I've been in the habit for a while of following and interacting with some of my favorite authors, especially once I in my opinion stepped up from being a baby blogger and really found a nice, comfortable place in this community with lovely people to talk to and copious amount of fangirling to do. Now, basically anytime I finish a book that had me making heart-eyes at it throughout, I spend a good amount of time after trying to find any and all information I can on what else the author has written, if and when a second book is coming out, and if I really really REALLY like a book if there's anyway to contact the author to possibly work with them by hosting author interviews, giveaways, or book spotlights on my blog. It's an exciting thing to be able to talk with these super cool people who have given you the chance to read their awesome story and fall in love with their characters; even if the extent of the interaction is telling them how much I liked their book over Twitter.
However, all of this is basically put on hold if there's no way to get in contact with the author or find out about possible upcoming releases. It's unusual nowadays to find an author that doesn't at least have a Facebook page, so when I recently stumbled upon an author that I couldn't find even a trace of in social media, I was more than a little surprised and disappointed.
From the point of view of a reader, I was really saddened to see that there was really no way for me to tell this author how much their work had moved me and how much I enjoyed their book. With such a heavy emphasis on social media now, I wasn't used to not being able to learn about whether they had been working on a sequel or if there was any possibility of even working with them to promote and spread the word about this book that I loved. It felt almost like they didn't have these social media account accessible because they didn't particularly want to interact or get to know their readers, which I realize is most likely not true and pretty unfair to the author.
On the other hand, as someone who is looking to become an author herself and is also searchable on google because of this blog, I understand where this author may be coming from: privacy. With this surge in internet use, it's become very easy to learn about people without them realizing it and that can be a scary reality that a lot of people don't want to mess with. This, I totally understand and respect. I know I was concerned with this when I first start my blog and made a twitter. With author's who definitely are in the public's eye at times, I can imagine that having as much privacy as you can is a much needed relief.
So, while it's a little saddening to not be able to contact some authors, I completely understand and respect their thinking on this issue. However, I still wish their was a way for them to spread news about their upcoming works so readers like myself aren't left wondering when or even if there will be more of the story to look forward to.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Have you ever encountered a book whose author was impossible to get into contact with? Is there a way for authors to interact with their readers while still maintaining their privacy? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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