“Dear Author, I just finished your book and I wanted to let you know …”

When you consider that the readership for books with even modest sales is in the thousands, fan letters can be relatively few and far between (unless of course you’re Nora Roberts or Heather Graham – they probably get fan letters by the thousands on a slow day, lol) Most readers just don’t pick up that pen, or in more modern terminology, pop off an email, even to their favorite authors. Could be a privacy thing, could be shyness, could be a time factor. Or it could be that most readers don’t realize how much their opinion matters.

But oh, from the author’s point of view, there’s nothing like a fan letter, however brief, to motivate a good day’s writing. It can lift a discouraged writer out of a slump and more than make up for a tepid review. Even my most recent tag board entry (see to the left) from Suzy telling me she enjoyed my books gave me a boost this morning as potent as my favorite flavored latte. And that in turn fires the energy I need to be creative when I open up that book file and continue where I left off yesterday.

Reviews are great. Awards are fabulous. Your editor’s approval is invaluable. But nothing compares to hearing from an average reader that your words meant something to them. That you moved them, made them happy, or transported them temporarily from their daily concerns. My favorite comment – every author’s favorite – is hearing that your book kept someone awake long into the wee hours of the night. Or made them cry…or laugh. Nothing on earth warms an author’s heart more.

This isn’t a bid for letters! It’s a thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to convey their thoughts about an author’s work – either mine or anyone else’s. Because writing isn’t about reviews or awards or really even about the author herself. It’s completely, 100 percent about readers. Readers are the business. Their preferences determine the budgets and the trends – including who makes the bestseller lists – in the publishing world. Readers keep authors inspired.

 

 

I'm glad that you shared this. just this morning i wrote a note to an author and as i was writing i felt that i might be bothering him. I guess i always feel that way when posting a note. deep in my mind a thought of these people are busy and i'm bothering them with random mail. just a ? though if someone spotted typos would you want to no about them? i'm always torn about whether 2 say something or not.

Hi Jennifer! You comment raises a really good question. Before I became published I sometimes wondered the same thing. Seeing it from the other point of view now, I can't imagine any author not being delighted to hear from readers. You're not bothering them. :) Typos are another matter though, but only because there's nothing that can be done about them once the book is published. It's unfortuate, but authors, editors and proofreaders are only human. I make a point of not looking through the finished product because if there are typos, I just don't want to know!