Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Tuesday Tip: Writing to the Writers

As we are in the middle of the Bookish Fashion Delights series I thought this would make for a good tip…

Do you have a favorite author (or say, lots of favorite authors)? Have you ever read such a good book that you thought, “Hey, I wish I could thank the person who thought this up”? Well, if you answered yes to either of those questions read on dear friend!

I love to read – always have. I also love to write – always have (again). So, I started writing to some of my favorite authors thanking them for their bookish gems & seeking advice for an aspiring writer. And guess what (no fooling), I started getting responses! (Sorry your writer does need to be living for this. No epistles to C.S. Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, & Jane Austen.) =(

Here’s how you can write to the writers:
1) Find a book your author has written & look on the copyright page (at the beginning of the book (usually)), & find an address for the publishing company. (You can also search for your author on the web & see if they have an e-mail address on their site.)
2) Use this address with your author’s name 1st & then “c/o” (“in care of”). See example:
Grace Lin
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
3) Be sure to leave your name & address & express that you would love advice or an answer to any questions you asked, etc. Be prepared to wait, but more often than not you’ll receive a reply… & I’ll tell you, it’s lovely to hold a letter written & signed by a hand that has written such wonderful tales!

I’ve received letters from Ann M. Martin, Suzanne Fisher Staples, Annie Dalton, & Margaret McAllister (to name a few)!

4 comments:

  1. That is a cool idea.
    I always thouht i should write to my favourite authors.
    It is good to know some one else is thinking the same thing, lol.

    Blessings
    Rachel

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  2. Thats a great idea! I've been contemplating writing Nancy Moser to ask her about a Historical figure she should write about! But I don't know if I'm brave enough! : ) But most of the authors I would write to are dead! :) LOL!

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  3. That is a great idea! I should do that sometime. Wouldn't it be amazing if you could write Jane Austen! Eeeeeep! That would be too good to be true.
    Again I want to thank you for advertising my blog. You did such a lovely job.
    Love,
    Grace

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  4. I've thought of writing to authors before but I've never gotten around to it...I should kick myself and actually do it. ;]
    Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. It really made my day when I read your comments and saw that I had another follower!
    ~Bridget

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Hey! Thanks so much for stopping by Bess' Bag - I love these "little visits!" Feel free to leave your respectful insight here... =)