Way back when, before I became a book blogger, I never really realized that people actually had the ability to interact with authors. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was within my grasp to actually have conversations with the authors I loved and adored!
In my almost two years of book blogging, I have had some amazing interactions with some truly incredible people. I’ve had an opportunity to talk to an author I’ve idolized for over ten years and I’ve gotten the chance to talk to a new favorite author on the phone about how she got to where she is today! For the most part, it has been an absolutely incredible ride!
However, it hasn’t all been rainbows and butterflies. I regret to inform you that I’ve talked to some authors who have been downright rude and a few that need to climb down off their high horses. Every single time this kind of conversation occurs, it reminds me of just how important author interactions are and I wish this was something that all authors realized.
Although interactions with an author won’t necessarily skew my rating of a book, it has definitely been known to influence whether or not I will read an author’s book in the first place. For example, there was an indie author whose book was soon to be released and I was interested in reviewing it here on the blog. I had already had some interaction with her on Twitter, so I sent an email to inquire after an ARC for review, only to receive a very blunt reply letting me know that she didn’t “give away free copies of books.”
On the other hand, the authors who I’ve had amazing interactions with become auto buy authors for me more often than not. I find myself much more eager to support an author who is pleasant and willing to acknowledge the readers who support them.
Still, there seem to be a large amount of readers who don’t seem to care one way or the other about how authors behave outside of their books. There have been plenty of scandals surrounding authors and reviewers that, in general, don’t appear to have much of an affect on the author’s success.
I am curious to know how much author interaction, not necessarily in person, influences your reading choices, if at all. Have you ever had a negative interaction with an author? Did it change your mind about reading their book? Or maybe you’ve had great conversations that have made you a life-long fan! Let me know in the comments!
