Contact by Email
Thank you for visiting! Unfortunately at the present time Mr. Riordan is not able to accept email through his website because of his writing schedule. In order to get the next book finished in a timely fashion so you don’t have to wait any longer than necessary to read it, he has to keep focused on the writing! The previous email addresses for the website have been disabled, and responses are not possible. However, the most commonly asked questions are answered below.
Rick’s Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions:
1. I have a question or comment about the Percy Jackson movie.
Answer: Sorry, that’s not my department! I can only tell you that the movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, released Feb. 12, 2010 and directed by Chris Columbus, was based on my book The Lightning Thief. Understand that I did not write the script or help make the movie. I just write the books. I can’t comment or provide any additional information about the movie version.
2. Did you have any control over the movie?
Answer: No. When an author sells the rights to a book, typically full creative control goes to the movie studio and director — in this case, Fox 2000 and Chris Columbus. The movie rights to Lightning Thief were sold over five years ago, before the book was even published. I made the decision to sell the rights so early because it brought lots of public attention to the books and helped the series catch on. However, once the movie rights are sold, the author has no control over what happens in the movie. I did read a version of the script and got to make some suggestions, but that was the extent of my involvement. I can’t tell you anything further about the movie. Nor can I give you contact information for anyone who was involved in the movie. Sorry!
3. I want to be in the movies. Do you have any information on casting?
Answer: No. As I said, I was not involved with making the movie, nor did I have any control or input on the casting choices for the first movie. I don’t know if future movies will be made, and if they are, I again will have nothing to do with the casting process.
4. What about a Percy video game?
Fox owns those rights as part of the movie deal. I understand there is a Nintendo DS game associated with the movie release, but I have no other information on plans for other video games or other merchandise.
5. How many books are in the Percy Jackson series, and would you please write more than that?
Answer: Percy Jackson & the Olympians is a five book series. The main story that started in The Lightning Thief is wrapped up in The Last Olympian. I believe it’s important for a series to have a strong ending, and I always knew that Percy’s story would be five books. I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the series, but if I tried to keep it going longer it just would not be as exciting. All good things must end, guys!
Having said that, I had a ton of ideas from Greek mythology that I could not fit into the Percy Jackson series, and there were many other stories about the characters at Camp Half-Blood that I wanted to explore. Because of this, I will be launching a second, separate Camp Half-Blood series starting in late 2010. You will see many of your favorite characters from PJO again in those books (I can’t tell you which ones), but there will also be a cast of new main characters. I know you’re thinking it won’t be the same, but that’s exactly the point; I don’t want it to be the same. A story has to keep developing to be fresh, and if the author gets bored, the reader will get bored too.
Be patient and keep an open mind — you’ll see where I’m going with it when the new series begins, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. I can promise it’s not the end for Percy and the gang; it’s a new twist. It’s way too early to tell you anything more about it. As soon as I’m ready to share more, I’ll post information on the website. When you read the ending of Last Olympian, though, you may have some ideas about where the next series is heading. (Hint: Rachel’s prophecy.)
6. When does the next book come out?
Answer: Book five, THE LAST OLYMPIAN, was published in hardcover on May 5, 2009, in the US, Canada and the UK. The paperback version usually comes out a year after the hardcover. I will have a new fantasy adventure series about Egyptian mythology (not related to the Percy Jackson series) starting May 4, 2010. That series is called The Kane Chronicles and the first book will be The Red Pyramid. More info about that will be released soon. The second Camp Half-Blood series should follow in late fall of 2010. Stay tuned to the website for more!
7. Can you tell me the titles, release dates, or anything about what happens in your future books?
Answer: No, sorry! Anything that isn’t posted on the website, I can’t tell you!
8. Do you have any advice for writers?
Answer: You bet! Check the website here. I’m not able to read and provide individual comments on people’s stories because I have to spend most of my time on my own writing, but hopefully the advice on the website will help you!
9. I’m interested in booking an event with Rick Riordan. How do I do this?
Answer: Unfortunately because of my writing schedule I’m no longer booking events. Check the website here for more information.
10. Where did you get your inspiration for the Percy Jackson series?
Answer: Check the website here.
11. I’m doing a report for school. Can you give me some information?
The website has a ton of information for school reports. Check here for biographical information on me. Read an interview with me here. These are just to get you started. There’s much more. I can’t do individual interviews for school reports, but do some searching around the website and you should find everything you need. Good luck with your project!
12. How can I get a signed book?
I always post my public events on my web calendar. Most of these events happen around the time a new book is released, and the next tour will be May 2010. If you don’t live close to an event, you can contact any store that is hosting me and preorder signed books. The store will get your books signed on the day I do my event. Then they will ship them to you. Alternately, you can contact my neighborhood independent bookstore, The Twig, and request a special order. I go in there from time to time and can sign books when I visit. Understand, though, that it may be weeks before I get by the store, so don’t expect personalized books to be available for immediate delivery. Please don’t attempt to mail your books to me for signature. I get too many requests to accommodate shipments of books, and by the time they get to me (if they get to me) they tend to be in pretty bad shape.
13. Why are there different authors for the 39 Clues books?
There will be ten books in the 39 Clues series and each will be written by a different author. I designed the general story arc for the whole series and authored the first book, Maze of Bones, but the other books will be published in such rapid succession — roughly one book every three months — that it would be impossible for me or any other author to write them all. The editorial team works with each author to make sure the story and the characters stay consistent, but they also allow each author to bring their own personal flair to the story.
14. I need something else to read! Can you recommend any books?
You bet! Check the website here.
15. Is there really a Camp Half-Blood, and can you make one in my town?
I know of two bookstores that run summer programs inspired by Camp Half-Blood. One is BookPeople in Austin, Texas. The other is the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia. You can find both bookstores online. Both are great, but I don’t run the camps myself so I can’t give you any information. You’d need to contact the stores. Running a camp takes a huge amount of time and energy, which is why only a few stores in the US have them. It’d be cool if I had strike teams ready to deploy and set up camps across the country, but alas, I don’t. The camps that do exist happened because some great booksellers in those communities decided to take on the challenge.
16. If two demigods had a child, would that child be a quarter-blood, a demigod, or what?
Most half-bloods don’t live long enough to have children. Their lives are simply too dangerous. If they did have children, the kids would probably pass for normal mortals, since the godly powers get diluted with each generation. If the parents were extremely strong, the child might be more like a demigod.
17. I love the series so much I’d like to continue writing the books myself. Can I have permission to use your characters and ideas?
I’m honored you like the series so much, and I get this question frequently, but my publisher would be pretty upset if I gave anyone else permission to write about Percy. All my stories are copyrighted. If you’re writing stories just for your own amusement and not planning to publish or share them, that’s no big deal. But if you are hoping to write a book that would be published some day, you need to come up with your own characters, settings, and stories. Of course, Greek mythology itself is thousands of years old. Anyone can write about the gods and monsters. Perhaps you can come up with your own original spin on that material.
18. I know it says I can’t email you, but can I email you anyway?
I’m sorry, but I can’t respond to emails at the present time. Like Percy, I’m pretty ADHD, and there are simply too many messages right now that distract me from my writing. If that changes sometime in the future, I will post the information on this website. But for now, the best way that I can communicate with you is by writing the best story I can for you to read, and writing it as quickly as I can. That’s what I’m working on. Thanks for understanding!
Contact by Regular Mail:
You can send letters to Rick in care of his publisher:
Rick Riordan
c/o Hyperion Books for Children
114 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
This is the only address through which Rick accepts fan mail. Just be aware that it can take several months for mail to be forwarded to Rick in this way. Rick always reads fan letters, but due to the large volume of mail he receives, he cannot respond personally to every letter.
Please DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SEND BOOKS THROUGH THE MAIL FOR AUTOGRAPHS. We cannot accommodate such shipments, and will not be responsible for the condition or return of books sent through the mail.
