Create an Author Holiday Card to Help Connect with Readers

holiday_card_image_words_cropped_smallIf you’re the type of person who sends a spiffy holiday card and newsletter to your family and friends, you may be the kind of author who wants to do the same to your fans.

As a person, I am definitely all-in on the holiday card and catching-up newsletter. We do a picture (in a costume of some sort), a website and a brief summary of the excitement of the year. Lots of fun for family and friends who want to catch up.

So, how do you translate this to your author persona? Simple. Do the same thing, only author-related and send it to your newsletter subscribers. It’s a chance for you to connect with fans in a way that they normally connect with friends and family. Therefore, we want it to be similar to what we’d send to friends and family. Continue reading “Create an Author Holiday Card to Help Connect with Readers”

Blogs Vs. Newsletters: What’s the Diff?

difference between blogs and newslettersWe’ve published several posts about newsletters recently, including how to put one together and grow an email list. This past week, one of our IU friends, Jacqueline Hopkins-Walton, contacted me in regards to the differences between blogs and newsletters. The basic question posed was “Can they be the same?”

It’s a great question. We spend a lot of time with our blogs and newsletters. Wouldn’t it be great if you only needed one or the other? Continue reading “Blogs Vs. Newsletters: What’s the Diff?”

Developing the Perfect Author Newsletter

Developing an author newsletterNow that you’ve perfected your email list … okay, it takes more than a week … let’s talk about what goes in your author newsletter. I feel that your author newsletter is, or will, become one of the greatest marketing tools you own. Let’s jump in and see what a good author newsletter should look like.

One of the big misconceptions about newsletters is that it needs to be a multipage “book” about you and your writing. Remember, these are the days of 140 character tweets! Keep it simple. Linking your newsletter to your blog or website will allow the reader to access deeper, more extensive content. The number one rule is “The Reader is King.” It’s difficult to do, but you need to think about what the reader wants and design the newsletter for them.

With that in mind, the following are a few ideas to help you design your newsletter. Continue reading “Developing the Perfect Author Newsletter”

Fifteen Ways to Grow Your Email List

news-226931_1280Wow, I never knew you felt that way!

Apparently, many of you are getting fed up with Facebook. Last week’s post generated several comments in regards to Facebook and its effectiveness. Throughout the discussion, email marketing came up as a solid alternative. Personally, I think it is the way to go. It’s a more direct and personal way to communicate with your fans.

I wrote a couple of posts last year on how to get started in email marketing; you can find Email Marketing – A Way to Stand Out in a Crowd and Follow-up to Email Marketing by following the links. Continue reading “Fifteen Ways to Grow Your Email List”