Do you reply to fan mail?

[Kudra]

I wrote to three people recently, telling them I loved their work. Didn't get a single reply. So I began wondering, am I the only one who actually replies to fan mail (and makes some pretty cool friends that way)?

Do you reply to fan mail? Why/why not?

[victoriastrauss]

I always reply. It's a big thrill to get fan mail, and I figure if someone takes the trouble to write me to tell me they liked my books, I should take the time to respond. Like you, I've made some friends as a result.

I imagine really well-known authors who get enormous amounts of fan mail might feel differently, simply because of the volume.

- Victoria

[aruna]

I always reply. It's a big thrill to get fan mail, and I figure if someone takes the trouble to write me to tell me they liked my books, I should take the time to respond. Like you, I've made some friends as a result.

I imagine really well-known authors who get enormous amounts of fan mail might feel differently, simply because of the volume.

- Victoria

Same here. And to all entries in my guest book, thanking them.

[Jamesaritchie]

I do 99% of the time. Occasionally, one will slip through teh cracks, or I'll get one that's just weird enough to make me not reply.

But I will say this, allow a LOT of time for replies. Sometimes it's a month or more before I even see a piece of mail, and another month or more before I can get to a particular piece.

[Cathy C]

I always do, and post a reply in our guest book too, as aruna said.

[JoeEkaitis]

I'm DYING to.

(Of course, it helps to wait until the book comes out.) ;)

[alaskamatt17]

I've had people respond to fan mail that I sent them. Both were science fiction writers, both have written novels featuring sentient dinosaurs. One of them has won a Nebula Award for Best Novel, and is frequently a bestseller. I was amazed that he would respond.

[WannabeWriter]

Of course, it depends on how much mail you get. When you become a huge bestselling author, there will be too much e-mail to answer so you won't do it anymore. At least, some won't. :)

[Aconite]

Do you reply to fan mail? Why/why not?
Dear beneficent deity of choice, yes. If someone cares enough about something I wrote to get in touch with me, I do the Snoopy dance and then write them back. (Doing it in that order makes it easier to type.) It's a big warm fuzzy, knowing that my hard work paid off and somebody appreciated the result.

[cwfgal]

Do you reply to fan mail? Why/why not?

Yes, always. I figure this writing business is a partnership. I write the books, others read them. Without readers, I'm dead in the water. And anytime one of those readers takes the time to write to me, whether on paper or via email, I'm appreciative.

Beth

[rtilryarms]

If I ever get one, I will reply

[triceretops]

Have only received a half dozen or so, but it was quite a thrill. I'm endeared to my tiny fan base. I love people.

Tri

[TLHines]

I've been pleasantly surprised at the responses I've received from authors I wrote gushing emails to--F. Paul Wilson, John Connolly, and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child being the ones who come to mind off the top of my head.

[aruna]

I've been pleasantly surprised at the responses I've received from authors I wrote gushing emails to--F. Paul Wilson, John Connolly, and Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child being the ones who come to mind off the top of my head.

I've had mail from Susan Howatch, one of my favourite writers

[Promoman]

I think I would respond to most of it, except for the aforementioned "weird" ones. Somehow, I don't ever see my writing getting so much fan mail that I would have to resort to a form letter...but I know that the "big name" authors do.

I will say this: I once wrote to one of those big-names and told him how much I liked his latest story and that I was working on a novel of my own. I got the form letter but on the bottom he had hand-written a few lines of encouragement.

I think it is a mistake for the fan to expect a reply: how many of us "regular" people have managed to lose track of an important note or bill in the past??

I assumed I would never get a response of any kind, but wanted to send my note anyway. The fact that he did take the time to reply definitely made it mean that much more, but I wouldn't have been offended if he wouldn't have.

[reph]

After winning a contest, I got a brief spurt of fan e-mails. I answered all but the one that read more like an attempt to recruit me as a contributor to the sender's website than anything else. Replying with a note of thanks is a simple courtesy that doesn't take long.

[Button]

Of course, it depends on how much mail you get. When you become a huge bestselling author, there will be too much e-mail to answer so you won't do it anymore. At least, some won't. :)

If I ever get to that point, I plan on having an assistant to write back to each email or letter for me when I don't have time.

This is my personal opinion, but the fans are the most important. I'd rather have an armload of fans than an armload of money. It gives a greater purpose to your writing so each fan should be honored if they are willing to write to you and tell you how much they like your books.

[Jamesaritchie]

If I ever get to that point, I plan on having an assistant to write back to each email or letter for me when I don't have time.

This is my personal opinion, but the fans are the most important. I'd rather have an armload of fans than an armload of money. It gives a greater purpose to your writing so each fan should be honored if they are willing to write to you and tell you how much they like your books.

Getting a letter form an assistant isn't quite the same thing, and doesn't satisfy many fans. And in all honesty, it doesn't really work quite that easily.

I think most writers try to answer fan mail, but sometimes it simply doesn't get done.

And wait until you get one from a fan who's serving twenty to life for murder, and asks if he can look you up when he gets paroled in a couple of years.

[anais]

I wrote to Judy Blume when I was in college and received a personalized reply. I was thrilled! I loved her books growing up and had "rediscovered" them when I started thinking about writing for young adults. I didn't expect a letter back, but it was very encouraging. That said, when I get fan mail, I intend to reply.

Anais

[AncientEagle]

A letter years ago from a non-fiction writer convinced me of the value of replying to mail from fans. I wrote to Joseph Goulden to tell him I liked his history of the Korean
War, but also to take strong exception to one statement in it. I got back a two-page, personally typed letter (looked like he typed it on an elderly manual machine, irregular lines, strike-overs, etc.) in which he not only clarified the statement he'd made, but assured me that if the book went into a third printing, he would include the clarification in it. And then he went on to regale me with several humorous items he'd had to leave out of the book for legal or other reasons. A class act. I decided if he could take the time to do that, I would try never to fail to respond to a reader.

[WannabeWriter]

I would respond to my fans' mail as well. I can spend a little time each day doing that so that everyone gets a reply.

I've e-mailed Tess Gerritsen several times about advice for me as a writer. She's really good with answering back the next day. :)

[Richard White]

I haven't gotten a whole lot of fan mail, but I have gone out of my way to answer all of them.

Plus, a few have looked up my Yahoo ID and IM'd me. Had some very entertaining sessions there discussing my work. A few have found my blog and I had someone specifically look me up at the last convention I went to. That was pretty neat, esp. considering some of the named guests there.

I always try to reply/speak to everyone, since they're the ones who're paying my salary. Something a few athletes and other "entertainment" people need to be reminded of now and again.

[Diana Hignutt]

A resounding...most of the time. I've gotten a couple of weird ones that I thought best to ignore, but the vast majority of the time, I write back promptly.

On the other side of the coin, thanks to a fan letter I wrote to Anne Rice, I maintain a (very occasional) correspondence with her. A couple of months ago she congratulated me on my award nods.

diana

[JennaGlatzer]

I do my best, but I know some of it has slipped through the cracks. There are currently-- no kidding-- 4838 messages in my inbox that I haven't responded to yet. Sometimes I go on "writing back sprees" where I try to clear out as many messages from my inbox as possible. Last time, I wrote a long letter back to a "fan" who had written me months earlier... only to get a bounceback saying she was no longer at that address. Rats!

Diana, I heard back from Anne Rice, too, very quickly. Pretty neat.

[cwfgal]

And wait until you get one from a fan who's serving twenty to life for murder, and asks if he can look you up when he gets paroled in a couple of years.

Okay, you got me. I lied when I said I always answer fan mail because I did get one of these about a year ago and I did not answer it. I'd forgotten about it until I saw your post. The letter was actually quite civil and intelligent in tone and was more focused on writing issues than actual "fan" mail, but I confess the whole prison thing gave me pause.

Beth

[Lenora Rose]

I haven't really got fan mail, but I feel the need to reply on one thing:

I used to correspond with someone in prison down in the States for a few years - we'd belonged to the same authors' fan club, and a mutual friend suggested that in her opinion, prison or not, he was safe, and a nice guy. Aside from where he was at the time, nothing about his correspondence ever rang any alarm bells. (One friend of mine said it was a very bad idea, but he felt walking down the street in a group in daylight in a not-that-seedy area was a bad idea.)

A few years back, I fell out of touch (for mostly unrelated reasons), but I don't regret having corresponded. I admit, I'm less trusting now, and were I to do the same thing again, I would do it through an agent or a post box, not a home address. I am also fully aware that Ted Bundy also sounded personable and intelligent, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Jamesaritchie]

I haven't really got fan mail, but I feel the need to reply on one thing:

I used to correspond with someone in prison down in the States for a few years - we'd belonged to the same authors' fan club, and a mutual friend suggested that in her opinion, prison or not, he was safe, and a nice guy. Aside from where he was at the time, nothing about his correspondence ever rang any alarm bells. (One friend of mine said it was a very bad idea, but he felt walking down the street in a group in daylight in a not-that-seedy area was a bad idea.)

A few years back, I fell out of touch (for mostly unrelated reasons), but I don't regret having corresponded. I admit, I'm less trusting now, and were I to do the same thing again, I would do it through an agent or a post box, not a home address. I am also fully aware that Ted Bundy also sounded personable and intelligent, so take it with a grain of salt.

I actually receice a surprisingly high number of fan letters from prisoners. I'm not sure what that says about my writing, but it's true. I answer most of the letters, and I've even arranged for some to receive new books from my publisher.

But every once in a while one of those letters is just a bit on the weird side. I can't say any of it frightenes me, but I have had three or four such letters that make me understand why that particular person was incarcerated, and why he should probably stay that way.

[awatkins]

I always reply if possible. I've gotten many complimentary notes from people who bought my book and it always humbles me. Oh, and from time to time I write short stories and have gotten nice letters about those, too! It's nice to know that something I wrote meant something to folks I might never meet in person. :)

[aruna]

I used to correspond with someone in prison down in the States for a few years - we'd belonged to the same authors' fan club, and a mutual friend suggested that in her opinion, prison or not, he was safe, and a nice guy. Aside from where he was at the time, nothing about his correspondence ever rang any alarm bells. (One friend of mine said it was a very bad idea, but he felt walking down the street in a group in daylight in a not-that-seedy area was a bad idea.)



An aside on this: prisoners have time to do A LOT of reading. When I was in the US doing an internship I had the task of sending donated books to people in prison. I had thousands of letters requesting books from al over the country and thousnads of books; if there were specific requests I tried to fulful them, if not I just sent a bundle of random books. Many people discovered reading for the first time; who knows, maybe it did some good.

[rhymegirl]

This doesn't really answer your question, since I don't have any fans, but...

One time I got a letter from Richard Thomas. Way back when he was on The Waltons, I thought he was so talented I wrote him a letter. I never thought I'd actually get a response.

It was signed by him, looked like the real thing, no assistant. I was very impressed that a busy actor would take the time to write back.

As for writers, I guess it depends on how busy you are and how much fan mail you get. I think if you're just starting out and you get a handful of letters, you should answer them. Why not? You want those people to keep reading your books.

[maestrowork]

What fan mail?


p.s. okay, this really has nothing to do with fan mail, but I got a personal, signed letter from Michael Chabon, wishing me luck on TPB. I think that's pretty cool.

[Four_Elements]

I try to reply to most fan letters that come through snail mail. But it always bothers me when I receive letters from people I don't know in my e-mail. These letters are usually deleted unread, because I have said before for fans to only contact me at a certain address. You should always follow an author's preference if they state any.

[Aconite]

These letters are usually deleted unread,

*scratch head* Then how do you know they're fan mail and not spam?

[Four_Elements]

*scratch head* Then how do you know they're fan mail and not spam?


I use Yahoo Mail and suspected spam is automatically sent to the bulk folder. I sometimes receive e-mails in my inbox with the title of one of my books as the subject, and while these probably aren't spam, I do not open them because of possible e-mail viruses.

[Christine N.]

I haven't joined in on this discussion yet, but now I can :) I got my very first ever fan e-mail today, from a lovely young man in England who wants to be a writer. Yes, I answered it.

Ok, my head will swell for a few days, and then I'll be back to normal.

[Aconite]

I sometimes receive e-mails in my inbox with the title of one of my books as the subject
Ah, gotcha. I did wonder.