I’m sure you’ve read newsletters you really didn’t enjoy, either because they were sales-y or felt intrusive, and you may be thinking that all newsletters are like that. Here’s the good news: you get to decide what your newsletter is going to be like, and it’ll probably be a lot like you!
Your newsletter is not going to be spammy; it’s going to be thoughtful, relevant, interesting and focused on creating meaningful and authentic connections between your ideal reader and yourself. It’s going to look like a friendly relationship between people who respect and like each other – because that’s essentially what an author newsletter is.
If you haven’t listened to episodes one to five of Kidlit Marketing Made Easy(er), take the time to do so as I’ve covered what book marketing is, how you can get started on book marketing, how marketing for kidlit authors is different, how to start an author newsletter and how to nurture your newsletter marketing mindset. In the last episode on nurturing your newsletter mindset, I asked you to sign up to some author newsletters and to jot down some things you liked or found interesting about them. Today, we’re going to add some new ideas to that list and then you can get started on planning your very own newsletter.
There are probably dozens of ways to design an author newsletter but let’s make this simple and create one with just three parts to it:
- A featured topic
- Something you want to promote
- News
We’re going to break down each part so you know what to include in them. Of course, these are just examples to get you started but you can do whatever you like with your newsletter. Perhaps you want to swap the parts around, add an extra part or take one out… it’s all up to you and it’s all good. There aren’t any rules!
Featuring a topic in your author newsletter
Part one is the part that has most authors raking their fingers down their cheeks and wailing, “What am I supposed to talk about?”
To help you out, I’ve created a PDF list of 24 topics for you: 12 for fiction and 12 for nonfiction that you can find in the show notes. If you’re wondering where they are, you’ll find them on my website at loupiccolo.com under the podcast tab. Each podcast episode has its own show notes that are basically blog posts. Just go to episode #6 called “What Do I Talk About in My Author Newsletter?” and you’ll find the link in the body of the text and also at the end of the show notes.
For now, let’s have a look at one example for fiction: you can share bonus information that won’t make it into your book. Right now, I’m writing a middle-grade historical verse novel that’s rooted in history but is fictional. I’ve been doing a lot of research to ground me in the era I’m writing about and I’ve learned so many wildly interesting facts but I can’t weave them all into the story without overwhelming readers. So, I’ve had to make some tough decisions about what I’m keeping and what I’m letting go. What I can do with the information I have to let go is share it with my newsletter subscribers as bonus, behind-the-scenes information I used to help create my plot and characters during my writing process. Not only is the information interesting but it gives subscribers an exclusive peek into understanding how a character came about, for example.
Promoting something in your author newsletter
Part two means talking about something you want to promote. This can be anything you want to draw attention to. It doesn’t even need to be about you or your books—you could use this part in your newsletter to give a little love to a fellow author, critique partner or writing contest you normally participate in and enjoy. Although it can be, it doesn’t have to be something you’re selling. It can be:
- a giveaway
- a book launch
- an event you’ll be speaking at.
If you don’t have anything to put in this part of your newsletter right now, don’t fret! You can leave it out until you do have something to promote.
Sharing news in your author newsletter
Last, part three is all about news!
In the beginning, you may not have a lot of news to share with subscribers but the more you write, the more you’ll have to say. Maybe you just joined the 12×12 Picture Book Challenge for the first time this year, or you entered the Searchlight Writing for Children Awards Novel Opening contest with your middle-grade novel and you’re on the long list? Perhaps you submitted a manuscript to an agent and you’re waiting to hear back from them and need a little hand-holding? Were you a finalist in Vivian Kirkfield’s #50PreciousWords or did you send in a poem to The School Magazine and you’ve just received an email saying they want to publish it?
Not only does putting this sort of information in your newsletter allow your subscribers to join in the celebrations with you, it also gives them information about writing opportunities they may not know about and inspires them to put their own work out there.
Author newsletters all about creating community and relationships!
This is a shorty episode because I’m going to give you some time to download the 24 Content Ideas for Author Newsletters and to read through it. Then, I’d like you to start adding ideas to the list in the space I’ve left you. If you are planning to send out a newsletter once a month, you only need 12 ideas for each part of your newsletter for the entire year! That’s not so many, is it? So, take the time to map out an idea for each month for each part of your newsletter. If there are some months you can’t fill out for the moment, that’s OK. You’ll find ideas as time goes by on social media, in forums, while chatting with a friend or watching TV. Don’t worry about it now but keep adding to the list whenever you think of something you’d like to share with your subscribers.
Tune in to the next episode of Kidlit Marketing Made Easy(er) podcast where we’ll be taking a look at voice. You’re probably thinking, “What is she talking about? This isn’t a book. Can’t I just use my own voice?” and yes, you can. In fact, I hope you will! The problem is that the minute a lot of authors need to sit down and write a newsletter, they find they can’t access their voice and start speaking in overly jovial language or swing the other way completely and sound robotic and formal.
If this isn’t something you struggle with, then listen to the episode just for the fun of it. But if this is you, I’ve got you covered!
