Dear Writer
If you enjoyed
the book, the author
will be delighted
to hear from you.
Keep it sweet and simple.
An approximation of my first author fan letter to George Bilgere,
although I emailed him. Note card design by my husband, Chris Purcell.
One of my Facebook followers asked:
Who are you mentoring in the dark poetic arts?
I hope you did a double take at that question. I did. Then I laughed. It was near Halloween when he asked, and I was wearing a witch costume in my profile picture. (At least I think that’s why he called my poetry a dark art. Hmmmm, my last book was titled Waking on the Moon. I’m a night owl and write in the dead of night, so I do sometimes channel my inner Edgar Allan Poe and Margaret Atwood. (More on that in a later blog. I may share that bewitching photo of me then, too.)
While I critique, advise, and mentor others when I can, I’m just trying to pay back all the kindness and advice given me. My late start launching my poetry into the world was a bit scary. Fear holds many writers back. They write in secret – nervous to share their work with friends, much less publishers. Fortunately, I received a warm welcome into the Kansas City writing community. Now I serve on the Emeritus Board of The Writers Place, where I often meet my family of writers. I feel that I gain more than I give from sharing the world of words.
Instead of bragging about what I do for writers, I’d like to suggest a way that YOU can make a writer’s day: write to a writer. If you’re thinking, “Oh, I just couldn’t!” that’s what I used to think, too. Fortunately, my husband, a former English teacher, isn’t as shy as I am…or was. He began writing fan letters to authors decades ago. It was a harder job then. He had to go to the library and look up their addresses. Often, he wrote to their publisher or agent instead of to a home address.
How do they have time to write back? Because few people write to them unless they’re as successful as Stephen King or J.K. Rowling. Writers generally know whether or not their book sales are good, but success doesn’t feel real until you hear or read “I really loved your book.” This is especially true for poets. Look at how many reviews a poetry book gets (3, 8, 12?) versus a novel (2,000, 12,000?). My friend André Du Broc wrote How to Move to Canada (2016). Recently he received his FIRST letter from a reader, calling it his favorite book of the year. André was so excited he threw a Facebook party.
Now it’s easier to find addresses for most authors and easier for them to send you a quick reply. Most have websites or teach at universities that will give you an email address.
Go ahead – write to a favorite writer! You just spent 3-15 hours, maybe more, enjoying a book that may have taken years of labor to write. Royalties are not that generous, as a rule, so let writers feel the love.
Guidelines for Writing to a Writer
Keep it quick and simple. Even though your note will brighten the author’s day, writers are busy people.
Do not write to every writer you read. You’re a busy person, too, and your compliment will sound sincere if you save it for 1-3 favorite authors each year. (A positive review on Goodreads or Amazon will be appreciated by everyone if you want to do more.)
Don’t expect an answer to your note. Let it be a pleasant surprise if you get one. It’s YOUR thank you to them. They are not your pen pals.
Do not ask for advice or favors. (I’ve received a few fan notes from strangers that were thinly veiled excuses to ask for free help.) PLEASE DO NOT.
Compliment. Say thank you. That’s enough.
P.S. Please subscribe to my blog or use the CONTACT button if you do have a question or observation.
SPREAD THE WORD!