I've been to a lot of author events, readings and signings and the like, and they can be a fun, inspiring way to interact with favorite authors. I recently saw Madeline Miller give a reading and short talk and got to meet her briefly while she signed my copy of Circe. It was a lovely evening, and it got me thinking about other ways I've seen authors interacting with readers and fans. Here are a few that never fail to make me smile.
Patreon Rewards
I see more and more authors starting Patreons so fans can support their work monetarily if they like, and while my feelings about that as a thing that published authors have to do are complicated, the support flowing toward the author and the engagement of the author with fans this allows warms my heart a bit, NGL. And many authors get nicely into the spirit of things, providing exciting and fun rewards for their Patreon supportors, like book swag and exclusive content like short stories in the world of their books.
Engaging on Tumblr
A fair few authors post on Tumblr, but what I love is to see an author with an open ask box who periodically picks some questions to answer. This could be such a chore, and I can certainly see why an author might just keep that ask box closed even if they maintain a presence on the site, so it feels real nice to see authors thoughtfully answering reader questions and engaging with them. Whenever I see a fan tell an author how much they love their work and then the author is all genuine and pleased in response, it gets me right *there,* ya know? Two authors I know of who do this are Neil Gaiman and Diane Duane, should you want to check them out.
Signing Airport Bookstore Stock
This is perhaps my favorite of all the ways I've seen authors engage with fans, probably because it carries with it such potential for genuine surprise and delight for a lucky fan. I've never come across a signed book in an airport bookstore, but several of the authors I follow on Twitter frequently mention that they've signed all the copies of their latest book in the shop in Terminal Whichever at Such-and-Such Airport. And it makes me grin when I see those tweets. Some fan might pick up a book idly and have that little moment of "Oh!" when they see it's signed. Or! Imagine hanging out at your gate scrolling Twitter and seeing that one of your favorites has just finished signing copies in the very airport in which you sit! Such fun.
How do you see authors engaging with fans that hits you in the warm fuzzies?
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