Category: Bookish Question

Do freebies inspire you to join an author's newsletter list?

Bookish Question #275 | Do freebies inspire you to join an author’s newsletter list?

A lot of authors offer some kind of freebie or incentive to sign up for their email list to receive their newsletter.

Do freebies inspire you to join an author’s email list?

If so, what kind of freebie do you like best?

My least favourite freebie is a download that sounds interesting or insightful but turns out to be just two or three pages of sparse text.

My favourite freebie is a novella that introduces the author’s work … or perhaps even the first novel in a series. I find this gives me a good introduction to the author’s work. Sometimes that’s good, because I’ve found a new favourite author.

Sometimes it’s less good (for the author) because I decide I don’t really gel with their style, so I unsubscribe from the newsletter. Most authors do pay an email list provider, and their monthly subscription cost is based on the number of subscribers. I figure if it costs them for me to be on their list, then I’m doing them a favour by unsubscribing if their writing isn’t for me.

The issue is that I’ve downloaded so many over the years that I’ve learned I have to make a conscious effort to read the free book as soon as I download it so I know whether I want to stay on the list, and whether I want to look out for more books from that author.

What about you? Do freebies inspire you to join an author’s email list?

If so, what kind of freebie do you like best?

How so you feel about welcome sequences when signing up to newsletters?

Bookish Question #274 | How do you feel about email welcome sequences?

When you sign up to a newsletter list, you often receive a few emails in fairly quick succession to introduce you to the author and their writing.

Newsletter marketing gurus will often call this the welcome sequence.

As a reader, the value of the welcome sequence is correlated to how much I already know about the author. If it’s an author I’ve read before and I’m joining so I don’t miss out on future books, then I sometimes feel like I don’t really need the welcome sequence … but it also doesn’t bother me.

If the newsletter is for an author I don’t know so well, then the welcome sequence is a good introduction to that author because it sets the tone for what future newsletters are going to be like. It may also provide insight into what the author’s books are like.

I generally prefer shorter welcome sequence for fiction.

Don’t drag it out forever. Instead, let me get on the regular email list so I don’t miss any of the announcements I signed up to receive.

I don’t mind longer welcome sequences for nonfiction, as long as there is a purpose e.g. the welcome sequence is actually a free email course examining some aspect of writing, editing, publishing, or marketing.

For example, my nonfiction email list (at www.christianediting.co.nz) has a two-week email course on self-editing for fiction writers, which is a combination of a freebie and a welcome sequence.

James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) has a similar welcome sequence, an 11-part course on how to build better habits that’s delivered over 30 days. He then sends a short weekly 3-2-1 email with useful quotes and ideas. Going back to last week’s it’s a newsletter I’m inspired to keep receiving because it’s short, regular, and interesting, and has an element of predictability embedded in the 3-2-1 format.

What about you?

How do you feel about the welcome email sequence you receive when signing up for an author newsletter?

What inspires you to keep subscribing to an author's newsletter?

Bookish Question #273 | What inspires you to continue receiving an author newsletter?

What inspires you to continue receiving an author newsletter? That’s not an easy question, so I’m going to turn it around and instead share what is likely to encourage me to unsubscribe from an author newsletter.

The first is if I get too many newsletters.

For obvious reasons, particularly given the state of my overflowing inbox.

The second is if the newsletters don’t have any content I find useful or interesting.

Send me too many uninteresting newsletter, and I will hit the unsubscribe button 🙂

I’m also not a fan of too-long newsletters, which is somewhat awkward, as I suspect I sometimes write too-long newsletters. It’s balance – send the newsletters often enough that no single newsletter drags on, but not so often that readers feel like they’re being spammed.

So what inspires me to continue receiving an author’s newsletter?

  • When it’s not too long
  • When they don’t come too often
  • When the content is interesting and relevant

That means some book news, but a balance between the author’s own books, what they’ve been reading (because author’s should also read),and general life news.

What do you think? What inspires you to continue receiving an author’s newsletter?

Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

Bookish Question #272 | Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

I do 🙂

I subscribe to a fair few author newsletters. I don’t actually know how many.

Some are favourite authors. Others are authors I don’t know and haven’t read, but signed up for their newsletters as part of a promotion. And there are a couple I am part of simply because I enjoy their newsletters.

I have my own author newsletter, and you can sign up below. I do need to update my sign-up freebie as it’s several years out of date …

However, I do keep subscribers up-to-date with my journey to publishing, something I haven’t yet shared on this blog, so stay tuned …

I also have a very irregular newsletter for writers, and I’ll tell you about that next week.

What about you? Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

Does knowing you will be added to author mailing lists stop you entering multi-author contests?

Bookish Question #271 | Does knowing you will be added to author mailing lists stop you entering multi-author contests?

While I am actively trying to reduce my email, knowing I will be added to author mailing lists wouldn’t stop me entering multi-author contests.

No, because modern privacy laws mean they always have to offer an easily visible Unsubscribe button, and Gmail makes it easy to block any authors silly enough to not offer that option.

(Or, to put it another way, any author who doesn’t follow the Biblical command to obey the law.)

What does stop me signing up to multi-author contests?

I’m reluctant to enter if too many of the books/authors don’t appear to be Christian fiction, especially if signing up means getting a whole lot of free books I don’t want (e.g. because I don’t read the genre, because they’re books from authors I don’t read … perhaps because they’ve spammed me before, or if they’re books I already have).

The other thing that stops me signing up to some giveaways is geography: paperback giveaways are often US-only because of the cost of posting paperbacks internationally. Even ebook giveaways may not work for non-US readers e.g. if the books are going to be gifted from Amazon.com, that cuts out any readers who can’t access Amazon’s US site because they are required to use their local site (e.g. Australia, Canada, or the UK).

What about you? Does knowing you will be added to author mailing lists stop you entering multi-author contests?

What do you like or dislike about Facebook reader groups?

Bookish Question #270 | What do you like or dislike about Facebook reader groups?

As I said last week, I have a love-loathe relationships with large multi-author Facebook groups like Inspy Romance or Avid Readers of Christian Fiction.

I love them because I get so many great recommendations (contemporary Christian romance from Inspy Romance, and all genres of Christian fiction from Avid Readers). I love the fact that you can ask for what feels like an obscure kind of book yet still get dozens of recommendations.

My wallet and my overburdened Kindle love them less, as I already have too many unread books on my Kindle (and on my bookshelf). Exhibit A: yesterday, I reviewed a book that’s been sitting on my Kindle since 2016. And that’s not the oldest unread book …

I have one other love/loathe to share:

I like Facebook groups that truly feel like a community. For example, Canadian Romantic Suspense author Darlene L Turner has built a group of readers she truly cares for, and who care for her and for each other. She will often share news or post prayer requests from group members, which I find inspiring. I always enjoy reading posts from her group.

I dislike Facebook reader groups that are all about the author: pre-order my book! Buy my book! Read my book! Review my book! The constant sell-sell-sell feels selfish in comparison to the groups which are more community-minded.

What about you? What do you like or dislike about Facebook reader groups?

Are you a fan of Facebook reader groups?

Bookish Question #269| Are you a fan of Facebook reader groups?

I’m a fan of some Facebook reader groups …

I can think of two different kinds of Facebook reader groups.

The first is large groups with a combination of readers and authors, and the second is reader groups run by a single author to share and promote their own work.

I have a love-loathe relationships with the large multi-author groups like Inspy Romance or Avid Readers of Christian Fiction. I love them because I get so many great recommendations (contemporary Christian romance from Inspy Romance, and all genres of Christian fiction from Avid Readers).

But I already have too many unread books on my Kindle (and on my bookshelf), and these groups just feed by addiction by forcing me to buy more books. Yes, they force me!

I could remove myself from the groups or delete Facebook, but then I’d miss out on all the great recommendations (yes, FOMO is alive and well). And that wouldn’t be good at all.

From that point of view, I almost prefer the single-author groups, because it’s easier to keep up with their new books. I also enjoy the camaraderie that some authors build in their groups – the best groups leave me feeling like I’m as much a friend as a customer.

What about you? Are you a fan of Facebook reader groups? If so, which groups do you recommend?

Which social media platforms do you use to find book recommendations?

Bookish Question #268 | Which social media platforms do you use to find book recommendations?

I do use social media to find book recommendations, but find that I use different social media platforms for different purposes.

While my Twitter feed is full of authors promoting their books, most of them aren’t in the genres I read, so I usually scroll right past. I mostly use Twitter for news (since I realised a good portion of the stories in the local news originated on Twitter), and to see how other Kiwis are reacting to local news stories.

I have a Pinterest account where I post all my book reviews and blog posts.

However, I rarely see other people’s book posts. That’s no doubt a reflection of how I’ve trained the Pinterest algorithm, but it does mean I don’t spend much time on the site and certainly don’t use it to find books (although it is good for interior design tips and recipes).

I do find book recommendations on Instagram.

That’s largely because it’s an image-driven platform and I’m always a sucker for a great book cover.

The social media platform I use most often is Facebook, and I get a lot of recommendations that way.

These recommendations are mostly from authors I follow, or from author interviews or book reviews that have been posted on blogs or websites then linked on Facebook.

I get almost no book recommendations from Facebook groups … mostly because I tend to join and spend time in groups that don’t permit authors to self-promote.

I’m also on Goodreads, which some people class as a social media platform.

I have used it that way in the past, but in recent years I’ve mostly been using it as a way to record what I’ve read.

Having said all that, I don’t consciously go onto Facebook (or any social media) to find book recommendations. It’s more that the recommendations find me, and I’m unwillingly forced to add yet another book to my never-ending to-read pile. #FirstWorldProblems.

What about you? Which social media platforms do you use to find book recommendations?

Do social media book promotions inspire you to buy books?

Bookish Question #267 | Do social media book promotions inspire you to buy books?

All too often, I’m afraid to say.

I don’t often buy books because I’ve seen an advertisement (unless you count buying a book from the BookBub newsletter … which I don’t count, because that’s an email, not a social media promotion).

I’m most likely to get inspired when I see a new book available from an author I’ve previously read and enjoyed, or when an author, reviewer, or reader recommends a title.

I am less inspired by random posts from authors I’ve never heard of in genres I rarely read. (Big surprise, I know.)

I am 200% not inspired by social media book promotions in groups that don’t permit self-promotion. It’s always clearly stated in the rules, but it seems a lot of writers (even Christian writers) don’t or can’t read and obey group rules.

So that’s me and book promotions on social media.

What about you? Do social media book promotions inspire you to buy books?

What is something you wish writers knew about readers?

Bookish Question #266 | What is something you wish writers knew about readers?

Tough question, because not all writers are the same (just as not all readers are the same), and because writers should also readers. And if writers are also readers, they should be able to think like readers.

Despite this, there are a few things I wish writers knew (or remembered) about readers.

I have been reviewing Christian fiction for over ten years, so it’s probably no surprise that both points are related to reviewing.

1. Readers (especially fiction readers) read for entertainment.

Yes, we may also read to learn or to be mentally challenged, but there are other ways of learning or being mentally challenged. The fact we’ve chosen to read a book (especially a novel) is to be entertained.

2. If we are reading for entertainment, then our reviews are going to reflect that.

I recently saw an author share an article on the 13 points to include in a book review (and they weren’t obvious things like the book title and author).

It’s hard to get readers to turn into reviewers, so writers shouldn’t make it harder by making rules around what is or isn’t a good review. That’s going to turn reviewing into a chore … which is going to turn reading into a chore.

Turning reading into a chore is the fast way to turn readers into nonreaders … the last thing writers want.

3. We want to write honest reviews.

Readers want to be able to give our honest opinions of the books we read without worrying if the author is going to be offended.

There are several authors I’ve “met” on social media who I really like as people, but whose books are not to my personal reading taste. It is no reflection on your competence as a writer or your value as a person or as a Christian if I don’t like one or all of your books. So please don’t get upset if a reader (me or someone else) doesn’t like your book.

Maybe we’ll read and like your next one. Maybe we won’t. But calling out a reader for having a “wrong” opinion will not get that reader to read your next book.

What about you? What do you wish writers knew (or remembered) about readers?