Web Sites

Lots of folks don't have email addresses on their websites -- spammers have seen to that.

If you want to write to the author, a paper letter in care of the publisher will get to her.

Actually, this is horrid, but when I was younger, I became less interested in an author if I could contact them. Just like celebrities, I found it kind of cool that authors were "out of reach" and mysterious-- now, however, I have written to several of my favorite authors, and it has not diminished my interest in them in the slightest. In fact, I am usually amazed and grateful that they write back at all.

When I was a little kid, my favorite author was John Bellairs (often described as Stephen King for kids, although Bellairs is better IMO). I liked him so much I wrote a letter to him. And then I got a form letter back telling me that he was dead. So my childish dreams died.

JoNightshade said:

When I was a little kid, my favorite author was John Bellairs (often described as Stephen King for kids, although Bellairs is better IMO). I liked him so much I wrote a letter to him. And then I got a form letter back telling me that he was dead. So my childish dreams died.

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Oh how sad! The little girl inside me wants to cry.

Nicole

I certainly don't blame any author for not having an email address on his/her website. It's not just the spammers, especially if an author is successful; people from the past come out of the woodwork, wannabees beg for help and/or references, "fans" can become a little too obsessed, etc. I've noticed that a lot of authors these days have only their agent's address as a contact.

NicoleMD said:

Oh how sad! The little girl inside me wants to cry.

Nicole

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Oh, don't feel too bad. I recently fulfilled my other little girl dream of meeting Ray Bradbury! Hooray!

I've emailed only 2 authors. Judy Blume was the first and I was thrilled when she wrote back. She told me about her new WIP, "Summer Sisters" (this was a few years ago but I just checked-- her email is still posted.) I also emailed and received a reply from Jane Heller.

I had planned to email another author, but his site said email all you want, but he's made it a policy never to reply to anyone. Ever. That kind of turned me off-- he wasn't that successful.

I actually had an author write me because they noticed my online activity with regard to their books (no not fanfiction).

The worst thing I can think off is out-of-date author websites. (Displaying "NEW" tags for the third book in a series when the sixth is almost out, that kind of thing).

>>>It kinda deflated me, and even made me a bit less enthusiastic to read the books.<<<<

Let me get this straight ...
you figger because somebody writes a book,
he has to make himself available to everybody who reads it.
?

Buying a book somehow establishes a reciprocal relationship between you and the writer.

You paid $6.99 at Borders.
The author is now obliged to give you his e-mail address
because you're supporting him, goddammit.

How dare he treat you like a stranger!
The nerve of him.

James D. Macdonald said:

Lots of folks don't have email addresses on their websites -- spammers have seen to that.

If you want to write to the author, a paper letter in care of the publisher will get to her.

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Yes, I second the letter. I have sent them myself and the authors, to a person, have responded in kind. Even a couple of the mega-stars. I think a letter means more, if nothing else than by the time you invest in writing and mailing it.

job said:

>>>It kinda deflated me, and even made me a bit less enthusiastic to read the books.<<<<

Let me get this straight ...
you figger because somebody writes a book,
he has to make himself available to everybody who reads it.
?

Buying a book somehow establishes a reciprocal relationship between you and the writer.

You paid $6.99 at Borders.
The author is now obliged to give you his e-mail address
because you're supporting him, goddammit.

How dare he treat you like a stranger!
The nerve of him.

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Thank you.

James D. Macdonald said:

Lots of folks don't have email addresses on their websites -- spammers have seen to that.

If you want to write to the author, a paper letter in care of the publisher will get to her.

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If someone else is hosting your site (and they provide an email service) you can totally get around this - so there's no excuse to not have a contact ability on your site.

I have contact ability on my site and no-one needs to know my address to do it. The only way they'll get my address is when I reply, and at that point, I've already established the fact that they are a bona fide human being interested in contacting me and not a spammer.

On another note, I recently contacted John Connolly and was thrilled when he responded. I think it's all good PR for an author to value his fans and be accessible. When I was a kid, I used to think of authors like celebrities, but they're just people - as are celebrities. There's no reason why they shouldn't be civil to people who get in touch.

job said:

>>>It kinda deflated me, and even made me a bit less enthusiastic to read the books.<<<<

Let me get this straight ...
you figger because somebody writes a book,
he has to make himself available to everybody who reads it.
?

Buying a book somehow establishes a reciprocal relationship between you and the writer.

You paid $6.99 at Borders.
The author is now obliged to give you his e-mail address
because you're supporting him, goddammit.

How dare he treat you like a stranger!
The nerve of him.

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I'm probably going to catch heck for this, but yes I think it does establish at least the posting of an email address. I haven't personally written anyone but S. King and was happy even with the little form reply I got back.

To think you're too good to reply to someone who just spent 6.99 to upwards of 20$ on a book you wrote for these people to buy is so pompus it makes me a little sick. Spammers, so what? Ignore the mail. Wannabes with questions? The same one minute it takes to type 'Thank you for reading and buy my work' will work for them just as much as it would for someone just saying.."I loved your book you're a great author".

If someone can't send just a one or two line email to their fans who are supporting their writing career, then they should not write for purchase. When I am published, you better bet I'll respond to every single email, even if it takes a few hours out of my day.

About a year ago I exchanged a few emails with Orson Scott Card, one of my favorite (still living) authors. He's a very nice guy and is totally willing to get involved with his fan base. Kudos to him.

My bff works in publishing for a major house with beaucoups of imprints. He's in marketing and the effort he and his authors put forth in setting up and going to appearances is astonishing. They do this because they know that good will and positive word of mouth will sell not only more books for the authors, but for that publisher as well.

Any author who thinks of their readers so disdainfully is one who will more than likely end up in the remainder piles sooner rather than later. And really, is being polite in a short, pre-fab note such an imposition if it means creating a dedicated market? Also, if one is such a bigtime novelist, it seems that one could afford an intern or other peon assistant to send out those prefab emails for you.

Seriously.

SouthernFriedJulie said:

To think you're too good to reply to someone who just spent 6.99 to upwards of 20$ on a book you wrote for these people to buy is so pompus it makes me a little sick. Spammers, so what? Ignore the mail. Wannabes with questions? The same one minute it takes to type 'Thank you for reading and buy my work' will work for them just as much as it would for someone just saying.."I loved your book you're a great author".

If someone can't send just a one or two line email to their fans who are supporting their writing career, then they should not write for purchase. When I am published, you better bet I'll respond to every single email, even if it takes a few hours out of my day.

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Yeah, well, you do that. And if you're successful enough one day to be under contract to a major publisher, explain to them why you're taking up valuable writing time on email.

Oh, I'm sorry, it isn't writing time, it's your personal life time? Cool.

Probably why so many of us have no life.

Seriously, most writers I know make every attempt to respond to notes and emails, because we know damned well that's our audience. But you can get overwhelmed, especially if you're on deadline and just don't have time to worry about anything but getting the book in your head out on paper. By the time you get back to your website email box, you can find yourself so far behind that even the idea of catching up seems ... hilarious.

I've got something over 500 notes in my box right now (not spam, notes from readers), and the best I've been able to do for months is answer a few each day -- if I'm not writing. I answered ten today, and maybe I'll answer ten tomorrow. But I'll be starting a new book in a couple of weeks and, well, if the pattern holds, I'll continue to fall farther behind in answering my mail.

So I can understand authors who prefer not to offer contact info to readers, either because they really don't want the one-to-one feedback from individual members of their audience or because, well, they want to have a life.

CheshireCat said:

Yeah, well, you do that. And if you're successful enough one day to be under contract to a major publisher, explain to them why you're taking up valuable writing time on email.

Oh, I'm sorry, it isn't writing time, it's your personal life time? Cool.

Probably why so many of us have no life.

Seriously, most writers I know make every attempt to respond to notes and emails, because we know damned well that's our audience. But you can get overwhelmed, especially if you're on deadline and just don't have time to worry about anything but getting the book in your head out on paper. By the time you get back to your website email box, you can find yourself so far behind that even the idea of catching up seems ... hilarious.

I've got something over 500 notes in my box right now (not spam, notes from readers), and the best I've been able to do for months is answer a few each day -- if I'm not writing. I answered ten today, and maybe I'll answer ten tomorrow. But I'll be starting a new book in a couple of weeks and, well, if the pattern holds, I'll continue to fall farther behind in answering my mail.

So I can understand authors who prefer not to offer contact info to readers, either because they really don't want the one-to-one feedback from individual members of their audience or because, well, they want to have a life.

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I plan on making my best effort to do so.

I sounded snippy because the post I quoted made it sound as if writers had no obligation to the people who buy from them at all. As if writers are so much better than the masses.

I don't apologize for my original post, but I do understand there are published authors who take the time to try and respond. Timelines are harsh and taking a long time to get back to a legitimate fan who isn't a nutball is different from ignoring them. I admire your efforts to get back to your fans and wish you luck with your upcoming book!

SouthernFriedJulie said:

I plan on making my best effort to do so.

I sounded snippy because the post I quoted made it sound as if writers had no obligation to the people who buy from them at all. As if writers are so much better than the masses.

I don't apologize for my original post, but I do understand there are published authors who take the time to try and respond. Timelines are harsh and taking a long time to get back to a legitimate fan who isn't a nutball is different from ignoring them. I admire your efforts to get back to your fans and wish you luck with your upcoming book!

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And if I sounded snippy, it's because I'm tired. Not that I'm complaining about success, mind you, but a job is a job -- and if you write for a living, it's your job.

As for the "contract" between author and audience, I've always felt, honestly, that they pay their money for entertainment, and if I've entertained them then I've fulfilled the contract between us. I really don't owe them more than that.

I do my best to be responsive to my readers because I am genuinely appreciative of their loyalty (some have been my readers for a couple of decades now) and their willingness to trust me to entertain them, but I don't do that out of any sense of obligation.

Think of it this way: though it's two vastly different levels of celebrity, it would be akin to believing Johnny Depp owed me the courtesy of a personal response to a note or email just because I paid my money to see "Pirates."

I really don't think he owes me a thing -- beyond his best efforts to entertain me in a film. Mind you, if I did send him a note, and he did respond to it personally, I'd probably frame his note in gold and possibly build a shrine around it.

But that's neither here nor there.

CheshireCat said:

I really don't think he owes me a thing -- beyond his best efforts to entertain me in a film. Mind you, if I did send him a note, and he did respond to it personally, I'd probably frame his note in gold and possibly build a shrine around it.

But that's neither here nor there.

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I'd like to frame /him/ in gold and build a shrine to dance naked around...

Er.

What were we discussing?

CheshireCat, if you're getting so much mail, perhaps a form letter for some common messages will get you to answer more mail in a shorter amount of time. That would significantly cut on the stress.

From a different perspective. I maintain a Web site for an actor. Originally, I did have an email address posted, and then later a form (the form was initially to keep the spammers from harvesting the emails), and now there's no email address. When I had the email address, everyone under the sun emailed me. Some thought they were getting the actor himself and even gave out personal information, even though the address said "Web master." Some asked incredibly dumb questions or wanted me to send them ten autographed photos. When I went to the form, it oddly enough, cut back a lot of this. I guess it was easier to dash off an email than to fill out the form. I eventually took even it down because the fans were really getting kind of nutty.

On my own site, I actually ended up pulling down some content because it was generating really stupid questions through email. For a while, I'd had some Word tips for writers up, as well as a guide to army military ranks. The Word tips came down after people started routinely emailing me asking me how to do something in Word--and it was something they could have found on their own if they looked a little more. If I helped, I invariably got more questions. The military ranks came down after I got multiple questions about them, including one woman wanting to know where to get replacements of her husband's award certificates. I actually answered that one by giving her the link to the DOD Web site, and she responded back rather nastily that wasn't what she was looking for and asked for exactly the same thing. And we rountinely get emails asking us to tell the sender how much their Civil War firearm is worth.

So, if the author doesn't have the email address up, it could be spammers, but it also could be that people were starting to hit the annoyance factor.

I don't have a website. I'm not a published author, but were I, I still wouldn't have a website, much less contact information on it.

I've never been too keen on the lack of privacy on the internet. I have the cleanest closet in the world, no skeletons, just a boring, plain old life. I'm the last person who should worry about privacy.

But I do. It's like I want something of myself to hold onto, just for the principle of it, in this age of personal transparency.

Maybe this author you describe thinks like I do: I want to be rich but not famous. I draw the line at living in a fishbowl.

In the olden days, before the internet, sending a letter to the author in care of her publishers would have worked.

Ah, that's what I just told her, James. I should read the whole thread before I reply to the original post!

Awww, that's terrible! What a crushing blow for a little kid.