Have you ever emailed an author?

[MarkEsq]

I just did and I'm feeling like a dork because I haven't done it before.

Am I a stalker now?!

Thing is, I just was so blown away by a couple of passages in the novel I am reading I thought I would let the guy know. I mean, if you're a published author would you think it cool or "stalky" if someone emailed you out of the blue saying how awesome a couple of sections were?

And no, I didn't tell I was a writer or ask him to help me get pub'd. :)

So, ever do that? What was the response?

Mark

P.S. The author, by the way, is Alan Furst and the passages are in Night Soldiers, the first a description of Paris and the second a description about a woman the MC meets and how their relationship started.

[WendyNYC]

Yes, to let her know that hearing her speak at a luncheon inspired me to start writing again. I guess it was too daunting until I heard the success story of a normal, funny woman without an MFA or serious writing credentials.

She responded and was flattered.

[alleycat]

Yes, I have, and the response has generally been positive.

I don't know that I'd want to e-mail Stephen King or J.K. Rowling however. Maybe. I can see Stephen King maybe writing back.

There was a story told when I was in school about a guy getting a "D" on a book report because he has misinterpreted what the writer had meant. So the guy gets in touch with the famous writer and asks his opinion. The writers writes back that the guy was absolutely right. The teacher still refused to change his grade on the theory that the writer should have meant something else. ;-)

[Queen of Swords]

I've emailed Matthew Woodring Stover and Lawrence Watt-Evans, and written to Lorraine Heath after reading their books (she probably has an email address too, but I'm old-fashioned in some ways and like writing letters).

They were very nice in their responses.

[Use Her Name]

Sure I have. I read a non fiction article written by a well known author in a field I was interested in. The author wrote back, and put me on a mailing list for his little monthly newsletter. Many really big writers are much too busy to sit down and answer every email they get, but they actually do like to know if the audience appreciates their work. I think being a stalker is a whole different animal than sending a nicely worded email a writer you like.

[bethany]

I wrote to an author I was friends with on myspace and let her know my high school was doing her book for book club. She ended up doing an online book chat for them, it was AWESOME.

[Andre_Laurent]

I have written to several. Every one of them responded, and no I didn't say I write, just that I like their work. I have since struck up an email friendship with one of them who now knows I write and has offered to read my latest ms.

[Appalachian Writer]

I e-mailed an author once. I was asking for a reference about the agent who claimed to be handling her work. She never responded. Either she subscribed to the theory that if you can't say something good about someone then you shouldn't say anything, or she didn't chose to deign to answer the question. I've spoken with authors who traveled through at local readings but seldom more than a hello. A part of me wanted to scream out, "I'm a writer, too. Please look at my work." But, of course, I didn't. Damn. Sometimes I wish I had!

[williemeikle]

I've emailed several, usually to tell them how much I enjoyed something they've done.

And I get emails from people saying nice things about my work too.

I think it's very common.

[steveg144]

Email? No. But back in my High School days, when we wrote these things call "letters" on these rectangular bits of material called "paper," :tongue I wrote a letter to a guy named Walter Kaufmann, a Princeton prof best remembered (if he's remembered at all) as the guy whose translations of Nietzsche helped rehabilitate Nietzsche's reputation after WWWII. His reply letter was curt, self-important, and dismissive. It stung, a lot. Still does, now that I think of it. Jerk.

[jennontheisland]

I've emailed authors before. Mostly of ebooks. They always replied and were very friendly.

Here, I've given rep points when I realized who a poster was.

[a_sharp]

Yes, twice before, that I can recall. In both cases the response was very positive.

Look, if your writing touches someone enough to cause them to write to you, that's the ultimate gratification. If a published author makes his/her email address available in some fashion, it means they want feedback. If it's positive and constructive, all the better, and they will appreciate your extra effort among all the satisfied readers who said nothing.

[Write4U2]

Yes, a couple of times with very positive responses.

[KTC]

I emailed RayRay. He's my hero.

[Angela_785]

I think what you did was fine! What seems to tick pubbed authors off are people who contact for information on their agent/editor (especially info easily found through the internet/other resources) or to ask for a recommendation. Telling someone that you really connected with their writing is something I'm sure authors like to see! :)

[Gillhoughly]

That's called "fan mail," and I love getting such letters!

It goes stalky when the fan suddenly thinks we're best friends forever after I've written back a nice thank you. He wants to engage in a lengthy penpal thing, and I don't have the time or inclination for that--it distracts from my writing!

I've had only one of those (snail mail), thankfully.

If things get spooky or awkward I simply stop replying.

If your fav author stops replying or doesn't reply at all, it usually means he just too freakin' busy to fit it in. He won't think you're a stalker.

Not unless you stake out his house and shoot pics of him taking out the garbage or playing with his kids, then send them to him as "fun candids!"

That happened to an actor I know of and he was NOT amused. The stalker could have only gotten those shots by lying in a wet ditch in the middle of a Canadian winter. Scary!

:eek:

Steveg144--I'm sorry that guy was such a wanker with you. Not all writers are like that, but it's a world like any others. Life's too short to waste on the jerks. If I should see you at some event, I'll buy you a beer to make up for it! :D

[rugcat]

I did, once, to a writer whose book I thought was astonishingly good. I was surprised to get a pleasant reply --I assumed he'd be too busy.

Now that I'm published and have a website I sometimes get emails from fans. I always reply. What I hadn't realized is that it's very nice to hear from an appreciative fan.

If only I were so successful I couldn't possibly keep up with the massive flow of email

[SPMiller]

Have you ever emailed an author?No. I always assumed I'd come off as a stalkery/obsessed fan, and so I haven't bothered. I don't involve myself in fandom for a similar reason.

But having read this thread, I've changed my mind.

[Gillhoughly]

What seems to tick pubbed authors off are people who contact for information on their agent/editor (especially info easily found through the internet/other resources)

I'm not ticked off at all, but that's just me. I have contact information for my literary agent up on my website so aspiring writers don't have to ask me directly for that info.

But you are SO right about the asking for recommendations or even cover quotes. Those can be annoying.

I usually get them from writers who sought print through non-professional venues and want a published pro's validation for their literary genius.

(Translation: the ones who went to AuthorHouse, PubliSHAMerica or some similar house of ill repute.)

I've gotten a few requests along those lines; some have even sent me books. Theirs is a sad lot. So is mine as I have to keep thinking up new ways to politely say "no" without cutting loose on their bad choice of publisher.

The fact is, I don't have time to do many quotes for even my nearest and dearest pro friends, much less a stranger!

So don't take it amiss if you get no reply! http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Mythica]

I haven't but I'm chicken. I just blog/MySpace stalk. lol :D

[tehuti88]

I snail-mailed Ojibwa author Basil Johnston to tell him how influential his works on the stories of his people had been to me, but never got a reply. *sigh*

I would have e-mailed but I haven't an address at which to do so.

[Write4U2]

I'm not ticked off at all, but that's just me. I have contact information for my literary agent up on my website so aspiring writers don't have to ask me directly for that info.

But you are SO right about the asking for recommendations or even cover quotes. Those can be annoying.

I usually get them from writers who sought print through non-professional venues and want a published pro's validation for their literary genius.

(Translation: the ones who went to AuthorHouse, PubliSHAMerica or some similar house of ill repute.)

I've gotten a few requests along those lines; some have even sent me books. Theirs is a sad lot. So is mine as I have to keep thinking up new ways to politely say "no" without cutting loose on their bad choice of publisher.

The fact is, I don't have time to do many quotes for even my nearest and dearest pro friends, much less a stranger!

So don't take it amiss if you get no reply! http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif

I'm in Arizona, but I found a wonderful writer's conference in Harrogate, UK. My girlfriend and I decided to go to it. In my first novel, I use Oxfordshire and Oxford University as one of the locations, and have been there several times. I've enjoyed Veronica Stallwood's series about Oxford University and had looked at her website many times.

She seemed approachable, so I wrote to her. We enjoyed chatting, and I told her about the conference. She said she'd have loved to go, but was pushing to finish the next manuscript.

That conference was so much fun and inspiring. There were tons of authors, they signed books, gave lectures, sat with participants at dinners, and mingled during breaks when they weren't signing.

The next conference I went to was on Maui. That was equally as fullfilling, and the tone and organization was totally different. I really learned so much from the sessions with editors and agents. The US authors didn't mingle as much as the Brits.

Most of the authors were interesting people to talk to. I didn't push anyone to "do" anything for me. I just enjoyed their conversation, and whatever they wanted to tell me about themselves, I was happy to hear.

[job]

I e-mailed an author once. I was asking for a reference about the agent who claimed to be handling her work. She never responded. Either she subscribed to the theory that if you can't say something good about someone then you shouldn't say anything, or she didn't chose to deign to answer the question.


If you look at this from the author's standpoint, however,
this is someone asking her for a public statement about her relationship with her agent.

The public doesn't have any 'right to know' what the author thinks of her professional colleagues -- good or bad.

[Carmy]

I once wrote to Lawrence Block with a question. I didn't expect an answer but he wrote back, in his own handwriting (not typed), with some excellent advice.

I also emailed Rhys Bowen to tell her how much I enjoyed her Evan Evans series and she replied.

Authors like to hear from fans, I think. A friend with three published novels moans that she's had only one fan letter.

[maestrowork]

As a writer, I know I appreciate it when people write me to tell me how much they enjoy my book. I don't think it's "stalking" (unless you start to write me every day and tell me what I'm doing right now...). I think we all want to know our work makes a difference.

I've exchanged email with a few well-known authors. I even got a letter from Michael Chabon. That's really cool.

[JoNightshade]

I've exchanged emails with Orson Scott Card and Lois McMaster Bujold. Both were super cool! I also wrote to John Bellairs when I was a kid, but all I got back was a photocopied form letter telling me he was dead! I also wrote to Ray Bradbury (on paper) but never got anything back.

When OSC wrote me back more than once, I had this huge urge to write back, in all caps, PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP! I didn't. I'm nice. But seriously. PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP!

[maestrowork]

I've exchanged emails with Orson Scott Card and Lois McMaster Bujold. Both were super cool! I also wrote to John Bellairs when I was a kid, but all I got back was a photocopied form letter telling me he was dead! I also wrote to Ray Bradbury (on paper) but never got anything back.

When OSC wrote me back more than once, I had this huge urge to write back, in all caps, PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP! I didn't. I'm nice. But seriously. PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP!

But... but... I only have two fans. Can I stay and play a bit more? It's very lonely out there....

[Danger Jane]

I wrote Shannon Hale when I was fifteen to tell her how much I loved The Goose Girl. We exchanged a few emails, and basically she was awesome. I still love her writing!

[Write4U2]

But... but... I only have two fans. Can I stay and play a bit more? It's very lonely out there....


Yes, of course you can stay and play! Consider us your fans in attendance.

I have a question for you: Did you have to do any personal appearances after your book was published?

[MumblingSage]

I send C.S. Friedman a fanmail once. I told her her stories were interesting and her website was helpful. I was a bit more specific than that, but not by much. Her reply included emoticons, which I thought was cool.

Anyway, I don't think any writer would be freaked out by you emailing them provided you sounded sane and were saying something reasonable. Like how awesome their last book was :D.

[Write4U2]

I send C.S. Friedman a fanmail once. I told her her stories were interesting and her website was helpful. I was a bit more specific than that, but not by much. Her reply included emoticons, which I thought was cool.

Anyway, I don't think any writer would be freaked out by you emailing them provided you sounded sane and were saying something reasonable. Like how awesome their last book was :D.

Yes, I think if they have a contact email address on their website, they would enjoy hearing from fans.

[TrishD]

I've dropped emails, sent MySpace messages, posted comments on blogs, or sent forum PMs to any author whose work I've read and enjoyed. I don't expect that to make us pals, but I don't think there's anything wrong with letting them know you like what they've done.

[ssnowe]

I have. One is an author who's blog I've been reading for a long time. She added me to her blog roll and when her new book came out, she sent me a review copy.

I recently reviewed a new author's book on my blog. She loved the review and emailed me to thank me and we've emailed back and forth several times.

And the last one is another new author. I emailed her and she responded back very positively.

I figured if anyone ever wants to buy one of my books, I'd be thrilled if people emailed me about it. :)

[Shweta]

I just did and I'm feeling like a dork because I haven't done it before.
I felt like a dork the first time I did that too :)
I've only written to authors I have no connection to a couple times. Haven't gotten responses, but I wasn't expecting any.


And, moved to the Roundtable because it's not novel-writing specific :)

[Andre_Laurent]

What seems to tick pubbed authors off are people who contact for information on their agent/editor (especially info easily found through the internet/other resources) or to ask for a recommendation. Telling someone that you really connected with their writing is something I'm sure authors like to see! :)
I'd rather have my tongue cut out than ask for those things. I don't even do that with the writers I know fairly well. If they want to tell me fine, if not....I ain't askin! Besides...that's what you guys are for...to answer all me stupid questions. :D

[steveg144]

Steveg144--I'm sorry that guy was such a wanker with you. Not all writers are like that, but it's a world like any others. Life's too short to waste on the jerks. If I should see you at some event, I'll buy you a beer to make up for it! :D

No, my sense is that most are nice and helpful. And I've seen a couple of comments on the net from people who crossed his path indicating he was a wanker to most people. Apparently he had this idea that, because he had achieved a certain degree of fame and a lot of $$$ from his translations of Nietzsche's books, that somehow made him utterly fabulous and important. One person -- and I wish I could put my finger on where I saw it -- said something to the effect of "I met Kaufmann, he was the sort of self-important little burgemeister of a man that Nietzsche would have despised." I felt good having read that (mind you, we're talking thirty five years after my fan letter to Kaufman, amazing how long some things stay with a person, ain't it?)

As for the beer, I am always up for a cold brewski! :tongue

[inkkognito]

Never emailed, but snail mailed Ray Bradbury once, many years ago, and he was gracious enough to respond.

[callalily61]

A few years ago I emailed Tracy Groot telling her that her books are teh awesome and we've corresponded infrequently ever since. She's teh awesome too. :) I've also emailed Randy Ingermanson and John Olson. Both replied--great guys.

I emailed Stephan Pastis (he writes the comic strip Pearls Before Swine) when he started a series about Rat writing books. Hilarious.

[kristie911]

I e-mailed one of my favorite authors once...but after telling her how much I enjoyed her work, I had to point out one little thing in her latest novel that really bothered me.

Surprisingly, I never heard anything back from her. :)

[Anonymisty]

I used to write to authors when I was young. I wrote to (and received responses from) Alexander Key, E L Konigsberg and Philip Jose Farmer, among others. I was so delighted I kept their letters to this day. Now that I have a book of my own, I've received a few "fan" emails, and I try to be as gracious as those authors were to me.

But the coolest story happened to my best friend. She was diagnosed with leukemia nearly seven years ago, and had to have a bone marrow transplant. While she was waiting for the surgery, she decided to write to her favorite authors, to tell them how much their work had meant to her. One of the authors was Jack McDevitt. Not only did he write back, but he called her and had a long, lovely chat before she had her operation. But that's not the best part.

I went to a writing conference at which he was the guest of honor. Since my friend was still immune-suppressed, she couldn't come with me, so I took her McDevitt books to be signed. Not only did he recognize her name immediately, but he sat and signed every single one with a personal message to her. I was so impressed I bought two of his books myself.

Mr McDevitt is a gentleman indeed.

[Shweta]

Wow. He truly is.

[Libbie]

I email authors all the time! Whenever I finish a book by a new author and I really enjoy it, I email them to say thanks. Thanks for the good book. Thanks for entertaining me. So far, every single one of them has responded and has been very pleasant about it!

I don't think it's stalkerish. Wouldn't you enjoy hearing from somebody who loved one of your books? As long as you keep it civil and don't try to press any kind of a "relationship" beyond a quick email or perhaps an exchange of a few friendly words, there's nothing weird about it. :) Authors are humans! They like receiving praise for a job well done as much as anybody else does.

[Libbie]

I've exchanged emails with Orson Scott Card and Lois McMaster Bujold. Both were super cool! I also wrote to John Bellairs when I was a kid, but all I got back was a photocopied form letter telling me he was dead! I also wrote to Ray Bradbury (on paper) but never got anything back.

When OSC wrote me back more than once, I had this huge urge to write back, in all caps, PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP! I didn't. I'm nice. But seriously. PLEASE STOP TALKING TO YOUR FANS AND GO WORK ON YOUR WIP!

:ROFL:OSC is a really nice guy and I've had exchanges of emails with him that last for a couple of days in the past. (I wouldn't say we're BFF or anything, though. We just had two very interesting and slightly lengthy discussions about topics I touched on in my initial emails, both initial emails being in regards to his latest books I'd read.) I noticed that in both cases when I received more than a "Nice to hear from you again, and thanks for writing to say you liked the new book!" response, all his emails came with a time stamp that was VERY early in the morning. Methinks he might be a bit of an insomniac at times. I know I don't write very well when I can't sleep, so working on the WIP might be out of the question at times like those. Corresponding with fans might be his way of getting rid of the insomnia bug. ;)

[Libbie]

To paraphrase the great Christopher Walken, "They put their pants on one leg at a time just like you... only when they do, they write bestsellers."


That's a great quote. All hail Christopher Walken!

[JamieFord]

I've written to plenty. My daughter consumes tons of YA stuff and I usually write to her favorite authors and get signed books for her. They're always flattered and incredibly nice.

[auntybug]

I have .... but only AW ones. I thought if someone loved my books - I'd enjoying hearing it. I guess there seems to be a kind of personal connection here so I wasn't shy about it.
I just started a John Sanford thread... maybe I ought to drop him a line... :D

[Tasmin21]

I've both blog-commented and e-mailed to a couple of authors I've enjoyed, one to share some views on a common health problem we both shared, and one because something on her blog let me know that we shared a passion for the same comic book. Both times, they responded and were super nice. I mean, it wasn't like we were super best friends after that, but it's good to know that they appreciate their readers and are able to connect with them in more than a fan/author way.

[David I]

I don't e-mail authors I don't know.

But if I really loved a book, I will sometimes send them a letter. I've had some very interesting replies; some authors seem to collect bizarre postcards specifically for writing such replies.

[Breeya Shay]

Yes I have emailed a few authors and I have heard responses from all of them. I think that if in their books or on their websites they leave you a place to contact them then why would it be considered stalkerish? Now if you start hounding them ... well that's another story;)

[Inspiewriter]

That's called "fan mail," and I love getting such letters!

It goes stalky when the fan suddenly thinks we're best friends forever after I've written back a nice thank you. He wants to engage in a lengthy penpal thing, and I don't have the time or inclination for that--it distracts from my writing!

I've had only one of those (snail mail), thankfully.

If things get spooky or awkward I simply stop replying.

I


I agree, and the few "fan" emails I get are usually very sweet. Some ask for me to read their unpubbed work.

The only creepy one I got was from a woman with my own maiden name (an unusual name) who claimed that her uncle owned the marina my father managed for 30 years. She raved about one of my books which featured this marina. She also claimed to live on the same street as another relative of mine, and her husband's name was the same as one of my uncles! I thought I had my own certifiable stalker! I was polite but distanced myself.

Come to find out much later, everything she'd claimed was true. You have to be cautious, but now I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

[OmenSpirits.com]

I just did and I'm feeling like a dork because I haven't done it before.

Am I a stalker now?!

Thing is, I just was so blown away by a couple of passages in the novel I am reading I thought I would let the guy know. I mean, if you're a published author would you think it cool or "stalky" if someone emailed you out of the blue saying how awesome a couple of sections were?

And no, I didn't tell I was a writer or ask him to help me get pub'd. :)

So, ever do that? What was the response?

Mark

P.S. The author, by the way, is Alan Furst and the passages are in Night Soldiers, the first a description of Paris and the second a description about a woman the MC meets and how their relationship started.
I prefer to befriend them on one of the many genre or socializing networks online, then would contact them to their email address.

All were cool people.

[JJ Cooper]

Been trading a few emails with Lisa Unger lately. Very lovely lady. She even agreed to do an author interview for my Blog. Just posted it.

JJ

[mirrorkisses]

I just did and I'm feeling like a dork because I haven't done it before.

Am I a stalker now?!

Thing is, I just was so blown away by a couple of passages in the novel I am reading I thought I would let the guy know. I mean, if you're a published author would you think it cool or "stalky" if someone emailed you out of the blue saying how awesome a couple of sections were?

And no, I didn't tell I was a writer or ask him to help me get pub'd. :)

So, ever do that? What was the response?

Mark

P.S. The author, by the way, is Alan Furst and the passages are in Night Soldiers, the first a description of Paris and the second a description about a woman the MC meets and how their relationship started.

I email my favorite author a few times a year, just to make a few comments or such on topics from her blog. I really like how accessible writers are. They're very in touch with their fans and it really makes you feel like they care.
I'm talking about Megan McCafferty, for anyone wondering.

I doubt she ever remembers me, but the response is genuine and not some form letter.

I'd say more about the interaction, because she was directly involved in a project I helped work on, but I want to remain anonymous on this forum.

[DeadlyAccurate]

Quite a few. Only a small number never responded. I also once got a personal letter reply to a letter I mailed Sue Grafton. A couple have gotten so popular now that I'm not sure they would be able to respond if I emailed them again, and I haven't wanted to bother them.

I dealt with a woman who taught a writing class who was either a bit addle-pated or a bit of a stalker for a well known paranormal writer. She liked to name-drop this author and mention how she'd regularly speak with the writer on the phone and talked about the writer's kids. Some time after the class, I grew curious to know how the woman was doing and, not having her email address, emailed the paranormal writer...who'd never heard of the woman. It was bizarre, because this woman really did sound like she was close friends with that writer.

[sadron]

Oh yes, to English author and Finnish authors, reply was nice and polite.

[Jill]

Yes, I emailed Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie after my Nigerian novel was published and immediately felt embarrassed because her's is so much better! And then again when she won the Orange for Half of a Yellow Sun just because it is such an amazing book.
I was thrilled that she took the time to reply both times.

[ishtar'sgate]

I mean, if you're a published author would you think it cool or "stalky" if someone emailed you out of the blue saying how awesome a couple of sections were?


It's fun getting emails from readers. Two favorite emails stand out. One was from a student who said they'd stopped reading because they found all the books they had to read in school too boring (my novel is on high school reading programs) but that my novel got them interested in reading again. To inspire a young person to read is a thrill. My other favorite email was from the mother of a teen who thanked me for writing a novel her teenager could read and enjoy that wasn't laced with bad language, sexual content and teen angst.
A single email isn't 'stalky'. If you try to drum up a relationship with multiple emails that would be a different story.
Linnea

[mirrorkisses]

Also, before the days of email, I used to write my favorite writers all the time through snail mail. One of them, Louis Sachar, wrote me back a personal hand-written note. It was very cool to me as a child, and as an adult I really appreciate that he took the time to write back his fans (all children) in such a personal manner.

[drachin8]

I emailed JM McDermott, author of the awesome novel "Last Dragon", just yesterday to invite him to a house party, and he was all like, "Girl! Whatchoo doing inviting me to parties when you know I have to be at ApolloCon?" And then I was all like, "Boy! Oh yeah, I forgot."

Seriously, last time I EVER write an author again. Oh, the trauma...

*waves hello to the mad quacker*


:)

-Michelle

[Arisa81]

I e-mail authors all the time letting them know I enjoyed their books. I often hear back too, which is nice.

I know as a writer, if I ever write a book, I would love to hear from people who read it.

[III]

I emailed Carol Berg a few times and she was very nice and down-to-earth. I love her.

[Cassidy]

I just e-mailed a picture book author today to let her know how much my four year old and I have enjoyed her books! Actually I never e-mailed authors until I got published. It didn't really occur to me, for some reason. Now that I now how totally great it is to hear from readers, I often send a quick e-mail when I read something I love. I'd love to get more e-mails from readers-- it always makes my day.

[Kitty Pryde]

When I read Rudy Rucker's latest, i was really inspired by the way he had written one of his characters. I emailed to tell him how much I loved the book and ask about his inspiration for the character (didn't mention that I write fiction though). I also wrote about the character on my blog. He emailed back
a cool reply AND wrote about my blog post in his blog twice. I felt all warm and fuzzy. It's most definitely not stalkerish to send a note telling someone what you love and admire about their work!