Last week I blogged about Robin Mellom, an author whose YA (young adult) writing I really like, but she didn’t have a second YA book for me to buy.
Though I could periodically check her author page on Amazon or her website, I know in reality I will soon forget, missing news of her next YA release. That’s why authors need to have newsletters—or at least to collect email addresses of their fans.
A newsletter is one thing I’m actually doing before I need it. My newsletter goes out once a month with new content (last month I wrote about my grandpuppy, Zane), along with links to existing work.
Of course, I can also let newsletter readers know about my books when they become available. My newsletter subscribers also receive a free copy of my e-book, How Big Is Your Tent?, as well as other subscriber-only goodies and breaking news.
Wherever your writing career is, start building an email list today. It will pay off huge later on.
[Epilogue: Robin found my post from last week and contacted me. How cool is that! To my delight, she has another YA (teen) book, Busted, coming out soon. In addition, her second Junior (middle grade) book Student Council Smackdown! released this week.
Update: Robin also now has a newsletter – and I’m on it! Her book Busted is now called Perfect Timing and is available on Kindle.]
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Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.