General Discussion: Pondering the News(letter)
I’ve been researching beets a lot for blog posts on my alter-ego’s blog. They’re actually quite interesting for a vegetable. Head over to Alex’s blog if you want to learn some fun trivia about the not-so-lowly beetroot.
One other little admin-y thing…I’m not sure why my photos aren’t always coming through my RSS feeds. I’m working on it. There’s got to be a tiny magical switch somewhere in the code that turns them on, I just need to find it.
In other “news” (literally), I’ve been thinking a lot about newsletters. My (currently defunct) newsletters, to be precise. With spinning up the BSB business again, I need to get those moving, but I’m having a hard time deciding on exactly what to fill them with. I have inklings of ideas, and I’ve subscribed to several more newsletters just to see what others are doing.
I don’t really see newsletters as a “sales vehicle”, per se, though obviously that is one function. But I see it more as a “keeping in touch” vehicle. Much like a blog post or web site update, it’s a way to keep in touch with those interested in what you’re doing or creating.
There are several authors I subscribe to whose newsletters I always open right away, and then other newsletters I either wait to read until later, or barely glance at before I decide I don’t have time. Obviously I want mine to be the kind of newsletter that people either can’t wait to open, or set aside because they want to read later. I definitely don’t want mine to be the “eh, I’m really not interested in whatever book they’re selling now” (sometimes that’s just because I’m in a no-buy zone, but it’s still a reaction to a newsletter that only announces a new book and gives nothing else of value).
I want to give people something of value, which is why I’m taking so long to think and plan and make sure I have things all organized and ready before I relaunch the newsletters. It’s another avenue to share my writing, so it deserves to be something more than a book announcement, methinks.
Currently Reading
My Evil Mother by Margaret Atwood (short story)
In Defense of Plants by Matt Candeias, PhD (non-fic)
The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)
Currently Watching
The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix series – seriously…watch it!)
Outer Range (Amazon)
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount)
The Equalizer (Paramount/CBS)
NCIS (Paramount/CBS)
Currently Listening To
Writing Excuses
The Creative Penn
Pop Quiz!
What are your favorite things to see/read in a newsletter (author or anything else you subscribe to)?
Personally, I love it when there’s a missive from a favorite character, or interesting tidbits about the writing of an upcoming or back list book. I also like personal anecdotes that tie in somehow with one of the author’s books.
Post Round-up
The Writer’s Desk (last updated: May 21, 2022)
Sweet Beets – Alex Westhaven (last updated: May 20, 2022)
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