Young Writers Society

Have you ever made contact with an author? How? Why? When? Where? What happened?
I want to contact some of my favorate authors. Is it easy? Hard?
I know i ask too many questions, sorry.

If they have a website or even just an e-mail address, it's really quite easy. Many of the writers I have e-mailed reply and answer any questions you have as best they can. If you live in a city or larger town, check out the local library's website or the calendar of events if there is no website, or notices at the bookstores. You may be fortunate enough to have them doing a reading or giving a lecture, especially if you have a library with enough funds to pay a writer-in-residence. Before I came back to school, I was fortunate enough to be able to meet several authors, listen to them talk, and sometimes even speak to them. It's really fantastic. Then again, sometimes it may be worthwhile to write a snailmail. There are one or two authors I know of who actually give you their home address on their website. Otherwise you just put their name on the envelope care of the publisher, an address that is really easy to find. One little seven-year-old who was given the task to write to a favourite author by her teacher told the author about herself and he ended up using some of that in his next picture book.

Good luck in your contacts.

I've done that. Its been a while but yeah I have made contact with that elusive species, the authors

I e-mailed an author once. They said they liked my e-mail adress. They were friendly and stuff. I got their e-mail on their website thingie. I've thought about contacting other authors since, but haven't.

I've spoken to some authors when they visited my school too. Especially when I was younger. I was better at not losing my nerve when I was younger. I talked to one, about me liking writing and I asked a few things about writing. He said it sounded like I had 'the writer's itch' when I said there were times when I just had to write.

It was always pretty hard, I guess. But then I'm kind of shy.

That writer's itch comment made me so proud of myself. I'm still proud of it. When I've decided that I'll never be an author and my writing is terrible and will never get better I always still have that little thing, that I have the writer's itch and it just sees me through.

It's worth it, I think. They may tell you something useful, and I'm sure they'd love to hear that they're one of your favourite authors. PLus, it's just pretty awesome to actually communicate with them.

ANyway, they're authors. They should like to meet people and hear about them for character ideas and general study of people.

I've never written to an author. I just don't know what to say, the things I'd like to ask must now bore them to death.

If I did write it probably wouldn't be worth replying to.

I've e-mailed several authors. Most of the time I just get a generic reply. I did find my favorite author on Myspace tho and I got to talk to her that way.

I've met some authors (I work at a bookstore). Anthony Horowitz was really stuck up. Marc Brown (author of the the Arthur books) was amazing and drew me a picture. David Levithan and Rachel Cohn were super nice and very funny. I've met a lot more as well.

I've found that if they're nice they love to answer your questions - even the stupid ones. If their not too famous they'll send you something back. And if you actually write a letter to them (and send it snail mail) sometimes they'll send back a bookmark or the signature.

I ask lots of questions and actually have books with authors signatures saying "Thanks for all the wonderful questions"

The best way to write a letter is to just brain storm first. What stood out about the book? Who is your favorite character and why? Anything really that you would want someone to write to you about.

~hope that helped, sorry it was so long, and I suggest that you write to the author worst thing that happens is that they never respond

Hrrm. In my Potter-philiac days, I sent a letter to Rowling, after two drafts. To my surprise...I got a letter back! To this day I couldn't tell you whether it is authentic or generic. The other time I sent an email to Sarah Ash, author of the "Tears of Artamon" series, to which she replied, and this I know was authentic. They were nothing more than congratulations and how they (along with some other authors) inspired me greatly, and, in Sarah Ash's case, brought me closer to my Slavic "roots" (you have to read the books [especially the first] to kind of get it).
If I were an author, I know I'd love to get letters! Just knowing there are folk out there in the world that enjoyed my work (or took the time to tell me how terrible or mediocre it was, at least they read it ^^)-unless of course it's Rowling...Still.

Well I sent one to Lurlene McDaniel, who writes about diseases from Cancer to tumors to CF to just death and tradgedy, but there is always hope.

I got a reply... I even sent my picture *mourns* but the reply was one that every fan of hers has, it was typed and signed ... and it looked totally photocopied...

I should send a letter to a less popular lesser known author and actually get some intellectual reply back... WITH big words.

I haven't ever written to an author. ...those I've most wanted to hear from, I'm afraid, are dead.

Sometimes I only wish I could have lived while Tolkien lived; he answered too many reader letters to count. Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy seem a bit more distant... !_!

Poor Imp wrote:...those I've most wanted to hear from, I'm afraid, are dead.

I got put off writing because most of my favourite authors are dead.

I met this fantastic author at a local book signing once. He's still flying under the radar, but I adore his books and his writing style. A few months later, I wrote him after finishing the first three books, and asked if he had any advice on writing he could share. To my surprise, not only did he write back (a three page long email, nonetheless!), but he also remembered me! We've exchanged a few emails since, but nothing lately, unfortunately.

I met the author of the Redwall series, Brian Jacques, at a bookstore in Chicago once. He's really nice and is a fantastic author! I haven't read his books lately though...got too many others to read! lol

I remember reading about this one girl in Writer's Digest who wrote an article about how she has letters from over 30 authors and she keeps them in a binder for inspiration. Maybe you could do something like that!

I met G.P. Taylor who wrote Shadowmancer and Wormwood. I've never read any books but he was talking about christian literature at spring harvest this year.

Aside from that I've met a few local poets.

Awww, I've never actually met any, although I have exchanged emails with Authors, such as Janny Wurts, Trudi Canvan and Kate Forsyth.

I emailed Anne Rice because I wanted to ask her what advice she had for a growing writer.

I saved the email. She just said keep trying and believing in what you write.

I really have no one else to Email/contact. The authors I love are dead. Or Dean Koontz. But I have never got around to that.