Please welcome a fellow Romance Diva, Mima!
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Writers say writing is an occupation that makes you feel isolated. After all, no one exists in our imagination but us and a few thousand clamoring characters. Yet we also say that no one succeeds in this business alone. Each of us tend to have support networks, and just as in life, the smaller the support network, the more stressful the journey can be.
I am a relatively new writer. I have no writer’s group or critique partner. I have no RWA chapter near. I’ve found an online forum I like, and it has given me many opportunities for workshops and information gathering.
But every year, I go to at least one writer’s or reader’s conference. And what going to RWA Nationals in NYC meant for me this year was sanity. It means people who understand the frustration that boils in your skin when life keeps you from writing for weeks at a time. It means women who want to talk about characters as if they’re free-formed entities who made choices on their own (sometimes they do). It means fellow dreamers to swoon with over our favorite books.
Going to a conference means you are face to face with people who are passionate about books. And they are the people who make this journey worth it. Others might say that a true writer must write. That if there were no readers, we’d still get satisfaction from “The End” and we’d still be writers. But authors are people who want to connect, and that means revising, editing, cover stress, and a host of other not-so-fun aspects to the industry end of this activity.
If you do all that and can never connect, it begins to feel more than a little lonely. Social media (like Beverley’s blog) helps. Conferences help. Reviews are great (usually). But the best, the very best thing ever, is when a reader bothers to contact me directly in a private email. The relationships I’ve built with some of my readers strengthens me as much as it honors me.
I’m here to tell you, conferences are great. If you’ve never spent a day meeting other people who want to discuss heroines’ best lines or heroes’ most wonderful rescues, I recommend it. Also, if you’d like to leave a comment about why, why not, or how you contact your favorite authors, you’ll be in the pool to win an ebook (pdf) of your choice from my offerings. Winner will be chosen tomorrow!
Comment and also enter to win an entry for the Grand Prize Drawing for an iPad 2!
But really, what I’d like to share most is that the time a reader takes to contact an author, however you do it, and say “I liked your book” is magical. It’s amazing. It’s humbling. It’s what makes our world go round, and what makes us bother to submit another manuscript after a round of tough revisions. Please don’t think authors are untouchable, unapproachable, or you’d be “bothering” us. Also, don’t think we’re invisible when you leave your witty detailed critique on Goodreads. Here’s a theme song to get you in the mood! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gEAQQCFlNM
So this is my goal after RWA: go to my recent additions to my keeper shelf, and email them. Also, plan the next conference I attend. Tables of free books, late night discussions at the bar, dressing to the nines for people who care to notice your cute shoes, and awesome Romance Trading Cards… I can’t wait until next time.
Mima lives in the Finger Lakes of New York and is spending the summer rearranging her cottage garden and writing on her porch. She is the author of 19 erotic romances, including the Bonded fantasies. Visit her webpage mimawithin.com for excerpts and reviews.
I hate to say it but I don’t contact them for the most part. I just go to their websites to see when their next release is coming out.
Good luck with your books. I love a chance to win one.
Hi Mima, welcome to the blog! Well I have written to authors before, but only started doing this a couple years ago when I started writing. I don’t do it often.
What I’ve learned is never to have too high expectations of anyone. The worst thing is when you meet one of your favourites and they aren’t particularly nice. It does start to colour the way you see their books. At least it did with me. But I blame on the fact that writing is solitary and many authors don’t do that whole book signing crowd thing well.
Love the covers of your books. Really, really fantastic. Good luck with your books.
Most interaction with authors that I have is through Twitter or Facebook. Social media is an amazing tool. It’s an awesome feeling when out of the blue an author tweets you and remembers something you discussed a few months ago or that the picture you just posted will inspire the look of their next hero. It’s just the little things that make me fan girl squee.
There are authors out there that if I ever met them, I wouldn’t know what to say. I’m sure they’re super nice and totally down to earth but the fan in me would probably be too star struck to even utter a word besides “Iloveyourbooks!”
Best wishes on your books!
thanks for having me Beverley! I call that phenomenon the “Tom Cruise Effect”.
love, if you’re on their site, it might be easy to drop a note into a guestbook or a short email.
and really kati, that is ALL you need to say. for most of us who aren’t jaded superstars, it still puts us over the moon. someone read us! and remembered us! and liked us!
we’re easy like that.
I connect to authors either thru there website or on blogs. I do it for many reasons and I think the most important is to let them know that I love their books and how much I appreciate the wonderful hours of reading they share with us, their readers.
Thru blogs I’ve learned so much more about authors, some who I read regularly and some I’ve hadn’t “met” before. I love finding new authors and found wonderful ones this way. I always try to contact them and let them know how much I enjoyed their story.
I may not be an author but I completely understand how you felt about attending RWA in NYC. I was in sales for 15 years and it was thru conferences I attended on the state, regional and national level that I learned to be committed to the client’s needs and realize that my job wasn’t to be the best salesperson but to meet their needs. I learned valuable lessons on sales, meeting the customer’s needs and most important to realize that they were the most important part of my success or failure. I’m proud that I was able to always keep the customer’s needs first and by doing and by doing that was recognized not only on the state level but also the region and national level for not only sales but asked to give speakes on all three levels. Oh what? On 2 different subjects: The customer comes first and what I call “Work smarter not harder”. The means to realize that there are times you cannot do all things that need to be done all the time. I learned to deligate tasks in my household (much to the delight of my daughter-in-laws who are thrilled their husbands can cook and wash and iron clothes) but also to prioritize what was the most important and needed to be accomplished first.
It was a journey and not always smooth or fast but it did work. Not only am I a better person for it but my family is as well.
Now that my family is grown and gone and my hours no longer need to be flexible to accomodate their needs. I am in a different profession but I’m glad that I had the opportunity to work at a job that I could set by own hours and was available when they were in school to attend school plays, drive them to practice for sports and never miss a game. I was able to be at home when they were home whether during the school year or on vacation.
The one thing y
(Sorry – I hit the wrong button!)
The one thing you can never reclaim is time. So spend it wisely and always remember what is the most importnat thing in your life.
I enjoyed your post today. I read about the authors on their websites and consider their time valuable. I may e-mail about a book that I enjoyed but do not inundate them with e-mails.
I’m so glad that I’m able to contact all my favorite authors through blogging, Facebook and Twitter. It’s the greatest feeling when you reach out to an author and they actually reply back to you. I still squee everytime an author answers me or writes to me directly. The coolest thing is when an author actually recognizes you out in the real world. I recently went to a signing and the author actually recognized me from our interactions online. I just couldn’t get over it.
Amazing coincidence! On Wednesday, I had to explain to a store clerk where the Finger Lakes are located, because my shirt had a patch from there. Glad to read that the Finger Lakes are still an idyllic location to relax and write. By the way, we need some of your spare water here in AZ… I usually substitute a tall glass of something cold along with a good book. Have a fun summer, whether you write or not.
This is why i love the internet because now, I can talk/contact with all of favorite authors or even people who like samething as me.
I contact writers either via their website, Facebook, or email. I also enter lots of contests. It is fun corresponding with authors that you get to know, and I know it raises their spirits as well.
Cathy, Danielle, and Anne, thanks for taking the time to contact your fav authors, and for stopping by here today! I am so not good with FB. Twitter, I enjoy. And RSS is my savior with blogs.
Jeanne, there’s something about conferences that expands our world, isn’t there? I guess it’s just part of meeting new people. If you listen, there’s new ideas to discover.
Susan, we’re having the driest summer in 20 years. No rain in weeks now, but yes our lakes are still idyllic. I’m lucky that my folks have a boat.
I contact authors through their websites.
I gone to several book signings, including the RT and RWA signings when they were in Orlando. I met a lot of authors and told so many of them how much I enjoyed their books, bought as many signed books as I could afford, and took lots of pictures. I’ve also sent emails to authors when I’ve particularly enjoyed their books.
When I read a book I really enjoyed sometimes I will contact the author either through the e-mail on their site or leave a comment on their blog or facebook wall to tell them how great I thought their book was and to keep them coming. The internet for me is the best way to stalk my favorite authors for news about their releases, so it’s pretty simple to drop a comment while I’m reading their updates.
Rosie, I agree. The internet really changed things regarding correspondence.
Estella, thanks for sharing.
Barbara, I’ve been to both RT and RWA too. It sounds like you’re a serious fan! The parties were better at RT but RWA had a gazillion authors, and way more free books.
If I enjoy a book very much I will email them and tell them so– hoping it brightens their day as their book brightened mine 🙂
I contact Authors that I read through their Web sites , Blogs and Guest Books. When I read one of their books I try to let them know how much I enjoyed their book. I have a lot of respect for the research they done for their books and truly appreciate how much time they put into getting that book out.
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
I’ve emailed authors occasionally to tell them I really enjoyed one of their books and commented on their blogs. Also, twitter is a great way to send kudos — I’ve been amazed to have several authors respond to tweets where I positively mentioned their books…maybe because it takes very little time to write out 140 characters (or less.)
Majana! I missed you last time. And what a beautiful name.
Babs, I agree, Twitter is the most efficient if you’re already on it.
Carol, the research is big in my admiration too, for scifi and historicals esp. In my fantasy worlds, mostly I just get to make stuff up.
Chelsea, that’s just exactly right. My books are meant to be an afternoon’s entertainment, something to make a reader sigh and smile. And hearing that it worked means the world.
I’m really heartened by how many of you DO contact authors when their book touches you. Thanks so much!
and the winner is… Danielle! Danielle, if you’d like a title of mine, visit mimawithin.com to pick one out then email me.
Cheers, Ladies!
If I read a really good book by the author, I will email them and tell them how much I enjoyed the book.