I subscribe to quite a few author newsletters. Not just because I’m an author, but as a reader I like to keep up with my favorites, too.
As a reader, I want a newsletter to do one of three things:
- Inform me of what’s coming or what has just been released. The truth is I only want an author’s newsletter when something new is releasing, pre-releasing, or something big is happening. This may only be once every month to once every quarter.
- Let me know about sales or freebies. Sure, this could go along with #1, but sometimes sales are happening on older books and I’ll want to share that information with my friends if I already enjoyed the book.
- Let me know about important events or dates. This would include book signings, appearances, or online events that I might be interested in.
Anything beyond this, meh. I mean, if I wanted to know every time my favorite author posted a new blog, I’d subscribe to their blog separately. Some writers are boring bloggers (myself included at times). So keep your blog subscription separate from your newsletter subscription. Check out FeedBurner or Networked Blogs to help you install subscribe buttons for your blog. I subscribe to newsletters to actually get NEWS (about books).
Here are some tips to make your newsletter better:
- Don’t spam readers weekly if you’re not releasing new books weekly. If you do that, we readers will eventually start treating your newsletters as SPAM.
- Don’t start a newsletter and forget it. Try to send out something regularly (once every month or every quarter), even if it is just a SALE or FREEBIE announcement. You want readers to remember you’re there without annoying them. This will also (hopefully) motivate you to release on a more regular schedule, especially if you’re indie. If you can’t release quarterly, consider writing short stories or novellas between books to keep readers interested.
- Put new releases first. Sales and freebies second and important dates or events third. Because that’s how I, as a reader like to see it. I imagine I’m not alone in this.
- Include links to Amazon and Barnes & Noble where I can actually buy your latest book or get the latest deal! Don’t send me to your blog, which will then send me to your book. You might lose me at your blog. I want a direct connection to buy. If you want to include your blog/web link in the newsletter, just throw it in at the bottom.
- I prefer short descriptions as opposed to an entire chapter excerpt within the body of a newsletter. Just link the excerpt and if it looks intriguing, I’ll go to your blog or website to read the excerpt.
- Don’t include full articles in your newsletter. Give me a heading, at most a paragraph description, and then a link to where I can read more. Click-bait me, baby!
- Concentrate on no more than three books per newsletter. I might feel overwhelmed. The point being I want to be able to open the email, get the highlights while I’m having my morning coffee, and click what interests me. If your links are lost behind paragraphs of rambling commentary, I might get bored and move on to the next thing in my inbox.
- Use eye catching taglines and descriptions. Not: “My new book is coming out!” Why not: “Aliens are stealing your lunch on September 1! Pre-Order **Aliens Ate My Lunch** today and save .99 cents! Well damn it – I’m ordering Aliens Ate My Lunch right now if I see that header. And if I’m not ordering, I’m definitely reading the brief description. If that brief description is just as intriguing, I’ll likely buy.
- Include book covers. I like to see pretty book covers.
- Don’t bombard me with the same book month after month. I get it, you only have one book currently available, but there are ways to rectify this. Did I mention short stories and/or novellas between book releases? In the case of one book bombardment, give me updates on your next book first (maybe a cover reveal?), then list appearances, and THEN remind me about your existing book with the cover, title, brief description, and buy links.
- Of course if you are an awesome blogger, go ahead and click-bait me to your blog at the very end. I may not click it all the time, but if you’re entertaining enough, I might.
As a reader, what do YOU like to see in an author newsletter?
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Colorado native Stephanie Connolly-Reisner grew up with a love for reading and writing. She started penning her first stories in grade-school and never stopped. Now much older, she’s a prolific writer who lives along the front range of the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her husband and a couple of very pampered house cats. You can find her and her four author personas at www.the-quadrant.com. She can also be found at Facebook. Stephanie writes under four pseudonyms: S.J. Reisner, Audrey Brice, Anne O’Connell, and S. Connolly.
Interesting (and helpful) points as to content. From a sender’s standpoint, you also have to have the right subject line so people will open the newsletter (and email systems don’t automatically assume it’s spam) and an understanding of reasonable open rates.
Good points, Terry! 🙂
I never sent out an author newsletter. It’s all I can do to keep up with my blog, my website, my Twitter feed, my various Facebook pages (author page and a page for each book released) and my monthly contribution to the RMFW blog. If readers don’t get enough of me from all those sources – and god knows a little of me goes a long way – then they will have to be patient. 🙂
Never underestimate the power of direct marketing! 🙂 I’ve found the newsletter is responsible for more sales than a lot of what I do online (including blogging). That – and talking to people. Talking to people about non-writing things sells more books hands down. 🙂
The advice I’ve received (from multiple sources) is social media belongs to someone else, be it FB or Twitter, or what have you. “Don’t build your castle in someone else’s sandbox.” You own your newsletter email list. Facebook can (and does) restrict who sees your posts, and can, on a whim, delete your page. It happened to a well-known author, also known for her marketing business.
I’m like Kevin, struggling with my To Do List and fearful of adding one more task so I don’t have a newsletter at this time. I do subscribe to several though, and am always eager to hear about my favorite authors/friends new release.