Writing To Authors

[countrydirt]

I just wrote a letter to Elmore Leonard. It is sealed in an envelope. I don't really know him from his new novels or movies, but rather from his old western short stories and some of his early movies (Mr. Majestyk).

 

I have wanted to write to an author since I picked up a fountain pen and realized that this was a powerful tool! However, the first author I wanted to write to was Zane Grey and he was gone before I was born, so I had to go to plan B. I thought I would write to Elmer Kelton, a fantastic Western pulp writer, but when I researched a publisher's address, I discovered that he had passed away. So, on to plan C...Tony Hillerman. Fantastic mystery author. I had just discovered a publisher's address when the news came that Mr. Hillerman had passed away.

 

Today, I found a book of Leonard's western short stories in a bookstore. I decided to write to him care of Harper Collins. I hope it gets to him.

 

Anyone else have any success writing to published authors?

[Yuki Onitsura]

Most of the authors I want to write to are loooooooooong gone. The only live ones I might write to are Ian McEwan and Neil Gaiman.

 

Yuki

[dennis_f]

I haven't written to any, but while I was in university a friend of mine (taking English Lit) wrote to Leonard Cohen care of his publisher. It took a while to get an answer, but sure enough, several months later, my friend received a nice postcard of thanks... personalized enough to suggest that Leonard had actually read the original note.

 

(There's a bizarre twist to this story: months later my friend happened to be in Montreal, and spotted Cohen at a local market. My friend approached him, introduced himself, and mentioned how thrilled he was to have rec'd a response to the letter he had written. Cohen couldn't remember the letter, but did remember the postcard he had sent in response... and ended up buying my friend an orange (guess it was inside joke) and a cafe-au-lait).

 

Best of luck. Would love to hear how this turns out.

D.

[DET]

Cohen couldn't remember the letter, but did remember the postcard he had sent in response... and ended up buying my friend an orange (guess it was inside joke) and a cafe-au-lait).

 

 

The problem was not the choice of food, but the choice of drink. One of Leonard Cohen's best-known songs, "Suzanne," includes the lines:

 

And she feeds you tea and oranges

That come all the way from China

 

[dennis_f]

Perhaps he thought the gesture would have been too pointed had he bought him a tea as well... Had to laugh, though, when my friend told me this.

 

My response was "why an orange? Didn't he have any bananas at hand?"... referencing the cover of "I'm Your Man".

 

 

With reference to the original post: one hopes that Elmore Leonard -- given his subject matter -- doesn't respond with the same self-referential zeal.

D

[DAYoung]

I usually get replies, but that might be a professional courtesy - one author to another.

 

For what it's worth, I enjoy most letters from readers - particularly when they've really engaged with something I've written. It's one of the best parts of the job.

[Judybug]

Many years ago I read a novel entitled "By Our Beginnings." It struck a chord with me in so many ways. I wrote to the author, Jean Stubbs, in care of the publisher. A few weeks later I got a lovely letter from Cornwall (the town name was unpronouceable!) and was delighted to find that it was from Jean Stubbs.

 

Judybug

[Ghost Plane]

Most of my writer friends are too busy writing to snail, but we keep up via email and Facebook. Most modern writers have webpages that give you contact info and their preferences for snail mail or not

[dannyboy]

+1 to the comment by DAYoung. I think most writers are delighted to hear from readers.

[Brian C]

Sure! Still waiting for a reply from Thomas Pynchon

[DAYoung]

+1 to the comment by DAYoung. I think most writers are delighted to hear from readers.

 

Yes. Although I probably wouldn't be quite so sanguine if I received a thousand letters a day.

[CatBookMom]

I sent an email to J. A . Jance about the audiobook versions of her Joanna Brady murder mysteries and got a lovely response. Then recently I went to a book signing and got to chat with her in person. She's very nice.

[Barnett]

It's funny you started this post. After many years of 'I should...' I finally wrote to an author, Debra Cadbury after reading her Chocolate Wars. I addressed it to her c/o her publishing house in England. It's been a few months and no reply yet. I two more letters in the works to two different authors. I'll keep you posted.

Bart

[funkypeanut]

When I was in high school, we had an assignment in which we were each given the name of a living author, and we had to read one of the author's books and then write the author a letter about it. I drew Andre Norton, and I was one of the few students to get a response to my letter. She wrote me a LONG, rambling letter and wrote me again later on to see how I did on the assignment. She was very gracious and seemed tickled that she had made the list of authors in the class.

[countrydirt]

I've also, this week, chosen to write to a couple of musicians - Ricky Skaggs and Gillian Welch. We'll see what happens.

[Tiffanyhenschel]

I've written to two authors, and both times I received replies. The first was Jan Karon regarding her Mitford series. She sent back a form letter with a bookmark, but the letter did appear to be signed by hand.

 

The second response I received was after I wrote Steve Leveen (from Levenger) about his audiobook, The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life. He responded with a beautiful hand-written note and a generous gift!

[kestrel]

Eleven years ago I sent a letter to Roger Conant, author of a field guide on reptiles and amphibians that had a profound impact on me when I was a teenager and is still a valued reference 40 years later. My letter was a heartfelt thanks for the effort it took to produce the book and I included several comments on why I (and tens of thousands of other herpetologists) continue to find it so valuable. Because that field guide helped inspire me to take up reptile photography I included a print of a photograph I had taken of a young Florida cottonmouth, a snake whose scientific name is Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti. Dr. Conant was quick to reply and his letter, written with grace and wit, occupies a place of honor in my library near the books that inspired my original letter.

[IslandDan]

Odd coincidence for the OP: I went to high school with Elmore Leonard's son Pete, though we haven't seen each other since I graduated in 1969.

 

And as an author myself, I always replied to people who emailed or wrote to me, especially if their inquiries were substantive and related to the book or article.

Edited July 27, 2011 by IslandDan

[fncll]

Someone somewhere in my reading recommended the practice of "charming notes," which was to regularly write notes (she recommended every day, but that's a bit much for me) to authors you admire... but the notes had to be short and not ask for anything. In other words, simple appreciation and a simple thank you for the gift they've given you.

 

I hate the term "charming notes" but I enjoy the practice. Unfortunately, I too discover all too often that the person I wrote the note to is no longer with us. It's particularly painful when the death is recent, or when someone I've thought about writing to but never gotten around to dies!

 

But I send them anyway. I figure there are worse things for the family or executor to receive than someone thanking the deceased for what they gave me.

[countrydirt]

As a follow-up to this original posting. I mailed the letter to Elmore Leonard care of his publisher in New York on July 19. Today, the letter carrier delivered a letter from Elmore Leonard's home address in which he answered the only question that I asked.

 

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m44/countrydirt/IMG_0646.jpg

 

It appears that the letter was likely signed with a fountain pen, medium nib.

Edited September 3, 2011 by countrydirt