To find an author's email address, check their website's contact page first, then their literary agent, then the publisher's publicity team. If you need many writers rather than one, LeadQuasar lists 1,978 US author contacts, and 1,977 of them include a business email address, searchable by state and city.
Where do authors list their contact details?
Most authors want to be reachable, but through the right door. Match the route to your reason for writing:
- The author's website. Look for a contact page, a page for media or events, or a newsletter whose replies reach the author. Many authors publish one address for readers and another for business.
- The literary agent. For rights, film and translation inquiries, and often for speaking, the agent is the right contact. Authors usually thank their agent in the acknowledgements, and agency websites list their clients with a rights or submissions address.
- The publisher's publicity team. For interviews, review copies and podcast bookings, the publicist on the current book handles requests. Publisher websites usually carry a publicity or media contact.
- A speaking bureau. Authors who speak for a fee are often represented by a bureau that takes booking requests.
- Professional profiles. Social profiles and link pages often point to a business email, and authors who teach usually list a university address.
Fan mail, interview requests and business pitches belong in different inboxes. A pitch for editing services sent to a publicist, or a rights question sent to a reader inbox, tends to go unanswered.
What if the author has no public email address?
Some authors, often the best known, keep their own address private on purpose. You still have routes:
- Use the contact form. A form on the author's site usually reaches the author or an assistant, and it is the channel they chose.
- Write care of the publisher. Publishers generally forward reader mail, though it can take weeks. Put the author's name and the book title on the envelope.
- Go through the agent's office. Agents and their assistants pass on serious business requests, and they decline the rest quickly, which saves you waiting.
- Meet them where they appear. Festival organizers, bookstores and podcast hosts who have booked the author can sometimes make an introduction.
Whatever the route, say in the first line who you are and what you are asking for.
How do you check an author's email before you send?
If you have guessed an address from a pattern, such as a first name at the author's own domain, check it before you send. Bounces damage your sender reputation, so a wrong guess costs more than one email. Our guides on how to verify an email address and catch-all email addresses explain what a check can and cannot tell you, and how to find business email addresses covers the common patterns.
When is an author contact list the better route?
When you want to reach many authors rather than one. Editors and proofreaders, cover designers and formatters, book marketers and publicists, audiobook narrators, podcast hosts and web designers who build author sites all sell to writers, and each author is effectively a one-person business.
LeadQuasar's author list suits that work. Expect a mix: full-time authors, freelance writers and writer-editors, and business owners who wrote a book to support a consulting or speaking practice. That last group often buys more readily, because the book is part of how they earn. The list does not record book sales or bestseller status, so look up each author's titles before you pitch.
| Channel |
Contacts |
Share of 1,978 |
Best use |
| Business email |
1,977 |
99% |
First contact |
| Phone number |
433 |
21% |
A follow-up call where you have one |
State pages, largest first: California, New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois. Each shows that state's count and its cities, which helps if you run local events, workshops or bookstore programs.
How should you write to an author?
Authors read closely. A good email gets a considered reply, and a sloppy one gets remembered.
- Read their work first. Mention one book and say something true about it.
- Say what you do in one sentence. "I edit business nonfiction for first-time authors" is clear. A paragraph about your journey is not.
- Show one relevant example. A cover in their genre, or a launch you ran for a similar book.
- Ask a small question. "Are you working on your next book?" is easier to answer than "Can we schedule a call?"
- Stop after two follow-ups. Authors talk to each other, and persistence past that point costs more than it gains.
Keep it plain text, send from a real name and follow CAN-SPAM. The cold email guide goes deeper on structure.
To build the list, browse author contacts by state or filter in Find Leads; browsing is free. A free account unlocks 50 contacts a day. Pro is $9.99/month for unlimited unlocks and CSV export to your email tool, with a 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Can I look up one specific author's email on LeadQuasar?
The list is built for reaching many authors, not for looking up one famous name, and it may not include the person you want. For a specific author, their website, agent or publisher's publicity team is the faster route.
How many author contacts does LeadQuasar have?
1,978 in the United States. 1,977 include a business email address and 433 a phone number (21%).
Is this a list of bestselling authors?
No. There is no sales or bestseller field. The list covers authors, writers and business owners who publish, so check each person's books before you pitch.
Which states have the most authors in the list?
California has the most, then New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois, each with its own state page.
Browse author contacts by state and city, then create a free account to unlock 50 a day.
