When you publish your book you are entering a conversation with your readers. Because you are starting a conversation, your readers–your conversation partners–will want to get in touch with you and provide you with valuable feedback that will move this conversation along.
You should add your author contact info to your book so your readers could get in touch with you!
We as book publishers receive lots of requests from readers to pass messages on to our authors, which we do as a courtesy to you. This is proof that your readers need to be able to contact you, otherwise it’s just a one-way conversation.
What should you include as contact info?
The single most important contact information you should include in your book is the link to your website. For example, you could say, “To contact Jane Doe, visit her website at http://www.author-janedoe.info.” Naturally, the website would list either phone, email address (email forms are great!), or even a post office box, depending on what level of information you feel comfortable with. Unless you are selling something, email contact should be enough. If any of your contact information changes later, you won’t need to update your book, just update the info on your website.
You don’t have a website or blog? You should have one, but for now include your email address in your book. If you don’t want to give out your personal AOL email that you use to keep in touch with your family and friends, create a special email address just for your readers. For example, your book would say, “To contact Jane Doe, email her at author_janedoe@hotmail.com” or another email address. (Then think about having your own blog or website.)
Where to include contact info?
The best place to include your website or email info is on the back cover. Everybody looks at the back cover when they read a book. Just in case, do include it on the copyright page as well.
Your readers want to get in touch with you, and it would be rude not to let them!
