Frequently Asked Questions
about Andrew Vachss
Andrew Vachss is an attorney who represents children and youth exclusively, with 30 years experience in child protective work. He has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social services caseworker, and a labor organizer. He also directed a maximum security prison for "aggressive-violent" youth.
He has written a textbook, numerous non-fiction articles, graphic novels, a "children's book for adults," two collections of short stories and many works of fiction, which have been translated throughout the world. This website includes, among other things, information about Mr. Vachss' current and upcoming work, transcriptions of some of his non-fiction, interviews and photographs.
For a full employment chronology, see Credentials. And for a more in-depth description of Vachss and his works, there are a number of "profiles" here.
Despite what you've read in People or heard on Oprah, it's not "Vox." It's "Vax" … rhymes with "ax" or "tax." The fact that he was born and raised in New York is just a coincidence.
Why have I seen his name spelled "Vacchs," "Vachhs," etc., in a newspaper, magazine or on another website?
Any name that isn't spelled as it sounds is likely to suffer this fate; phonetic attempts produce varying results. A linguist once informed us that there are "three literate misspellings" of Vachss ... "Vacchs," "Vachhs," and "Vaachs." Anyone using a search engine for a few minutes will find ample proof of the validity of that analysis. We've also seen Vochs, Vaches, Vachas, Vaxx, and countless other variations.
How can I get in touch with Andrew Vachss?
Email may be sent using the: CONTACT US page.
Mail may be sent to:
- Andrew Henry Vachss
Law Offices of David Gendelman
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 2810
New York NY 10170-2810
USA
We no longer provide Mr. Vachss' office fax number. Too many have abused this information by faxing voluminous manuscripts, entire court transcripts, and other unsolicited documents for "emergency review." The fax machine is for the use of clients of the law office. It is not a mailbox. Faxes are received from all over the world, at all hours. One single voluminous fax can render the machine unusable for a period of time. Common courtesy requires that advance permission be obtained before faxing dozens and dozens of unsolicited pages. We cannot accommodate the impatience of individuals unknown to us at a cost to those we seek to serve.
Can I send books to Andrew Vachss for him to sign?
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE! THE AUTOGRAPHING SERVICE IS HEREBY SUSPENDED, EFFECTIVELY IMMEDIATELY. TOO MANY MERCHANTS PRETENDING TO BE FANS = TOO MUCH TIME TAKEN FROM OUR OTHER WORK. WHEN WE HAVE FIGURED OUT A MORE EFFECTIVE WAY TO SCREEN AUTOGRAPH REQUESTS, THIS SERVICE WILL RESUME, AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT WILL BE POSTED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
Vachss formerly had a generic reply to this inquiry (below). As you can see from the foregoing, the prophecy, sadly, came to pass.
I am always willing to inscribe my books, provided they are from an individual's collection, not a dealer's inventory. I don't charge for this, and never have. However, I will not sign used books for resellers, multiple copies of remainders, or bookplates. Nor will I respond to "signature only" requests. My goal is to enhance an individual's enjoyment of his/her books, not to enrich eBay merchants. Books received which do not meet the above guidelines will be returned, unsigned. Requests for an "autograph," or an "autographed picture" will be ignored. Lately, a number of individuals ... all wannabe resellers ... have utilized various ruses to (attempt to) subvert these rules. It is neither "slick" nor "clever" to do so. The only result of such activity will be to close down this free service for everyone.
Please note: I will no longer sign galleys, page proofs, Advanced Reading Copies, etc. This material is produced for the sole purpose of obtaining reviews, not to fuel a collector's market nor to encourage those who traffic in such goods. A pristine galley means more money for the seller; as a result, the "collector" market actually encourages reviewers not to even open our books. Indeed, the highest "grade" for galleys is "unread." An "unread" galley is one that didn't do its job. Neither writers nor publishers benefit from the traffic in galleys. The only "winners" are those who sell to collectors. I recognize and respect that production of galleys is expensive for our publishers. I want to do everything in my power to support publishers spending money to create them ... not only because reviews are important, but also because, the temptation to save money by cutting down on the number of galleys-per-title is significant. And, in the current economic climate, the so-called "mid-list" writers and first-novelists will be the ones penalized.
Looking to buy a signed Andrew Vachss book? Well ... then you better look real close. Click here for more information.
Where can I get answers to questions about child abuse?
How can I get help with a research project on child abuse?
The Zero's RESOURCES section contains listings for organizations, agencies, articles, and links (as well as its own search engine, with "advanced search" capabilities), all designed to provide maximum information and assistance in an easy-to-use format.
How did The Zero begin?
Read about the history of this site, the initial creator, those who followed and those who have helped out!
