The Author Newsletter Nobody Talks About

Do I Really Need a Newsletter? (Spoiler: Hell Yes)

So you've got a book in the works. Awesome. But who's actually gonna read it when you're done?

We've talked about those sketchy vanity publishers and where to spend your first few bucks. Now let's get into something that costs almost nothing but pays off big time: your newsletter.

God, the questions we get about this. "Can't I just use Instagram?" "Nobody reads email anymore, right?" "I don't even have a book yet!"

Look, here's the deal: That Twitter account you've been building? Those Instagram followers? They're not yours. Some tech bro changes an algorithm and poof—they're gone. Your email list belongs to YOU. Forever. No middleman. Our numbers don't lie—email people buy books at FIVE TIMES the rate of social followers. Not a typo. Five times.

We Learned This the Hard Way

We blew so many hours on Instagram it's embarrassing. Perfect posts, hashtag research, engagement pods—the whole nine yards. What'd we get? A bunch of likes and exactly squat in actual book sales.

Meanwhile, we watched other writers with basic, ugly newsletters selling books by the hundreds on launch day. The difference wasn't writing quality. It was having direct access to people who actually wanted to hear from them.

Seriously, Just Start One Already

Most writers way overthink this newsletter thing. They picture some massive project with automation sequences and clever subject lines and witty content.

Nope. Pick MailerLite or MailChimp—both have free plans that work fine. Slap together a sign-up form. Email people once a month. (Weekly's too much. Quarterly, they forget who you are.) And for the love of all things holy, just write like yourself. Nobody wants some corporate-sounding crap from an author.

"I Don't Have Anything to Say Yet"

Stuck on what to write about without a finished book? That's what stops most people. Here's what readers actually dig:

• That chapter you've rewritten eight times and still hate
• The weird rabbit hole research that ate your Tuesday
• Books you're reading that don't suck
• Why you started writing this story in the first place
• Questions that don't sound like a marketing survey

Nobody subscribes to writer newsletters for slick marketing. They subscribe because something about your weird brain interests them. They want the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Nobody Wants Your Professional Newsletter

Here's something wild we've noticed: The newsletters that get opened most often look like they were written by an actual person, not a marketing department.

We've looked at tons of author newsletters. The ones getting 65-70% open rates (when the average is like 20%) aren't pretty. Many are just plain text. They have typos sometimes. But they sound like they came from a friend, not a corporation trying to sell something.

Just Do It Already

Stop planning. Stop researching. Just pick a platform. Make a form. Write a welcome email. Get five people to sign up (your mom totally counts).

Your first newsletter will probably be awkward. Ours was garbage. Your second one might suck too. Who cares? The only newsletter that completely fails is the one sitting in your "great ideas for someday" folder.

Questions? Email us. We answer everything.

Tony and Charm

SandDancer