Contact info

 

You can write to me at storytellers@worldnet.att.net. While I read, and appreciate, every fan letter I get, I don’t always have time to respond, so please don’t be offended if you don’t hear back from me. If you are writing to me with a special request, please check the list below, first.

If you want to get a book signed — If you’d like a signed copy of any of my in-print books, and you haven’t already purchased it, you can contact Queen Anne Books in Seattle at 206-283-5624 or qaabooks@qwest.net. Tell them what you want and they’ll order it, get me to sign it, and ship it to you, usually within a few days.

If you’ve already bought the book, or if you’d like me to sign a first or otherwise out-of-print edition, or an advance reader’s copy, I’m happy to do that too, but it may take a bit longer. Send me an email with “SIGN MY BOOK” in the subject header and I’ll tell you what to do.

Finally, if you’d like to buy a signed first edition of Sewer, Gas & Electric or Set This House in Order, I happen to have a few lying around the house. Send me an email with “SIGNED FIRST EDITION” in the subject header and I’ll tell you what to do. At the present time, I do not have any first edition copies of Fool on the Hill that I am willing to part with, although if you find one on your own—abebooks.com is a good place to look—I’ll gladly sign it for you.

If you are interested in acquiring film, TV, or other subsidiary rights to one of my novels — They’re available, but I’m not the person you need to be talking to.

For film or TV rights, contact: Matthew Snyder, Creative Artists Agency, 424-288-2000

For all other rights, contact: Melanie Jackson, Melanie Jackson Agency, 212-873-3373

If you want to arrange an interview — I’m always happy to do this. Please put “INTERVIEW REQUEST” in the subject header of your message as a reminder to me, and be sure and let me know what publication the interview is for.

If you want me to give a reading at your bookstore or visit your book club — Schedule permitting, I’m happy to oblige. Since I live in Seattle, bookstore/book club appearances within easy travel distance of there are, obviously, the easiest to arrange.

If you want me to read your unpublished manuscript — I am the wrong person for this. A proper book critique takes more time than I am generally willing to spare, and even if time were not a factor, I’ve had one too many traumatic experiences with people who asked for my honest opinion of their work and then ended up in therapy when I gave it to them.

If you want me to blurb your soon-to-be-published novel — Your odds are somewhat better here, although even if I like your book enough to blurb it, your publicist may not be thrilled with what I have to say. For example, when asked to blurb David Grand’s Louse—a surreal novel about a guy working as a personal servant to Howard Hughes during his last days—my first draft was something along the lines of: “From the plot description, you would expect this book to suck, but it was actually surprisingly good.”

If the above does not dissuade you, have your editor send a galley or review copy to Matt Ruff c/o Alison Callahan,  HarperCollinsPublishers, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, NY 10022.

If you want my involvement in some sort of project — Almost anything business related should be addressed to my agent, Melanie Jackson (see above). Be aware that I am generally pretty busy with projects of my own. Also, I strongly prefer to work alone, so while I’m flattered to be asked to collaborate on stuff, I usually say no.

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