Hi there!
The success of getting contact information for an author is largely
dependent upon whether the author himself wishes to be directly
contacted by fans. Most authors *discourage* this, incidentally -
time they spend answering letters from fans is time they are not
spending working on their latest book, and while they appreciate their
fans very much, they cannot take the time to give each one personal
attention.
Some authors do maintain websites to keep their fans apprised of
what's going on with projects, appearances, and so on:
George RR Martin
http://www.georgerrmartin.com/
Neil Gaiman
http://www.neilgaiman.com
Stephen King
http://www.stephenking.com
Terry Pratchett
http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/
...to name a few.
To find an author's web page, try Googling on the author's name.
Chances are, his web page will be the first hit, or in the first page
of results. Some authors, like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, do have
a means of contacting them on their site, usually a form submission.
Submitting a message through the form does not guarantee that you will
receive a response, though. Others, like George RR Martin, have their
e-mail address on their site - you have to look a bit for it, but it's
there. Others (most) point you instead to their publishers.
To determine an author's current publisher, you need only pick up a
copy of his most recently published book, and flip to the copyright
page. This page will tell you the Library of Congress number for the
book, ISBN, the copyright date, the edition, and the name of the
publisher. Occasionally, the publisher's full mailing address is
included on the copyright information page, other times it will be
included on a page at the back of the book.
In the somewhat rare event that the publisher's mailing address is not
included anywhere on the book, you can Google on the publisher's name.
The publisher's website is usually the first hit, or in the first
page of results - from there, you'll be able to find the mailing
address.
Publishers *will not* give you the contact information for *any* of
their authors, nor are they likely to provide you with the name of
your favorite author's agent (if he has one). They will, however,
forward any mail intended for a particular author to him. Again, this
is no guarantee that you'll receive a response - authors are busy,
what with writing their latest, dealing with publishers and contracts,
and travelling for book tours and conventions.
Some authors maintain open discussion with their fans through services
such as the WELL:
The WELL
http://www.thewell.com
Membership at the WELL starts at $10/month, and allows you access to
WELL Conferences in hundreds of topics. Both Terry Pratchett and Neil
Gaiman have recently participated in WELL conferences, answering
questions and engaging in discussion with fans through the WELL
"Engaged" conferences, you can find out if your favorite author is
participating in one by contacting his publisher.
I hope this helps you find what you need! Good luck!
--Missy |
