Have you ever read a book and been so in love with it that you wished you could e-mail the author and gush? I've gone ahead and done it a few times, and one of those e-mails eventually landed me the most awesome critique partner in the universe. How's that for karma?It occurred to me that if I'm tickled pink by a note of appreciation from a reader other than friends and family (I have all three of them saved in a special folder, lol), then other writers might be too. Yeah, the big names probably have an assistant to read their fan mail, but the average author isn't making enough money off their royalties to pay someone to do that, so my guess is that they read their own e-mails :)
If you've never sent a glowing e-mail to an author you love, why the heck not? On the whole I think most writers are pretty insecure about their work, and pray someone out there will love their characters and stories as much as they do. Jeez, I know that's the case for me.
So if your heart's pounding or you have tears in your eyes when you finish reading that last page, for crying out loud take a few minutes to let the author know how much their work touched you. Writing is a tough, lonely job, and once the work is published an author is left open to public criticism--good and bad. So please, if you love something, tell the author. You never know, that one little e-mail might be all the validation they need to crank out their next book instead of throwing in the towel. It might even be the nicest e-mail they receive all year!
7 comments:
Oh, I'm a blatant fangirl. I write authors ALL the time. Maybe more than I should...LOL. But in a world where people are so quick to complain about anything and everything, I think it's important to speak up when you love something too.
Exactly, Saranna. And doesn't it seem that the bad reviews/criticism always outweighs all the good things people say? We're such sensitive creatures :)
I think some readers figure authors are bombarded with fangirl letters and don't want to hear from them if they have nothing better to say than I loved your book.
Well I do, dag nabit! Friend me, text me, email me, I want something to refer to during the times when the flying doubt monkeys are perched on my back whispering "you suck!"
After being a reader for decades, I finally took similar advice and emailed one of my favorite writers. A week later I got a letter back (back in the day before emails, etc.) and we became friends. I wrote to several well known authors who had been an influence on my writing and they all wrote back, many of them becoming good friends over the years. So many of them have gone, but their letters linger on.
Now, as a published author, I enjoy reading letters and emails from fans and finding out what they liked or found memorable about my books. Part of why I write is because I have so much to share, but I also write to be heard. It's nice to know someone hears me.
I luuuuvv fan mail! And I save all of it for those dreary days :) I need to write authors I enjoy more often and I don't know why I don't! Thanks for the reminder.
Fabulous idea! Can't believe I've never thought to do this, especially when I read a book that inspires my own writing. Usually I just write a glowing review.
I've received a couple of really lovely emails from people who've read my novella and it just makes my entire day... no, make that week! Little joys like that are sometimes the only thing that keeps me going in this business.
I won a package of books recently, and emailed one of the authors to tell her how much I'd loved her story. She was so very delighted that it made me really glad I'd taken five minutes out of my day to send that email. Such a little thing but it can mean so very much.
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