How To Contact Your Favourite Author

31 August, 2012 Musing Musers 31 comments

How To Contact Your Favourite Author

In this modern age of technology and communication, the barrier between authors and the reading community has never been thinner.  If you are a truly enterprising individual you can smash down those barriers and peak right into the soul of your favourite author.  That or just, you know, get in contact with them.  But what’s the best way to weasel your way into their affections and become their best friend ever?  What’s the best way to secure an interview, beg them for an advance copy of their book or get close enough to watch them sleep?

Luckily Kat Kennedy has done the research, has gotten close to that elusive creature called author and is ready to share her hard earned wisdom and experience with you.

Image by Hazza

1. The first trick is to follow them on ALL their social medias.  Like their Facebook pages, follow them on twitter, add them on Goodreads, follow their Tumblr, Pintrest, blog, Reddit, and any other place you see them.  But you don’t just want to crazily stalk them.  No, that’s for amateurs.  What you want to do is send a message.  The message that you’re watching them.  Always.  Because you love them.  So choose one single day to officially follow them on all the above social media.  Sign up for everything under the same name.  That way, when they’re looking through their notifications and see you have attached yourself to every last shred of their online presence, they’ll see how much you care.

2. Casually Tweet them.  Now, most eager fans make the mistake of simply tweeting something like, “I loved your book!” or some other compliment.  Don’t.  You’re only wasting your time.  Authors hear that stuff all the time.  You want to stand out.  Be memorable.  I suggest adding the personal touch.  So when your author tweets something about their mother, for example, tweet back at them something like, “I know!  Your mom is totally hilarious.  I love her.”

The author may respond vaguely asking if you actually know their mother.  Don’t be alarmed!  They’ve taken the bait!  Now’s your chance to reel them in!  Be purposely vague and flirty to let them know that you are a fun, interesting personality.  “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t 😀 Ask your mother and make sure you give her a kiss for me”

See? Now you have their attention.  Now they’re thinking, “This person is different and I LIKE it!”

Another method, if you don’t think you can be sufficiently interesting enough and you’re scared to try, is to tweet them several times a day. Even just to mention what mood you’re in or how funny their last tweet was compared to the tweet before it.  Just to let them know that you care.

3. Emailing for an interview.  If you’re a blogger, chances are you want to interview awesome authors.  Fact: many authors are shy to approach you for an interview.  So you have to go to them. Another fact: an interview is a great way of letting an author know how desperate you are to be their best friend.  Unfortunately, sometimes authors are busy.  So it’s important to let them know that you’ll support them regardless.

Dear X,

I’m just contacting you for an interview because I love your books.  My friend loves your books too, but she’s can’t write to you because she’s invisible.  I love your books so much I actually made a doll of you.  It’s actually pretty funny, but I promise to never use it for Vooduin practices if you ever displease me.  So I was thinking of promoting your book on my site.  We should do an interview.  I saw your tweet the other day about your cat.  We could do the interview from the prospective of your cat!  Wouldn’t that be great?!  Of course, I understand if you’re busy.  So if you can’t do the interview with me, I can just pretend we did the interview and write your answers for you!  Don’t worry, I’m very qualified.  I read everything you write and do and tweet and like.  We’re practically the same person already!

Lots of love

(your name)

XOXOXOX

4. Lastly, authors love it when you ask them for free copies of their book.  Just contact them, let them know you’re someone interested in their work and casually slide it in that you want a free copy.  Now, remember, authors only a get a limited number of ARCs to give away.  But that’s okay, because you’ll definitely get one since you’ve just become such good friends with them!  But, if for some reason they don’t give you a copy of your book, it’s probably because they’ve run out.  That’s okay.  Just ask them for the original manuscript or word doc file that they used to write the book.  It’s only good manners to remind them that you absolutely won’t sell it or seed the document on a bit torrent site.

Follows these steps and soon you too could be tweeting with the stars like some kind of blogging/reviewing goddess, enjoying your newfound author friends and basking in the warmth of their passionate blood – in a noncreepy way.  Of course.

Until next time, guys!

You stay awesome, blogosphere!

31 Responses to “How To Contact Your Favourite Author”

  1. Josin

    Oh dear…
     
    Excuse me while I run set all my profiles to “private” and disable the email links in my signatures.

  2. Zemmy89

    What a wonderful post. Need to enhance my author cyber stalking with these easy steps. 🙂

  3. katiemstout

    LOL! This is super funny, even though there’s actually some truth hidden deep inside the sarcasm. 😉 I think my favorite was the tweeting about the mother. Hah! This reminded me of Taherah Mafi, because I have often wanted to reply to one of her tweets about her mother (who she quotes all the time) because they’re hilarious. Luckily, I have restrained myself. haha

    • KatKennedy

       @katiemstout Mafi is excellent to read on twitter and her mother’s tweets are quite fantastic!

    • KatKennedy

       @Joie I sincerely hope you’ve learned your lesson now and can be more proficient at it.

  6. Kara_M

    Har, har, har. I totally see what you did here. Considering there are sites out there that take everything you guys post seriously. *wink*

    • KatKennedy

       @Kara_M I wish.  Actually, I planned on a bunch of these ages ago and I’m just going ahead of them regardless of whether there is a person out there so ridiculously stupid that they’d take it seriously.

      • Kara_M

         @KatKennedy Well, it was still entertaining to say the least. I still think it will be taken seriously though. After all, your “How to Write a Book Review” post totally changed my entire style of review writing because I took it SO SERIOUSLY. 😉

  7. Ann Somerville

    Um, like, you know, this is totally bad advice, Kat. I’m so disappointed in you. Now I’ll have to put up with all these sicko stalkers following me around the internet.
     
    Oh wait, that already happens.
     
    Oh well then 😉

    • KatKennedy

       @Ann Somerville I disagree with your opinion.  Instead of responding to it like an adult, I’m going to make an anonymous website about what a horrible person you are.  I hope you’ve learned your lesson.

  8. Andrea K

    They could also offer the author story ideas, or even give them a manuscript to read. 😀

    • KatKennedy

       @Andrea K Oooh!  I like you’re style.  Hey, you should write about sex, ya know?

  11. Krazzyme

    LOL! Love the cat one and the mother thing and the sending the message! 🙂

  12. Neyra

    *DIES* xD Mhm, I think I might just have to use the letter you wrote as a template to write to some authors hopefully getting an interview w/ them xD too funny, love it! 

  14. Heartless_Lyn

    Don’t forget to mail them your eyelashes. Authors love that kind of devotion. 

  16. Ronnie Geiger

    Anybody that is a good author and loves Star Wars? AND has seen Star Wars VII? because i need help. Im trying to write a book about what could happen afterwards.