Writing A Better Newsletter

I have done newsletters on and off over the years. Right now I am developing a newsletter that will, hopefully, help me promote my writing. I send it out on a monthly basis, and tweak it as I get feedback. (Many thanks to my friend Jamie Morris for her wonderful suggestions!)

I am always looking for ways to ramp up my newsetter. I do have the target audience - people who read my work, and other authors. I try to vary the content enough to hold the attention of my newsletter audience. (I was aghast to find out that having 10% of those that received my newsletter actually opening it was a good percentage! Note to self - write better subject lines!)

I include links to writing related articles, blogs, and tools that have crossed my path. From time to time I will include links to other authors whose work I admire. I also include links to books that I already have out there, and snippets from my WIP (thank you Jamie for this suggestion!).

Things that we can all do to make our newsletters better are:

1. Keep our intended audience in mind when pulling the newsletter together.
2. Create an editorial calender. For me, since my newsletter goes out monthly, that would be creating a list of twelve topics that I would like to address. the months that have major holidays I cheat, and use the holiday to base my newsletter around.
3. Format the newsletter to look professional.
4. Use an professional e-mail sender, such as Mail Chimp.
5. Make you newsletter easy to scan, with bold headlines. People won't read your newsletter unless they see something that interests them.
6.  Give your readers information (or links to information) they can actually use!
7. Include links to your previous work - I have links to four of my books at the end of my newsletter.
8. Include a pic of yourself, so that your readers can relate to you on a personal level.
9. Be consistent - don't ramble!
10. Make sure your readers can opt out easily if they want to.
11. Ad images to create interest.
12. Use a logo and tagline that will brand you for your readers.
13. Include links to your professional site, as well as your social media sites.
14. Check your newsletter before you send it, checking for spelling, grammar, and consistent photo size. 

(c) January 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission from the author.

Promoting Books On Twitter

I have to admit that I used to put much more effort to working with Twitter than I do now. I know that it has more to offer than I am making use of, which is why I was attracted to an article that I saw on promoting books on Twitter. (Here is the link, so you can red it in its entirety - How To Promote Books On Twitter.) 

Spoiler alert - the article starts at day one - how to sign up for Twitter!  Then it moves on to the basics of creating a profile, how to Tweet, how to follow people, and how to get them to follow you. Personally, I wish that this had been presented as a separate article. If you are already on Twitter, I woud just move right down to the meat of this article, which is selling books with Twitter!

The first thing addressed here is hashtags, which I almost never use, although I know full well that I should! This is how we attract followers - by letting them know what we are talking about! There is a list of specific hashtags for authors, which is a goldmine! There is a listing of hashtags by genre, and for getting idustry information, creative writing help, and connecting with readers.

Of course, you also have to Tweet about your book! I am going to make best use of this section to get my books out there for the holidays. Whether we self-publish, or publish through a brick and mortar, as authors we need to do the heavy work of promoting our books ourselves. There is no magic wand! The greatest tools that we may have at hand are the social media - Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Google +, to name a few.

We also have to think about the very basics - Twitter is a 140 character base. If we choose to use links (and we shoud!), then using a shrtened link is a huge help. This article presents a link shortener that I have never heard of (I am of the Tiny Url generation!), but that I will be trying out.  One of the main reasons that I will be trying out this tool is that it focuses on where the individual clicking on a link is from, and takes them to the relevent link (think Amazon and all of its incarnations in various countries).

Competitions and give aways are also discussed. This has never been a tool that worked wll for me, but I know others that it has worked very well for. Certainly something to consider.

Twitter apps and tools are something that is beyond where I am right now, but certainly something that should be considered. I know that I need to up my tech savvy. and this doesn't lok that hard.

There is a great deal of information here - take away what works for you, leave the rest behind!

(c) December 2015 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without the written consent of the author. 

Miscellaneous Tidbits On Blogging

 

This post is a total ramble, so beware! I am just going to dredge  up a few thoughts on blogging, why author's should blog, and what might be helpful to new bloggers.

1. Make your blog pertinent to your genre. The purpose of your blog it to establish a platform for your work, and to get your name known. To do this, what you choose to write about should reflect the genre you are writing in, so that you are attracting an audience that will follow your work. If you write in more than one genre, as I do,  you have a bit more leeway.

2. Make your posts timely. If new software has come out that will have an effect on how you do your work, if there is news in the publishing industry that affects authors, then make the effort to blog about this, and share the link to your blog on all of your social networks. I share links on Facebook, Twitter, and Google + ... Linked In is still in the "maybe someday" stage, although I do belong to a couple of groups there.

3. If you allow comments on  your blog, then have the courtesy to respond to them. This provides a nice link between you and the individual who made the comment.  They will feel that they are getting to know you better. If you want to build your blog up, visit like-minded blogs, and leave constructive comments there.

4. Make sure that your header is appropriate to the content of your blog, and that it holds enough interest to make people click on it and read it.

5. Use tags, make sure that the tags are appropriate, and use as many tags as possible. This is how Google finds us!

6. Use links to spice up your blog.

7. Keep some kind of schedule to your blogging, so that people know when to look for fresh content.

8. Make sure that there is accurate content info on your blog. 

9. Is your blog all over the place, or is the "voice" consistent. That voice is part of your brand!

10. Treat your blog as a serious marketing tool.

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Use in any venue without the written permission of the author isprohibited.