Author Interaction — Let’s talk interacting with authors IRL (in real life) or online.
I’ve been pretty lucky in this regard. We have a good book festival where I live, so I’ve been able to meet some favorite authors. I was also lucky enough to meet the very sweet and funny David Sedaris after a reading. He gave me a cupcake. But some of my more meaningful author connections have come from one of two places: Twitter and Crossroads Writers Conference.
Crossroads brings together writers (professional and amateur) as well as other literary authorities for a weekend of forums, discussions and get-togethers. Meeting people in this setting quickly allows for acquaintances to spring up and friendships to solidify (usually over a beer). I’ve had the best time at this conference, and was able to have meaningful discussions with Chris Baty (of NaNoWriMo fame), Delilah Dawson, David Iserson, Chuck Wendig and Lauren Morrill — to name a few. If you have a similar event near you, I highly recommend you go.
Twitter, on the other hand, doesn’t normally allow for face-to-face interactions, but it can create otherwise unlikely connections. After reviewing a book, I often look to see if the author is on Twitter and uses it actively. I also make sure to include their handle when I post my review. In same cases, though, I really love their book and nerd out on them a little bit. I’ve found that being genuine and polite when “approaching” the author is key. In a couple of cases, over time, I’ve become friends with some favorite authors. I mean, if a book (or series) really speaks to the reader, chances are decent that the reader and author share some of the same interests.
I would encourage readers to graciously reach out to authors, especially on Twitter. You just might find a new buddy.
Crossroads sounds like an amazing event!
It truly is. I can’t recommend it enough.
It looks like you have had some wonderful interactions. How great is that?! I would love to have a book festival nearby. We have to travel at least 3-6 hours for anything that we do. Of course we always have a great time and make it a girls vacation, but I would love to have something closer.
I really need to learn how to use Twitter better! Thanks for sharing info about how you use it.
Hope you are enjoying Armchair BEA!
I’m curious about the etiquette of approaching authors on twitter. Do you just say I love d yiur book and here’s my review or is it best to be more subtle than this?
I find a standard tweet mentioning the book, the author and the publisher (using their handles) usually gets a notice. From there, if I REALLY liked the book, I might follow up with the author, saying something to the effect of: Hi @author_name, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed XX, especially the character X. Thanks. Give it a try!
Some of my students have been amazed when I’ve tweeted about a book and then the author REPLIES. They think that is just magic. I’m a little too shy to meet authors in person, but I hope to make it to BEA some day!
Try a local book festival first, to get your feet wet.