Web Sites

[Elektra]

I've recently found a series I really like (actually only read one of the books, but have just ordered the first 4 from BAMM). I went to the author's website, thinking that I would send her an E-mail saying how much I liked the book, but there was no way to contact her listed (while her series is successful, I don't think she'd get inundated with E-mails were she to post an address). It kinda deflated me, and even made me a bit less enthusiastic to read the books.

Anyone else have author websites pet peeves? If so, do they affect your view of the book at all?

[James D. Macdonald]

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.

[maddythemad]

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. :D In fact, I am usually amazed and grateful that they write back at all.

[JoNightshade]

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. :)

[NicoleMD]

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. :)

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

Nicole

[Countess Olenska]

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.

[JoNightshade]

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

Nicole

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

[Scrawler]

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.

[Stijn Hommes]

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).

[job]

>>>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.

[Novelist in Paradise]

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.

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.

[CheshireCat]

>>>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.

Thank you.

:e2paperba

[Stuart Clark]

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.

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.

[SouthernFriedJulie]

>>>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.

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.

[JoNightshade]

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.

[valeenc]

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.

[CheshireCat]

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.

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.

:e2paperba

[SouthernFriedJulie]

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.

:e2paperba


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!

[CheshireCat]

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!

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.

:e2paperba

[SouthernFriedJulie]

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.

:e2paperba


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

Er.

What were we discussing?

[Stijn Hommes]

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.

[Linda Adams]

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.

[freshpencils]

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.

[freshpencils]

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

[freshpencils]

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

[JJ Cooper]

I enjoy reading the Lee Child novels and found his web site a while ago. I find this site very informative for fans and it also has a forum where those fans can engage each other about their favourite subject. The author also gets involved in the forum. Not a bad effort for a sucessful author.

JJ

[CheshireCat]

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.


Yes, I know. But I hate form letters. Probably goes back to my submission days. I'd rather dash off a quick "thanks for writing" with at least a word or two to personalize.

Actually, I have a PA, and eventually will have to turn over answering my mail to her. But I cling stubbornly to the notion that I can handle this myself, even if I am always behind.

I have decided to begin compiling a list of FAQs (many of which are answered on my website, something most readers tend to ignore) and come up with form responses to those, which my PA can then personalize and send out.

I wish there was a better way, but I've learned to allot blocks of time for various non-writing chores (including online forums), otherwise I end up behind with everything.

This way, at least I have variety in my day.

[CheshireCat]

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.

It is a choice, and a decision that has to be made -- especially in this day and age when too many agents and publishers are pushing their authors to be more visible, more accessible.

It's a double-edged sword, and should be considered very, very carefully. Because the Internet already makes us more accessible than many of us are comfortable with, and the situation is getting worse all the time.

And, you know, aside from the potential danger factor (and don't kid yourself, there really is one), I sort of long for the days when writers could be mysterious creatures who did this magical thing in creating the worlds I could visit.

That pretty much dies when you find out that John Bestseller has a personal hygiene problem, or Jane Favorite Author is about as glamourous and mysterious as your Aunt Mildred.

I'm just saying, sometimes silence really is golden.

:e2paperba

[SouthernFriedJulie]

Maybe I'll change my mind once I get published and am famous.

[yeah. famous. uh huh.]

I guess it would be irritating to have people treat you like you owe them something. Been thinking about it quite a bit and wondering if I will have to eat my own words one day about personally replying. It's more of the 'uppity' way that some ideas were put across, though I may have misread and taken it out of context. It's hard sometimes to tell if people are kidding or not on a forum. I'd hate to have made myself look like an ass over misreading tone.

[job]

>>>>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. <<<<

So the nice man in the restaurant who made your tofu surprise yesterday,
and the 36 mechanical engineers who designed your car,
and the greenhouse keeper who just sold you an azalea,
should post their e-mail addresses ....

on the menu,
in the glove box,
and on the price tag hung on the plant,
respectively

.... in case you want to thank them for the fine creative work they did.
?


Having sold you the fruits of their creative labor
they have also sold their right to privacy.

?

[CheshireCat]

It's more of the 'uppity' way that some ideas were put across, though I may have misread and taken it out of context. It's hard sometimes to tell if people are kidding or not on a forum. I'd hate to have made myself look like an ass over misreading tone.

Well, JoB's tone may be dripping with sarcasm ;) but she makes a good point. The truth is that we really don't owe our readers more than what is promised when they pick up and pay for our work: our very best efforts to provide a good read.

As I said, expecting Johhny Depp to answer my fan mail personally just because I bought a ticket to "Pirates" makes about as much sense as expecting the CEO of Toshiba to write back personally if I want to thank (or blame) him for the performance of my TV set.

That said, I've watched this weird sense of entitlement become more and more obvious in too many people in the last decade or so, especially young people (God, I feel old!), and especially in Internet-related things. Thanks to the Internet, they have access to so much that they seem to think they should, by God, have access to whatever they like. (At no cost, usually.)

Maybe this is a societal change, I don't know. I do know I don't like it, this expectation that because you have a public or semi-public name you automatically owe pieces of your private self to your audience.

I don't owe them that. I owe them a good story, and I do my level best with every book to give them that.

Anything else I choose to give them should be a matter of my own discretion.

[Anne Lyle]

I snail-mailed Tom Holt via his publishers in the days before the Internet (gosh, I'm dating myself now), and we ended up corresponding for many months - he even lent me audio books of his novels :)

More recently, I emailed Carol Berg to say how much I'd enjoyed her novels, and got a friendly reply.

I may not be published yet, but I have a website that comes out top of the listings when you Google my name. I post an email address* on there (hidden from spambots using cunning JavaScript) - maybe one day I'll get a fan email in return...

* Not my personal address - just one of many I've set up via my web account

[SouthernFriedJulie]

>>>>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. <<<<

So the nice man in the restaurant who made your tofu surprise yesterday,
and the 36 mechanical engineers who designed your car,
and the greenhouse keeper who just sold you an azalea,
should post their e-mail addresses ....

on the menu,
in the glove box,
and on the price tag hung on the plant,
respectively

.... in case you want to thank them for the fine creative work they did.
?


Having sold you the fruits of their creative labor
they have also sold their right to privacy.

?

Perhaps you didn't read my posts afterwards.

Still, there is a huge difference between being polite in an eventual reply to someone or just being rude. Same the world 'round, writers, mechanics, chefs, and what have you.

Not that I write authors. I prefer to tell everyone else how much I enjoy a book instead of telling the author. WOM advertising should be a good way to say "Hey, your book rocked on toast." And as I said in my last post, I'd been thinking about my stance. So it's really moot to bring up the original thought I had instead of bringing up the latest.

[Carrie in PA]

Several years ago, I wrote a letter to Dean Koontz. I was shocked and thrilled when I received a lovely letter in return. I honestly didn't expect a response, and I'm still thrilled to have it. (I didn't frame it, though I seriously considered it. :D )

He didn't owe me a response, and a lack of a response would not have stopped me from buying his next book. When I pay for a book, the author "owes" me seven bucks' worth of entertainment, nothing more, nothing less.

[Elektra]

Please notice that I didn't say that I cancelled my order immediately and refused to ever buy another book by that author again. I simply said that disappointment in the website made me a tiny bit less eager to read the book.

I never said that an author owed me personal attention. I never said that, fan E-mail sent, I even expected a reply from the author.

And yes, if I buy great azaleas, the next time I'm in Home Depot, I'm going to mention how great the azaleas were.