One of the most common pieces of advice a new author receives is: establish a newsletter. There’s a reason for this—a newsletter can be a very powerful marketing tool.
When I was baby author, newly signed to Dorchester Publishing for The Hunt, my marketing contact told me I needed a newsletter. She suggested that I offer a “valuable” giveaway to drive newsletter sign ups. I dutifully hosted a giveaway for an opal necklace like the one my heroine wore in The Hunt; for my second book with Dorchester, I put together a $300 basket of Tahitian products, including a black pearl. I ended up with about 100 sign ups, sent one newsletter—and didn’t send another for almost eighteen months. Oops. That really wasn’t the way to go.
You want newsletters that are not driven by contest entries because you want people who are genuinely interested in your books. They want to know when you have a new release and they’re going to help drive your release week sales numbers. The contest gives you some immediate satisfaction (droves or mini-droves of people signing up! Woot! They like me!), but many of them will unsubscribe the minute your newsletter hits their inbox. They wanted the prize (understandable)—not my next book. Continue reading
Plain Talk Book Marketing 