How To Create An Author Newsletter

[@NCmtnborn76]

Solid information. It hadn’t occurred to me that newsletters could be added to my author website giving interested readers a backlog.

[@loridee21]

I just created my website and newsletter last week and although still unpublished, I wanted to start one to build up my author platform. I created my newsletter through Google Docs. Never thought of Mailchimp.

[@christygetscrafty]

This seems so daunting! Especially for someone like me who just finished their first novel and plans to traditionally publish. I appreciate all the advice though.

[@AlexaDonne]

There's no need to jump in yet, if you don't want to! I didn't create a newsletter until I felt confident I would sell, and most don't start one until after they have a book deal. And many authors don't do newsletters at all! Do whatever works best for you :)

[@CHerr-zd2gq]

Thanks. I greatly appreciate all your wonderful advice, it is very helpful to a new and aspiring writer like me.

[@aualdrich]

Alexa, this was so helpful! Thanks so much for sharing. Question: do you ever target specific genre groups? For example, if my book is a mystery, should I try joining forums specific to that genre and building relationships then, when appropriate, offer to share my newsletter?

[@SophiesMediaMagic]

You say "tac" a hell of a lot at one point 😂😂 hehe

[@mjl1966y]

Don't do blog, hardly mention your newsletter on social media. OK, so where do we set up the funnel to get folks to actually see the newsletter invite?

[@Ejcarab]

I guess my biggest question is Where do I upload my newsletter to? maybe I missed it but what site should I put on my newsletter in. I haven't published yet but I am starting to think about my Author Platform. Thanks for the video.

[@NR_Lawson]

Would it still be recommended to have one if your first book is still a wip?

[@scyllagrand]

Do you think a newsletter would be appropriate for a poet who is self-publishing a 40-ish page chapbook every few years? I’m considering starting one.

[@headlightfluid7965]

I know this is pretty late, but I have done work in traditional publishing, and my company published quite a bit of poetry. There’s no right or wrong answer, but poets tend to have smaller and more personal readers than, say, mainstream authors. I think a newsletter would lend itself well for you, especially in conjunction with social media. You need to stay relevant between publications, and social media and newsletters are great for that. Hope this helps!

[@scyllagrand]

@@headlightfluid7965 Thank you for the tips!

[@mjl1966y]

Yeah, just spent two hours with Mailchimp and gave up. I would rather watch a video on BGP than deal with this mess of confusion. You marketing people live in a whole different reality. I remember the orginal Mailchimp; it was pretty straightforward. Inuit has turned it into... something you marketing people understand so the rest of us have to come to you apparently. At any rate, I found Mailchimp incredibly frustrating.

[@a.m.cummins8117]

This was a great video. I am struggling to get people to sign up for my newsletter. How do you attract people to sign up?

[@AlexaDonne]

It's a slow and long process! Honestly you probably won't see decent numbers until you have a book deal and are close to release/post release and seeing a lot of buzz. I only saw a boom in subscribers very recently, after putting out my newsletter and promoting it for 8+ months. You also want to have lots of value in the newsletter so word of mouth starts building where people recommend it to others. So I advise just producing high quality newsletters, and doing your work on the book side, and then letting things grow organically!

[@a.m.cummins8117]

Honestly, you're a superwoman for juggling all of this. I will work on a sparkling newsletter for next month. Thanks for your help!

[@claremccullough]

I didn't need that one-minute explanation of what low-hanging fruit means.