Authors who write letters...

Lois McMaster Bujold posted an interesting link to a form letter written by Robert Heinlein to answer letters from fans. The letter itself is entertianing enough, but I was interested in this comment by the person who put up the letter:

While getting a form letter back might be thought rude, it was much better than being ignored, and besides, the other questions you did not ask were also answered! Indeed, it is both remarkable and heartwarming that Heinlein replied at all to most mail. Can you imagine other great authors doing the same -- even with a form letter?

To which my rather-too-easy answer is 'yes'. Dunnett fans have long been amazed and impressed by the prompt, courteous, hand-written notes with which she replied to every piece of fan mail she received. This sometimes this blossomed into full and enduring correspondence, especially in the early years.

I have not written to as many authors as I think I should, but when I have, I have always received responses - and I sometimes ended up with a new friend because of it.

Don't most authors reply to fan mail? Have people here had experience with authors who didn't? who were they? I can understand writers being too busy to correspond, but my actual experience has been that they love getting fan mail and often feel moved to respond.

Perhaps Heinlein's reponse would have been different if the letters were from kids asking me to do their homework. But even that - it seems to me that interviewing a writer is not necessarily a bad way to approach an assignment.