The long-awaited part 2
The past few weeks I have been seeing the yearly multi author giveaway with a prize just for international readers. This is $500 Amazon card and eBooks. Well, I do love eBooks and a $500 Amazon card would be amazing. However, my mind went back to last year and all the new lists I was added to. All the welcome sequences and all the newsletters sent within days of the contest ending. Ironically, I was still getting new newsletters well into this year and no idea who the author was cos they didn’t say how I was added to the list. My mind said NO you can’t handle all those emails so I will not be signing up. I still have times I see several emails and they get left for a few days.
Why I stay on lists.
It’s not all bad news there are author newsletters I look forward to and I will share a few and explain why.
Autumn Macarthur
Autumn has updates on what she is doing often including cat updates. They are spending time working on a forever home and I enjoy reading her updates. She also has a pet section often her own cats but an opportunity for readers to share their pets also. She also shares different promos and talks about her writing progress. I love that she is passionate about other author books but I never feel that you must buy my book feel. She has an option for weekly or monthly newsletters.
Meghann Whistler
Meghann’s newsletters are always interesting for similar reasons to Autumns. She shares what her family is up to and her writing journey. Again no hard sell. What I also love is Meghann normally has a poll question for readers to vote on. The next newsletter we get the results.
Narelle Atkins
Narelle’s newsletters again have some news of what is happening in her life and like the others it’s only a paragraph or two. Links to her Fan Girling with Narelle and book reviews. She then has a giveaway a choice of normally two books that one reader can win. Normally ending with a question and a prayer request.
Dienece Darling
Dienece’s newsletter are similar with personal news, updates. What I really like is the tidbits from Dienece’s research. It’s always fun learning new fun facts. I also love how she also has polls where we can decide things for her books.
What else I enjoy
There are other newsletters I look forward to and a couple I look forward to for certain elements. One has a jigsaw which I love to do but I admit if not for the jigsaw I would be unsubscribing. In one newsletter a pet takes over and gives us an insight from the viewpoint of the pet. Another the authors WIP character takes over for a section. It’s these differences that make the newsletters fun to read. I do enjoy polls, questions and interaction.
What I don’t like
Being constantly asked to review a book can be both tiring and frustrating. Worse is the assumption I bought or borrowed the book the day the book released and have had time to read said book. Also, when offering a free book, the next newsletter assumes the book has been read and again the request for a review. I am one who rarely downloads a free book. The reason is I know I don’t have time to read the book even if it’s short. Of the 70+ newsletters I was added to last year I downloaded a total of two free books and neither has been read yet.
The constant begging for reviews is very off putting. Occasionally I can handle but every newsletter screams desperation. It is on a par with the hard sell. I don’t mind a link to buy books although having half the newsletter taken up with links to every available book is off putting. Newsletters where authors try to guilt readers who haven’t bought a new release are frustrating. I can’t afford to buy all the books by every newsletter I am on. When the book is on sale I love to know if I can buy it in Australia. I also have a list of books for when I can get another trial on KU.
The takeout is I will not be joining the multi author giveaway because I can’t handle all the new lists and the emails when I am already on a list. Will I join any again the answer really depends but right now I am happy with the newsletters I receive.
Hi Jenny, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on author newsletters and thank you for mentioning my newsletter. My approach is to try and offer my newsletter readers something of value and I hope they look forward to receiving my monthly newsletter. The date I send my newsletter moves around (between 10th-20th) depending on promos and other things. I’m sending my June newsletter tomorrow (16th).
I hear and understand your frustrations regarding the process for being added to newsletters after providing consent via entering a multi-author giveaway.
Full disclosure: I’m assisting the organiser with the admin for the giveaway you’ve mentioned.
My process for adding new subscribers always includes downloading my full list and checking for duplicate emails.
If a giveaway entrant has ever subscribed to my newsletter (I keep all the unsubscribe history going back 10 plus years and never delete emails from the unsubscribe list) I remove their email and I won’t add them to my new subscriber list.
I also don’t have a long welcome email sequence. A single email is all I send. If I did have a welcome sequence for adding new subscribers, I’d disable it for the giveaway subscriber list and send one email only for all the reasons you’ve mentioned.
Giveaway organisers have no control over how the individual authors manage the data (entrant email addresses) after the giveaway. The giveaways are set up with all the necessary consents from a legal perspective and entrants know that entering the giveaway will add them to participating author newsletter lists.
thanks for commenting. the we know we are being added is true and this contest it is clearly stated. There are some contests where there is fine print and it is fine print not easy to see that you are consenting to being added. It often isn’t on the information page but when you sign up it is in small print at the bottom of the form but unless you read the whole form before submitting you don’t see it. I have been stung by a few set up this way. I even went back to read all the info on the landing page and it wasn’t there.
I did join a Christmas in July promo where there is a free ebook for about 25 days as there were a couple books I am interested and while I will be added to newsletters I will always walk away with a few free books that I would like to read. Hopefully these authors will check if I am already on their list.
Interesting. I have always disagreed with all people in a giveaway being automatically signed up with an author’s newsletter. The two giveaways I run, it is opt in. This increases the likelihood that the subscriber actually wants to be on the list.
I like that Christine. Some of the ones where you get extra points for signing up I don’t unless I want to. With the Christmas in July there are so many genres including ones I don’t read. but last year at least 10 or more who’s lists I was already on sent welcome emails. at least 3 sent the welcome sequence a second time.
I have a KU wish list too!
And funny enough, I was just thinking about asking people why they read my newsletter. 🙂 Thanks for your insight into why you do!
Your welcome Dienece. everyone likes different things. I have again had one author send several newsletters this week because of a new release (I won’t be staying subscribed much longer). I don’t mind being told of a new release but several in one week gets frustrating.
Yeah, I don’t much like it when they do that either. The courses on newsletters all day we can send more during release week but personally I was like… Yay, there is a limit though.