Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
Does knowing you will be added to author mailing lists stop you entering multi-author contests?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
Yes. Some of them are sneaky and the note saying you will be added is in the tiny print or in a place you don’t notice. One last year I reread the post several times and it wasn’t mentioned. It was in the fine print on the entry form where most wouldn’t notice. If I had notice I would have thought twice but I just unsubbed from nearly all newsletters after joining. It is even worse when authors don’t check if you are already on their lists. A couple I had to unsub and resub and I know doing this can cause issues with mailing lists.
If they are clear I will be entered then I will see what the prize is and what is included. If there are only a few I would like then I won’t enter. It is the same with the free books via book funnel most you have to join mailing lists so again I normally don’t bother unless I really want to be on the list. I feel bad getting the freebie then unsubbing. Sometimes I will wait for the second email but if its the welcome sequence then I normally will unsub regardless of who the author is as it frustrates me.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
Hi Jenny
It depends on the author and what I know about them. If I feel confident about how they handle subscriptions, I might enter the contest.
I agree if its a single author but for multiple giveaways where you are added to all lists I would rather not or if I do the author has to be expecting people to unsubscribe.
Probably not. Personally I get annoyed with all the emails that can bomb your inbox from some newsletters, so I tend to subscribe carefully, and unsubscribe liberally. And same goes for my subscribers. Weekly emails from me-no thanks. I don’t want that from lists I subscribe to, why would they?
Monthly is ok but bi-monthly even quarterly is better.
I totally agree. I am on one that is weekly but we get given a choice of weekly or monthly. I stay weekly cos of the cat updates. But most weekly I unsubscribe from. I actually like less frequent ones myself. I figure authors must know that readers will unsubscribe from lists.
If it was clear that I was going to be added to a number of mailing lists, I probably wouldn’t do it. I get so many emails already and it’s hard keeping up with the authors I want to follow. There have also been a few times when I wouldn’t mind entering a multi-author competition, but the instructions have been quite complicated and I’ve decided it’s not worth it.
I agree when the instructions are complicated I too have decided not to enter. Also when its not clear if Aussies can enter I often won’t. Its the ones that don’t have it written clear that I have entered to end up being added to lists.
It would stop me from entering.
Thanks for the reply. I agree. I have entered a couple not knowing I was entering. I went back after it ended and I got the newsletters to find out the info was on the entry form not in the blog.
I also found with the free books via book funnel it says join the mailing list so I clicked it thinking that was how I got the book but have found you don’t have to join the mailing list to get it. Its really helpful knowing that.