Being productive isn’t just about getting more done. It’s about carefully choosing the activities you want to accomplish. If one of those activities is creating or improving an author newsletter, this post is for you.
Newsletters are a way to directly connect with an audience who wants to hear from you. In her Email Newsletters for Authors: Get Started Guide, Jane Friedman summarizes the main newsletter benefit: “. . . email has so far proven to be a more long-term and stable tool than social media, which is constantly shifting. . . .You truly own your email list, unlike Facebook or Twitter accounts. And if you use people’s email addresses with respect . . . those addresses can become resources that grow more valuable over time.”
This doesn't mean an author newsletter is the best use of your time. But if you do decide to create one, here are five steps with resources to guide you.
This doesn't mean an author newsletter is the best use of your time. But if you do decide to create one, here are five steps with resources to guide you.
- Choose a provider. I use Mailchimp, which is free up to 2000 contacts. Other options include MailerLite, Constant Contact, and Substack.
- Build an audience. This can be through social media, blogging, or through a sign-up sheet at in-person book events. For more information, check out How to Grow Your Email List by Kirsten Oliphant.
- Create a schedule, such as monthly or weekly. I admit to not being very consistent with sending out my own newsletter, but there’s a good argument for consistency (and other related advice) in No Unicorns: The Right Way to Grow Your Personal Mailing List by Paul Jarvis.
- Decide on your tone (friendly? informational?) and content structure. I typically include book news, other items that might be of interest (like a favorite new read), and end with a fun meme. Cheryl Reif offers four types of content here. Whether your newsletter is newsy or more essay-driven, pick a format that you’ll enjoy sustaining over time.
- When to begin? In the “How to Create an Author Newsletter” article in Poets & Writers (Sept/Oct 2021), the poet Yanyi said, ‘The right time to start a newsletter is when you have a concept, when you have a structure, and when you have the energy to execute it.’
Some of my favorite newsletters:
- Draft Mode by Iain Broome combines personal updates with practical links of the week.
- On the Verge by Jody Casella. She writes mini-essays in a storytelling voice that I love.
- Electric Speed by Jane Friedman. I learn something new from every issue.
- B.read.crumbs by Julie Herman and Deborah Zenha-Adams. A newsletter with helpful advice in a friendly, conversational tone. The latest issue has an interesting guest post about book promotion.
On to the IWSG Blog Hop. . . .
Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question. I'm skipping this month's question (When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?) but sending many thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s blog co-hosts: Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery.
Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question. I'm skipping this month's question (When you set out to write a story, do you try to be more original or do you try to give readers what they want?) but sending many thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s blog co-hosts: Tara Tyler, Lisa Buie Collard, Loni Townsend, and Lee Lowery.
"It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" ~Henry David Thoreau
If you have an author newsletter, drop the link in the comments. You can sign up for mine at http://tinyurl.com/yv-newsletter.
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