Author Newsletters: A Love/Hate Relationship

Recently I attended a writing day with some authorly type buddies of mine. These are the big kids. The ones who've zipped around the writerly block on their scooters a time or two -- without skinning their knees. Honestly, I just try to keep my mouth shut so drool doesn't leak out at the corners.

Anyway, the topic of author newsletters came up. They all have one. Every last one . . . except for moi. Talk about peer pressure. 

So, I voiced my biggest concern, that hey, who really needs one more stupid piece of spam filling their inbox? But here's the deal . . . apparently when people sign up for a newsletter, they actually want the dang thing. Go figure.

Hence my little venture into doing a giveaway (yes, you can still enter HERE) wherein people get a chance not only to sign up for my newsletter, but possibly win an audiobook as well. Can anyone say carrot and stick?

I figured that before I actually go sending out a newsletter, I'd better do some research on what goes into a good one, and what makes one end up in the trash . . .

What To Put Into a Newsletter

• snappy content that has takeaway value for the reader, in bullet points or links, not uber long paragraphs
• an attention grabbing subject line
• introduce readers to something that expands their world -- a new author buddy, for instance
• a call to action -- nothing grandiose like save all the starving children in Zimbabwe, but a smaller task such as be my friend on Goodreads
• an unsubscribe button -- which seems counterintuitive but makes for happy, happy people
• timely updates on new products, such as new books
• a forward button or social media share buttons

What To Leave Out of a Newsletter

• sales pitches that beat the snot out of the reader
• pop-ups
• third-grade grammar mistakes
• fonts galore with crazy type sizes turning the whole page into a clown-filled circus

So, I guess I'll give this newsletter thing a whirl, probably three times a year. What are some of your favorite things about newsletters? Anything I missed? Leave your sage advice in the comment section.