Newsletters – Do You Like Them?

Ann H GabhartAnn's Posts, One Writer's Journal

Do you get any newsletters via e-mail on a regular basis? A lot of authors now send out newsletters or news bursts – including me. I do an occasional newsletter that might be a little more occasional now than in the past because I signed up for a newsletter service that makes it easier to send out a newsletter. Before it was a real hassle. Now I can put the newsletter together and do a few clicks and it flies out to hundreds of people. But I always wonder if some of them will want to get my news. Do they read it or simply hit the delete key? 

Of course anyone can unsubscribe at any time, but I have to admit that I get newsletters or ads from various places that I don’t read but I don’t unsubscribe either. I think maybe I’ll read the next one when I have that extra hour in my day. There is so much out there on the net to read. Articles and blogs and Facebook and Twitter. It can make a person’s head swim and sometimes make her feel like she’s drowning in words. I want to read it all. I really do. And I very much appreciate people taking the time to read what I put out there to be read. But I know there have to be times when you need that extra hour in the day too. 

Just in case you do have that extra hour today, I’m wondering what you think about newsletters. I asked this on FB and had a couple of good answers. One wanted to know more about the writer’s personal everyday life and not just have books pitched at her. Those are the ones I delete without reading too. The first time I get info on a book, that’s good. I pay attention. The tenth time I get info on the same book and the same info, I’m losing patience. I also have to admit I lose patience if I get something every day or nearly every day from the same person. I admire his or her diligence, but nearly identical e-mails every day??

I’m sounding really cranky here, aren’t I? I promise I’m not a cranky person. I love getting e-mails and comments from readers and friends. That never makes me lose patience. 

So if you get newsletters or if you think you might like to get newsletters from authors, what would you like to read in those letters? Of course, you’re going to get info about new releases. That’s why authors do newsletters although I have to admit I just put one together without mentioning any of my titles. Maybe I need to rethink that newsletter!! Do you like snippets of reviews in newsletters? Do you like pictures? I put pictures in mine – sometimes of me, sometimes of my family or dogs. Do you like the letters to be short and sweet, or long and newsy? What do you like? 

I suppose I could ask you the same about blogs. But then it could be that I can only do this sharing the news one way in a newsy letter to my reading friends. 

Thanks for reading my letter today and if you’d like to read my newsletter and you’re not on my e-mail list, just go to Ann’s Website and click on the newsletter link. I’ll add you to my newsletter friends.  Then, every so often you’ll get some news from down here on the farm and information about winning a book or two. Of course, you get that here too. A newsletter twice a week. Hope you’re not losing patience – with me!!