Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
What inspires you to keep subscribing to an author’s newsletter?
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!
I am not sure what imspires me to keep subscribing. It would probably be a newsletter that is engaging. Not to often ie once a month or less. Also a newsletter that isn’t buy my book or now you have read it please review. Which gets repeated every newsletter. I like newsletters that have some news about the author (an pets) ones that ask questions and interact with readers.
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.
I appreciate opportunities to interact with an author. It’s nice to be seen as a very real person who enjoys their gift, not just a statistic.I realize volume can prevent this, but love the opportunity!
Thanks for commenting, Penny.
Tell me when your new book is out. Tell me what the next book will be about. Tell me something about yourself that’s personal and related to your writing, not just a generic sharing. E.g. the author wrote to explain she struggled to get the book out by the deadline because COVID had taken the family out for a whole month, then she got COVID fog. But only share something personal if there is something to share.
Don’t write unless you have something worth saying. Most authors seems to miss that. However one author who used to annoy me with too many emails has changed her format. Emails are for book related news. Or an announcement for a zoom meeting. Now, those of us who only want the basic news don’t get bothered with tons of fluffy emails. And those who want more interaction can just join the zoom meetings.
I fully agree, sometimes less is more and readers can tell when a newsletter is rushed or written out of obligation and not out of wanting to connect. Yes if an author is struggling like one recently family have been unwell, then a parent passed away etc and they are behind and it gives readers something to pray about and we realise authors have real lives.
One author who’s list I am on has the option of weekly or monthly which is good too
I like to see a peak behind the scenes. How’s your writing area set up? what stage are you at on your current book? how are you juggling writing with your other commitments, family life etc? It’s all tremendously encouraging to any of us starting out trying to write. I saw in a recent author newsletter a picture of her open laptop, with half a page written in a Word document – aha I thinks! if these published authors are just using Word, I really don’t need to buy some scribe software or the other, I can use what I’ve got. Relatable and real makes the writing process feel less mysterious and more possible!
thanks for commenting and glad the photo in a newsletter helped to show word is enough. I am sure different authors use different things but most say the most important thing is to write.