Tag: email list

18 Tips for Authors to Build Relationships with Email Subscribers

Most advice for writers includes the concept of building an email list to forge a relationship with readers and to promote future releases. If you go to most author websites, there is typically some mechanism to join their email list. However, if you’re on the email list of hundreds of novelists (like I am), you’d be shocked at how seldom writers make contact. Most readers would be lucky to get one or two emails a year from an author (at best).

Ironically, it seems as if most novelists just don’t know what to write when it comes to contacting their list. Many resort to writing about writing (yawn) or sharing too much about things unrelated to their work (politics, their kids, their health problems, etc.) — neither of which are of much interest to most readers.

So, what kind of information should you send to your email list in order to nurture those relationships to sell more copies of your next novel and your backlist?

Here are some ideas… Continue reading “18 Tips for Authors to Build Relationships with Email Subscribers”

GDPR Compliance Update

Earlier this week, I wrote an article called Authors with Newsletters Must Get Subscribers to Opt-in Again Per EU Regulations. Since then, new information has come to light that may impact authors.

Please note that while many companies are reconfirming their lists, this may not be necessary. A podcast mentioned in the comments of the above-listed article, which can also be found here, featured a UK-based attorney who recommends not reconfirming your list. The attorney suggests asking for reconfirmation suggests you do not already have permission, and if you don’t have permission to contact them, you should not be emailing them to begin with. Please note that many newsletter companies are offering templates to revalidate subscribers, so they are expecting at least some subscribers to require additional validation. Use your own best judgment on what to do. We here at Indies Unlimited are not attorneys and do not offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, speak with a lawyer. We have free and low-cost legal services listed on our Legal Resource Page here.

We will keep you posted if further information arises.

Authors with Newsletters Must Get Subscribers to Opt-in Again Per EU Regulations

GDPRpaper-2056025_1920 (002)UPDATE: Please note that while many companies are reconfirming their lists, this may not be necessary. A podcast mentioned in the comments below which can also be found here featured a UK-based attorney who recommends not reconfirming your list. The attorney suggests asking for reconfirmation suggests you do not already have permission, and if you don’t have permission to contact them, you should not be emailing them to begin with. Please note that many newsletter companies are offering templates to revalidate subscribers, so they are expecting at least some subscribers to require additional validation. Use your own best judgment on what to do. We here at Indies Unlimited are not attorneys and do not offer legal advice. If you need legal advice, speak with a lawyer. We have free and low-cost legal services listed on our Legal Resource Page here.

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New regulations passed by the European Union on data privacy are impacting everyone with a newsletter that has EU subscribers. The new regulations require those with EU citizens as subscribers to provide those subscribers with certain rights when it comes to data privacy. The new regulations aren’t hard for newsletter owners to implement, but they do require newsletters to be proactive. So, here we’ll break down everything you need to know about the new privacy regulations and how it affects newsletters.

What is it? Continue reading “Authors with Newsletters Must Get Subscribers to Opt-in Again Per EU Regulations”

Authors Should Find a Mailing List Service to Meet Their Needs

mailinglists2_newsletterLast month I talked about using InstaFreebie to build an author mailing list. This month, I thought I’d discuss finding a mailing list service to meet authors’ needs.

While authors could just send newsletters from their personal email addresses, most don’t. Generally, personal email companies frown upon their members sending massive amounts of email to people, and will sometimes suspend the account for being a spammer. So, people tend to go with mailing services. In addition to allowing an author not to be labeled a spammer, mailing services provide a wealth of data about the emails sent. They tell the sender whether the emails were opened, which links were clicked, and who unsubscribed. Continue reading “Authors Should Find a Mailing List Service to Meet Their Needs”