# Share some of your fan mail - more of a treasure than money.



## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

I don't sell many books but I don't think I set out to 'make money' from writing, I just had to write the stories that lived within so that the characters and their lives don't die with me. What I have found that has been an absolute treasure, and more valuable than money to me, are the messages and letters that readers write to say they enjoyed the books - not the reviews left, but the emails and messages that they take the time to send to me personally. 

I haven't found a thread on 'fan mail'  but I'd like to read some of the uplifting messages YOU have received from readers. You don't have to be a best selling author in order to write something that touches someone's life and makes it better, and when the money is long forgotten, the letters from your readers will be the real treasures. Please share a favourite of yours.

I've removed the identifying details of my writer, and of course guess some may think I could have made it up myself, but if anyone Googled me, they'd probably find I'm not the sort of person likely to invent a letter from a reader - I have written and reported for Horse Talk TV, judge at horse shows around Australia, write for horse magazines, etc. -  I really don't need to make up a supportive letter from a reader.  This one, received this morning, has prompted me to do another two thousand words today on the next book in the series.
____________________________________
Dear Mrs. Owens, 

My name is XXX XXX and I am a dyslexia therapist in XXX, XX USA. I wanted to let you know about a student of mine who is seriously dyslexic. She is in the 8th grade and I started working with her in the 4th grade. When we started, she was reading on a 1st grade level. She is now reading on a 5th grade level, but has never really enjoyed reading because it was so difficult. 

She loves horses and rides frequently. One day, I went to Amazon and searched for books about horses and came across your series. We started reading Horses of the Sun. She loved it! 

For the first time ever, she started reading independently. She finished that one and started reading Horses of the Light  without anyone telling her to do so. She is now almost finished reading Horses of the Fire and keeps asking me if you are going to write any more books in the series. Do you have any plans to do so?  I just wanted you to know that your books changed the life of a little girl clear across the world. She finally has found the gift of the enjoyment of reading thanks to you. 

Sincerely, XXX XXX


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## CBB (Nov 14, 2017)

Oh, that just made my heart happy. 

I have none to share, but reading yours was awesome.


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## C. Rysalis (Feb 26, 2015)

Here's a few I treasure...

"Huh. Whew. So. I often wonder about utopic, perfect worlds, and yours is the best one I've come across." (Anathema Serial Epilogue)

"Whew! What a colossal work of art you've given birth to! This story grabbed my attention after I finished WORM, and its kept me astonished and emotionally invested in it's plot, characters and wonderful writing ever since." (Anathema Serial Afterword)

"Thank you for persevering. I have been reading this since it 1st hit topwebfiction, and man have I loved watching you grow as a writer. Congratulations you made it xD" (Epilogue again)

"It doesn't seem like it has really been years since I first read the draft. Your progress has been amazing, and I'm glad I was here to see it all.

Wherever you go in the future, you have people who will follow. Thanks for leading us on this grand adventure, and I am sure the next one will be just as good."


I have several hundred reader comments on my site. Many of them are over 500 words long, one is nearly 1K. Whenever I feel like I can't go on, I go and read some comments. I've only gotten one email but I do have a lot of comments. That's what's awesome about writing web fiction. Readers follow along as you go, post questions, wonder what's going to happen next and come up with theories of their own. I really should hurry and get the rest of these ebooks published.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Caution: as the OP did, please be sure to redact any personally identifiable information from anything you share, especially if it wasn't a public comment.


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## C. Rysalis (Feb 26, 2015)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Caution: as the OP did, please be sure to redact any personally identifiable information from anything you share, especially if it wasn't a public comment.


Yep, left out the usernames and all comments are visible to the general public.


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## Tizzy (Sep 6, 2016)

Do cease and desist letters count as fanmail?


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

lol about the 'cease and desist letters' - if they took the effort to write that to you, they were obviously very moved by your writing, so I'd call that a win.

I think it is fairly common for writers to have the sort of personality that gets disheartened very easily, so messages from readers who loved our work is incredibly powerful. I think I will go and pick a couple of my favourite indie books I've read this past month and send the authors a message (not a review - already done those) to let them know how much I enjoyed their books.


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## J.A. Sutherland (Apr 1, 2014)

This is one that always gets me:



> Mr. Sutherland,
> 
> I stumbled across your books about 6 months ago and fell in love with how you portray the main character, Alexis Carew. I wanted to personally convey my gratitude for your books as I feel a great connection to them on multiple level to include some of the history you portrayed as was as events that occur in officership.
> 
> ...


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## lea_owens (Dec 5, 2011)

That's an amazing letter, J.A. Sutherland - that person's life is a book that needs to be written. Perhaps he (she?) would find solace if he were able to pour out his story so that it was stored outside of him. So lovely to think of how he was drawn to your character...yep, that letter is worth more than money. If you lived to be 100, and were given a final hour to remember the treasures of your life, you will not remember the money from the sales of ten books or a thousand, but you will remember the reader who reached out to you in that letter.


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## Paranormal Kitty (Jun 13, 2017)

Tizzy said:


> Do cease and desist letters count as fanmail?


Of course.


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## jhanel (Dec 22, 2010)

One email I received today:

"I bought your book, Fort Reiley, and loved it. I bought a paperback copy and read through it in two days. It was fun and engaging. Thank you for the ride, and keep up the good work."

NOTE: I love that she mentioned that she bought a paperback, even though I make less that way per sale ... I love that paper is still 'a thing' in this digital world. Made my week!!!


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## XCulletto (Sep 24, 2017)

You're so right--fan mail is so much better to get than money, at least for me. Here's one I got that completely made my day.  

Hi Xela. Just wanted to say that I loved your book! And when is book two out? I am a SciFi fan and there are not that many good clean SciFi written by women. I was surprised when I listened to your book on audible. There is a plot and some powerful emotions in their (I cried in certain parts). It also has action and romance, which are things I love in a book. I listened to this in one day. That's how good it is! Was disappointed when I got to the end. I thought I'll go and buy book two only to find out there was no book two yet. I hope there is a book two! Can't wait for it. From one of your (new) biggest fan. Layla.


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## notjohn (Sep 9, 2016)

One of the great rewards of being a writer in the internet age is the emails that come out of the blue. They go a long way toward making up for the money we used to earn!

I only wish that email friends were more PRESENT, if that makes sense. I have a pal from high school, and another pal from college, and of course all sorts of neighbors and friends. They are durable; they send Christmas cards; they have a drinks party once a year. But email friends can just disappear, and I don't really notice them going....


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## JumpingShip (Jun 3, 2010)

lea_owens said:


> I don't sell many books but I don't think I set out to 'make money' from writing, I just had to write the stories that lived within so that the characters and their lives don't die with me. What I have found that has been an absolute treasure, and more valuable than money to me, are the messages and letters that readers write to say they enjoyed the books - not the reviews left, but the emails and messages that they take the time to send to me personally.
> 
> I haven't found a thread on 'fan mail' but I'd like to read some of the uplifting messages YOU have received from readers. You don't have to be a best selling author in order to write something that touches someone's life and makes it better, and when the money is long forgotten, the letters from your readers will be the real treasures. Please share a favourite of yours.
> 
> ...


That is so awesome! That's exactly how kids become readers--they get hooked by one book and then more like it. My daughter turned from a reluctant reader to an obsessive reader after getting hooked on the Warrior Cat series years ago. Now she has her sights set on becoming a youtube book reviewer.


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## pgsundling (May 2, 2018)

Well, I haven't gotten fan emails yet, but I've gotten some amazing beta reader feedback. Here are some of my favorites:

"I read a lot and it is DEFINITELY in the top 5 best fiction novels I have read in past 3 years and I've read HUNDREDS in that time. Amazing. I can't wait til people read it."
"But it's true that I feel that I will now expect more from books." (I was awestruck for days when I heard that.)
"This book I'm reading now was so slow and boring in some parts that I went back to your book and I've already reread  2 - 3 chapters today."
"Now, your book is on my mind even when I'm not reading it/discussing it."
"Action-packed page-turner."

Most of the beta readers that finished the book read it more than once. So, here I am thinking it's going to be a blockbuster based on the over the top incredible feedback. I hand out like 1,500 bookmarks with my story editor and we've got people laughing at the Festival of Books (150,000 people out in Los Angeles) talking about my book. I promoted my book to my almost 5,000 facebook friends and how many books did I sell the first week? 

13.

It'll take time to figure all this out, so I joined this community. I'll probably get my share of fan mail, but I'm not sure anything will ever top "I will now expect more from books."


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## Joseph Malik (Jul 12, 2016)

The majority of my fan mail comes in two distinct flavors: unpunctuated and spasmodically capitalized rants from the dismayingly gullible who are convinced that the world in my series is real and that I was a member of a clandestine Special Ops unit traveling to other dimensions; or, more commonly--and thank God--selfies from female fans in drafty armor (or less) who seem inappropriately excited about my sequel. Dare I say, some of them appear positively titillated.

Really not much from either group of fans that I can share in good conscience, however.


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## Kal241 (Jan 11, 2017)

Joseph Malik said:


> The majority of my fan mail comes in two distinct flavors: unpunctuated and spasmodically capitalized rants from the dismayingly gullible who are convinced that the world in my series is real and that I was a member of a clandestine Special Ops unit traveling to other dimensions; or, more commonly--and thank God--selfies from female fans in drafty armor (or less) who seem inappropriately excited about my sequel. Dare I say, some of them appear positively titillated.
> 
> Really not much from either group of fans that I can share in good conscience, however.


If you can make people believe that your fictional world is real, I'd say you've done your job. And the female fans clearly love what you're doing, so keep it up!


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## Simon Haynes (Mar 14, 2011)

The best emails are from fans who tell me my novels helped to get them through tough times. Those make me feel like I'm having a positive effect on other people, not just writing funny stories.


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## C. Gold (Jun 12, 2017)

I don't have any fan mail yet, but I have some really stellar reviews. A snippet from my favorite:

_With many fantasy novels. you can skip ahead and not really miss anything important. Not so with the Summoner and the Seer. Like a fine wine, it's better taken slowly and savored to capture the complex notes and flavors versus chugged where it goes down fast but is never memorable._

My book is like a fine wine!  That review had me giddy all day after reading it. Or maybe it was the celebratory wine?


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