Plenty of artists get fan mail. Don't say weird stuff, but otherwise it would be totally fine/normal. Worst case scenario it gets ignored.

Don’t try to find out their address for mail unless they have expressly disclosed a P.O Box number for fan mail. If they have social media write to them there or if they have disclosed an email address then emails are okay.

In my experience those that don’t want to be contacted by readers wont have a way for you to contact them anyway or they won’t respond.

My cat sat herself down on the book The Book Thief, I thought it was cute, took a photo, posted it on Instagram. A little while later someone commented on the photo "my cat did this too when I was writing the book" or something like that. It was the author!

Many authors have a "Contact me" page on their website. Check there for the best email to send fan mail to (or, sometimes, perhaps a posted letter). Many bigger authors will mute their notifications on social media, so tagging them there may not get noticed, but it can be an option, especially for newer/smaller authors...

I will say that as long as you 're reaching out to say how much you've enjoyed something, it will be appreciated. If you're reaching out to let someone know about a spelling error or how you think the story should have ended or anything like that, just don't...but genuine fan letters are welcomed. And from everything I've heard from authors, and other artists, it happens less often than you might think! Of course, a small handful of people get overwhelming attention, but the majority of authors aren't in that club...

I've personally written thank you notes to authors, musicians, actors, directors, set designers, and others through the years. I don't always get a reply, and that's fine. But I often do, even if it's probably a form response. And a few people I've connected with to the point that we regularly stay in touch.

So definitely go for it. All you're doing is putting a little kindness into the world, and that is a good thing!

I got a note from a reader once. I won’t violate her privacy by going into detail but she said my novel helped her realize something about her own life and make a big change that helped her out of a painful situation. That one note made it all worth it — all of the work, stress, and turmoil. Even if I had never sold another copy after that, it still would have been worth it.

Write the note.

Writing fanmail is fine, do it if you want to but don't expect a response. Many will get more than they can read.

I actually chat with a few I like on Discord. :)

in 4th grade i wrote a fan letter to robert newton peck, my favorite author. he wrote me back and it was the highlight of my young life.

Try sending them an introduction letter (or email) with picture of yourself wearing a clown mask, outside their house at night, holding a copy of the days best selling newspaper. If they don’t reply within a week or so just try another author as they are clearly not into the whole fan thing.

Yes. That said, compliment their work. Maybe ask a question. Be careful of criticism (even well intentioned) and remember they don’t owe you a response.

Worked as an editor at a big house. The big authors get such a volume of fan mail they can’t answer it and hire people to go through it for them. The smaller authors are generally THRILLED, totally THRILLED to hear that their book made an impact. (Caveat: authors are people like everyone else. There are some weird, misanthropic authors out there.)

Often authors have websites and you can contact them via their sites.

Definitely okay. Most authors have an email address or form on their websites. We love getting letters from readers. It really is one of the best things about being a writer. The only downside is that I don’t get to write back as often as I’d like.

So, please, write to them. You will probably make their day.

Back when I was running my book review site, I tweeted about a new book coming out that I was really excited about. I said basically 'WHO DO I HAVE TO SLEEP WITH TO GET A REVIEW COPY? I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS!"

You know, sometimes I forget that tweets are public and people read them.

I got a very polite DM from the author saying that wouldn't be necessary and he would have the publisher send me a copy.

So yeah. Maybe don't do that, but it's fine.

I do everything on social media. Tag them in posts about the book or comment on their posts. I go to a lot of book signings too.

I emailed my favorite author because I acquired a first edition of one of their books and was hoping to mail it to them for signature and have them send it back (at my expense). He wrote back and because we live in the same area, he suggested we meet for a coffee and brought signed copies of some of his other books, as well. Not to say that every author can or will respond this way, but you never know!

I think public figures expect the public to reach out to them, but everyone is an individual and some people will love the feedback while others may feel it's a burden. I would think that those that are bothered by public attention have found ways to filter it. They may have an employee or publisher who reads it and responds to those that need a response.

I would check to see if they have a website, that should have info on how to contact them. If they are on social media you can reach out to them there or ask what is the best method to send correspondence.

Yes! Very much okay. Just don't be too disappointed if you don't get a response, or, if you do get a response, if it's more or less generic.

One of my favorite authors killed off one of the major characters at the end of his series and I broke down and cried. This series and that character saved my life in a very real way by giving me a place fictional or not that I could go. I wrote him an email telling him what it all meant to me and he wrote a very nice email back.

Authors are people just like the rest of us treat them how you would anyone else and be respectful.

Check if they are on Twitter. I follow Ann Cleeves and Barbara Nadel on Twitter and tweet when I've enjoyed one of their books or about Ann's tv series. I've gotten replies, which is a buzz.

I love when I get fan mail. Usually email is best, I keep my actual address private for obvious reasons and a PO Box is a bit of a hassle. I always respond, too, but sometimes it takes me a while.

My wife is a cookbook author and gets occasional fan mail. She loves hearing from people. A few weeks ago a librarian from an elementary school asked for our address because a little girl wanted to send her a letter. Apparently this girl kept checking out one of my wife's books over and over and loved it. My wife responded by sending this girl's class a full set of her signed books. So, worst case you get ignored, but most authors really like it unless they are super famous and inundated.

Sending author's fan mail is definitely a thing. Check their social media and see what they use most. Whether it's email or social media.

I remember Brandon Sanderson wrote a lovely blog post I guess about Robert Jordan's passing. Jordan's wife Harriet happened to read it and put Sanderson on a very short list of authors to finish the Wheel of Time series. Finishing the WOT is how I found out about Sanderson.

I’ve tagged authors on social media before when talking about how much I recommend their books, or the positive impact their work has had on me etc etc, and have generally got responses (which surprised me the first couple times) saying, essentially, “Thanks that’s so nice to read.”

I think most creatives like to hear positive feedback on their work, and as long as your message is about their writing and not your perception of the author (or a Stan-style missive) they’re generally happy to receive it.

As long as you do it through the proper channels. Dont show up at their house.

I don’t think most authors get as much attention as you would think so I feel like it would probably make a lot of them feel great to get some positive feedback from a fan.

I’m Facebook friends with my favourite author. She comments whenever I post my cat

Do it!

I sent a handwritten note to a first-time author to tell her how much I enjoyed her book, and she sent me back a very sweet, appreciative letter. She had contact info for snail mail on her website.

Yes.

I contacted Lev Grossman shortly after The Magician King came out, and he was really nice with me - and encouraging too, when I told him I've wanted to write for a long time too.

I email all my favorite authors. Most of them have some kind of Contact me section on their websites. Or even Fb pages. So far all have responded in some way,

Neil Gaiman is on Tumblr, and is very active there. Also one of the only celebrities whose presence is actually enjoyed, not merely tolerated. Also present are Diane Duane and Peter Morwood, and likely several others I haven't found yet. They all interact with followers and fans alike, and are happy to receive messages about their works.

This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but rather a general guide: most creators are happy to receive fanmail by any means, hand-written, typed, electronic, you name it. Just don't be weird or creepy.

I did this. Recently got into fantasy romance and alot of them the writing wasnt….the calibre I was used to - they are what they are and still alot are vastly entertaining. I started a new series and was really, really pleasantly surprised. She didnt have alot of followers and wasnt a name I had seen around alot so I sent her a message on insta just saying how much I enjoyed her books etc. Kinda had anxiety after I sent it because she didnt reply for a couple days but when she did she was so grateful that I reached out! I think it’s great in general but especially important when its newer authors. You’re just putting good vibes out there and the world definitely needs more of that!

Before Twitter got weird I’d always shout out authors there! I’d also tag my local library system if I got it from there. Boosted the book, the author and the library!

A polite letter or email or a positive review, yes.

I've emailed a few authors over the years. Most only once, one fellow twice. You have to be a little patient, these folks have other things to do than clear their email backlog every few hours, but I almost always get a reply within a week, and the replies have always been positive.

Only once did I fail to get a gracious reply, and I feel that was my fault. A favorite author has about 50 short stories spread across half a dozen print collections, all but one decades out of print. I suggested he put together some master collection in ebook form to make it easier for fans to collect all of the stories. He didn't reply.

I feel I should have known better, because on his website he kind of vaguely but firmly mentions he is not interested in revisiting old work and updating it. I was disappointed, but not surprised when he ignored the suggestion and sent no reply.

Yes of course try reaching out to them on Instagram their is a huge bookish community on there

I have occasionally communicated to well known authors by email, snailmail or on Twitter when I had something to say - e.g. when they'd said explicitly that there was something they wanted to know, and I happened to know it. I've never sent generic fanmail but I don't suppose they would have objected.

Send it to their publishers, who will forward it on if the author enjoys interacting with fans or send you a nice note of appreciation and a signed photo (if you're lucky) if the author doesn't want to be bothered or is too old to care.

I'd say just be respectful and don't come off as a lunatic. If they ignore you then leave it at that. If they're successful at all I'm sure they've had plenty of people tell them what their work means. I'm sure they're grateful, but I doubt they respond to everybody.

My favorite author is Cormac McCarthy... I'm pretty sure he would tell me to get fucked if met him and told him what his literature means to me, haha.

I have written ‘fan’ letters to authors frequently. I have received replies several times. The most recent was a handwritten postcard from David sedaris!

I used to send letters to Terry Brooks as a kid. He actually wrote back.

Omg totally do it! I DM all of them on Instagram 😂 I’ve actually built some really solid friendships with a few authors through that medium. I now send my favourite author pictures of myself in various states of distress while reading her work 😂

Haven't seen this mentioned yet, so:
You can write care of the publishing company.

As others mentioned, nothing beats a handwritten letter. But you don't want to go into stalker mode to find the writer's address. Publishing companies will absolutely forward the authors' mails. They might open it first, to screen the weirdos. So, don't write anything horrible, avoid nudie pics (how is that even worth mentioning? anyways), be positive and your letter will reach the writer. Don't send anything else though, like an object, even if it means a lot to you that this writer should receive that object. Red flags.

And yes, speaking for me personally, it's always great to receive a nice message from a reader. Unless you're a superstar, writing is a lonely business.

In my experience, most authors love hearing from readers. Check the author's site for contact info or write/email in care of the publisher. Just don't sound like a stalker. :-) I have heard so many writers say how scary it is to put a book out in the wild and wait to see if people like it. They want to know their creations are enjoyed and appreciated.

I’ve emailed some of my favorite authors who are less popular and usually have gotten a response.

I have, and I'm glad because they've since passed away. As a writer myself, I understand how much time and energy goes into writing a story. Having someone tell me they enjoy my writing and that it moved them makes me feel great, and I'm not even published. So I wanted them to know their impact on me. They were very kind and we had lovely exchanges.

I’ve written to a few authors - well known in their genre but not mega stars like Stephen king or jk Rowling. They all wrote back to me and somewhere in our email exchange they said they don’t get many emails ( which surprised me. They get plenty of reviews and press coverage.) in my email I just expressed specific things they wrote and how it impacted my life and thanked them for writing the book. Brief exchanges, we didn’t become pen pals or friends or anything but they were all very kind.

Yes it’s ok, be prepared to not hear back or worse. My dad wrote to Asimov back in the day and the response he received was … not polite.

I started following a few on Reddit and they both are quite friendly and communicative.

I emailed Chris Pavone (The Expats) because I loved his book so much and he wrote back!

I reached out to my favourite author a few years back (Angie Sage of the Septimus heap series) and she was so lovely, I say go for it :)

Yes, as long as you are respectful. Met a few authors and artists that I have liked over the years.

It's perfectly fine to send fan-letters to your favorite authors. I wish I'd done so more often (before a couple of them died).

I've e-mailed Tony Ballantyne a couple times pestering him about the third book in the Penrose trilogy. :p

I've emailed one! Aiden Chambers. Told him how much I identified with Cordelia Kenn as a young teenager and how much I appreciated how well he wrote female characters. He responded and we had a nice little baxk and forth chat for a few weeks.

I've done this before (at least 5 times now) and have always received a reply (on Twitter, email and even on LinkedIn). But the thing is, I don't send appreciation messages. I ask them doubts I have from their work. Irrespective of whether it's fiction or non-fiction, I've felt authors are very ready to reply to you if you ask them specific doubts from their work. More so if you offer them some good suggestion for inclusion in future revisions.

Worked as an editor at a big house. The big authors get such a volume of fan mail they can’t answer it and hire people to go through it for them. The smaller authors are generally THRILLED, totally THRILLED to hear that their book made an impact. (Caveat: authors are people like everyone else. There are some weird, misanthropic authors out there.)

Often authors have websites and you can contact them via their sites.

I don't see a problem with it as long as you aren't telling them how to do their job, what they need to do to make it better, or how things should have gone in their story, etc. Which it doesn't sound like you have intentions of doing. Most authors have a mailing address or email listed somewhere in their online bio these days. There are a lot that are even available for direct communication through various messing apps. A lot of them are more easily accessible due to social media. Some even have author pages and fan groups that they're active with. If they're bigger name authors you're less likely to get a response though. But from what I've seen, most authors love to get messages like that. It makes them feel good to know that their work has had such a positive impact on people.

My daughter reached out to her favorite very well known author while in high school. She sent him an email on a dare from a friend. To her surprise he actually responded. They became pen pals and he has helped/encouraged her to continue her world building. He has been very helpful, which I hear is not uncommon for this well known author when interacting with young, aspiring writers.

If you are going to do this, don't be a star struck fan. Treat them as people with interests outside writing, and contact them through established, published means. Don't be a creep.

I’ve never done it myself but met someone who does so all the time.

He starts by buying a hardback book. Looks up an address for the author. Then mails the book to the the author with a polite letter requesting an autograph. He includes the return postage so all the author has to do is sign it and send it back.

He has a house full of signed books. He said that authors by and large are very gracious and he has an almost 100% return rate.

Yes you can definitely do it! I love when people reach out regarding my book. I even put a support email (not my personal email) for others to email! (Anonymously) I think it's wholesome when you reach out to an author, especially if their work impacted your life in any meaningful way.

Typically you can write to the publisher and they will try to pass it on, I think. Also, I think a handwritten letter is more personable and would make a better impression than an email.

It's always OK to send nice comments to them. Smaller authors will usually appreciate it, and bigger names will probably have somebody to read their fan mail and pass on some of the good ones to them. If the author has a web site, it will usually have a way to contact them. If not, you can contact their publisher and ask.

You could always let us mods know who your favorite authors are and we can reach out to them about their appearing for an event with the sub where you can ask them questions or just express your appreciation.

I'd need a shovel, sadly.

I’ve connected with many of the authors I enjoy through their social media platforms. Maybe write an insta post about them and tag them in it

Send your love to any writer you enjoy, they will love it, especially if they are not super-famous.

Can’t say much about that, because mine are all dead :(

I've written to Michael Moorcock and Brent Weeks before. Didn't get a response from M.M. (He's eighty, I really didn't expect one), but I did from Weeks. Nice guy!

I messaged an author on Instagram, and he responded ♥️. Said thanks for my sweet message, it was really nice. But agree, just keep it normal 😆. I think someone who has toiled over some work for months/years is prob always happy to hear someone has liked it.

Piers Anthony and Johnathon Kellerman were so nice to me when I emailed them. I was shocked they answered me but so happy

I only email authors who made a big error in their literary work. Only one has replied so far but they weren’t very happy lol

Yes! I teach college English and I once had a student email the author of an essay I taught in the class and she emailed him back! This same author didn’t reply to me but did to my student, which is even better. Go for it, nothing to lose.

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I once read a fascinating book on the history of the diamond industry called Brilliance and Fire and found the author on IG and messaged her to let her know how much I loved the book and it made her day so I say go for it! But I also wouldn’t expect a response depending on how well known or popular the writer is.

I dm a lot of authors. Sometimes they respond! I love authors who are active on Instagram or Twitter

A lot of authors are right here on Reddit. Brandon Sanderson, his reddit name is Mistborn, posts occasionally to give updates. CJ Phipps posts. Others I've seen as well.

I'd write, I know that they definitely appreciate it, BUT remember they DO NOT owe you any kind of a response.

Write them a letter! I've done it a few times for work that's really touched me and have gotten a couple letters back, it's pretty cool and I'm sure appreciated.

Yes! Most of the time. I've even become friends with a couple of them just by frequently interacting with them on social media.

Years ago I wrote a fan letter to my favorite best selling romance novel and not only did she write me back, she sent a signed copy of her newest paperback with a personalized note (her sister spells her name the same way I do apparently:). Go for it!

Authors are as individual as any other group of humans. Some of them love interacting with fans and some don't. Some are active on social media on a daily basis, and some can't stand it and either hire someone to deal with it for them or just ignore it entirely. I would start by looking at what kind of public contacts they put out there. Do they have a website or social media presence? Do you see them regularly engage with readers online? Do they list a public-facing email address? If you can't track any of that down these days, probably the author doesn't do a lot of direct interaction with fans, but as a last resort you can always contact their publisher or agent and ask.

Of course it's okay, just don't be creepy

Authors love to hear positive feedback. It makes them realize their work actually means something. That their work is worth it. So, reach out.

I've chatted with some of my favorite authors on twitter, surprisingly. It's a nice noninvasive way to say hi and comment on when they talk about a book they wrote/are writing.

I started reading indie authors. And have made some friends that way. I know Facebook and everyone’s hatred for it. But I started liking the authors pages and talking in the comment section. Then I became friends with them. Indie authors are down to earth from what I noticed and friendly.

Not-so-famous authors mostly love hearing from readers. It helps us understand what readers who like our books respond it. My website has a contact form on it - this is pretty common. Sometimes there is an email address in the author bio in the book itself. You can also see if they have a Facebook or LinkedIn page through which you can DM them. If you can't find anything, they've probably had too many requests for blurbs etc.

Sometimes, if I post on Twitter about a book I read and liked, I'll tag the author's account (if they have one). Once, the author replied back, a few times I've seen that they "liked" the Tweet. They get to see that someone liked their book, it's a bit of "word of mouth" for the work, and they're free to respond or not as they wish with no pressure.

I have sent fan letters in care of the publisher to two authors. I have been pleasantly surprised to receive thank you letters from these authors.

My main objective was to let the authors know that I appreciated their work and what it meant to me. I was so grateful to have their responses. The letters are tucked in the pages of the books, and they've meant so much to me, as the books continue to do.

Andy Weir did a thing where he shared a PO box address. You could send him a copy of a book with a return shipping label and note on what you want him to write and he'd sign it, repackage it and send it back. I have a copy of The Martian that says "Look! A pair of boobs! -> (.Y.)" it was one of the funniest lines in the book to me

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Like you say, it of course various.

But unless an author has explicitly said they don't like it, I can't imagine most of them are opposed to fan mail. I know I enjoy reading folk's thoughts on my work.

As long as you're not, like.... harrasing them or something, surely it's fine?

As long as you don't go over to where they live.

I wrote an email to an author whose book I enjoyed. They had the usual contact us form on their website. To my surprise, a week after they replied. It felt comforting because it was during a particularly difficult time in my life. As long as you're being respectful, there should be no harm in sending a letter to them.

I wrote to my fave author in college. Fast forward mumblemumble years and she authorized me to do a candle line based on one of her books.

Reach out, and don't be weird. Worst thing that could happen is that you don't get a response.

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>I am a very avid reader

I never understand what is a "avid" reader as redditors use the word. But nevermind it.

If you want to write a fan letter or communication, just do, if authors do not want it, they can not check their mails or whatever (and some do not).

But keep something in mind, sometimes it might be disappointing to know too much about the authors, and it might affect how you enjoy a book. A quote from a favorite book of mine

“Despite the fact that he loves books and owns a bookstore, A.J. does not particularly care for writers. He finds them to be unkempt, narcissistic, silly, and generally unpleasant people. He tries to avoid the ones who've written books he loves for fear that they will ruin their books for him.”