What I’m Reading: Newsletter Ninja

This will not be a long review, as Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert, by Tammi Labrecque, is pretty self-explanatory. I mean, it’s all right there in the title! I’ve reached the point in my writing endeavor where I have three books published and would like to attract more attention to my writing. How? Advertising on Facebook or other sites? Well, yes. But I’ve noticed in a lot of author blogs, many of the most successful self-published authors use their mailing lists as a key component of selling books and keeping in touch with readers.

This book was highly recommended on a couple different sites, so I decided to give it a try. And it’s exactly as advertised! Tammi does assume that you already have the technical know-how to set up mailing lists on one of the various email marketing sites (MailerLite, MailChimp, etc.). Where the book starts is in providing the basics for setting up, growing, and running your author mailing list.Then it goes farther then that, delving into some of the more advanced tactics and strategies for doing those things. This is exactly what I was looking for, and Tammi explains it all with clarity and humor.

One thing I really like is Tammi’s emphasis that a mailing list is not just a selling tool, but a way to maintain a relationship between an author and that author’s more dedicated fans. The goal is not (just) to send out an email every few months with the news that your latest book is published. That’s only contacting your readers when you have something for sale. The goal is to have an ongoing relationship, where you provide value and fun in a regular newsletter, fostering a dialogue between author and fans. Then, when those occasional announcements about a new publication do go out, your fans are willing and happy to buy from someone who values them as readers and people, and not just as customers.

Normally at the end of my reviews, I have a paragraph on whether I recommend the book, and who might like to read it. This one is pretty easy. Are you an author who wants to establish or improve your mailing list? Then this book is for you, and you’d be foolish to pass it up.