fraction of those I apply for. During the winter months we are able to get the best-selling authors.
Q: You co-chaired Sleuthfest for two years. What brought you to the decision to run the event?
I’ve been the book vendor for Sleuthfest for many years. I’m involved with the Mystery Writers of America as well as the Florida Romance Writers and more recently the Florida Writers Association. I like to do events. Sleuthfest was an extension of that, just a larger event. Having a co-chair helped.
Q: You’ve been able to sustain Murder on the Beach when many other bookstores have failed. How do you do it?
Books are essentially part of the entertainment business. What we do is an extension of that. We strive to teach and entertain readers as well as writers. Aside from the many book signings we do, we also have our Literary Lunches. We partner with a restaurant (Papas Tapas) here in the
Q: I noticed that Bum Luck by Paul Levine is on the store’s best seller list. Doesn’t Paul Levine self-publish his books now? Do you take other self-published authors?
Paul does self-publish now, but the Bum Luck series is published by Thomas and Mercer. We do sell some Indie published authors. Every day I get a call or an e-mail from an Indie author asking if I will carry their book. A self-published author must prove themselves with their writing and by their dedication to the profession. We don’t take anyone off the street, but we will consider involved members of the Mystery Writers Association and the Florida Romance Writers.
Thank you, Joanne, for sharing your time and expertise with The Tuesday Writers.
It’s been my pleasure. If your readers are ever on Atlantic Avenue in beautiful Delray Beach, they can find us just off the Avenue at 273 Pineapple Grove Way, better known as NE 2nd Avenue, or via MurderontheBeach.com.
