I’d be lying if I said we, as writers, didn’t have to market our own work. Not only do we have to worry about query letters, but with the rise of self-publishing and indie publishing, we also have to worry about marketing ourselves to our readers. In other words, we have to wonder if our works are actually good enough, and if they are, how we’re going to get those works to our readers.

Well, one way to market those works is to create a newsletter.

Now, why do you need a newsletter? After all, many writers already have blogs, videos, even podcasts. Why should we consider newsletters then, if we already have so much on our plate? 

It sells books to dedicated readers

Many businesses already use newsletters to sell their products directly to customers, so it’s not surprising authors picked up this strategy as well. For instance, whenever you’ve written a new book, a newsletter is a good way to quickly get the word out. You just send out that newsletter and it goes straight to the reader. It’s better than relying on platforms such as Amazon and Smashwords, where you have to compete with millions of other authors, or even your own blog where, again, it’s drowned out by thousands of posts. In other words, from a financial standpoint, it can help you sell your books directly to your fans. 

It attracts more readers

As I’ve said before, a newsletter is used to sell books to people who are already interested. And if you have an announcement, you can use your newsletter to get the news quickly to your readers. However, a newsletter could also attract new readers as well. For example, if you already have various deals, series, and unique articles in the works, this could draw the attention of other readers who might not have known about your works. After all, readers are more likely to flock to an author who produces quality work at a fast rate than an author who only writes one or two books a year.  

It rewards readers (and writers) 

Again, a newsletter usually reduces a general audience into a group of dedicated readers. And because of their loyalty, it’s only natural that you’d want to offer your readers a chance to get what they want for free. It’s also important to remember that a newsletter is still a marketing technique, and should be treated as such. For instance, if you decide to discount one of your books, you can advertise this in your newsletter. Your readers would pick up the discount book (because it’s awesome), and read it. This, alongside the general audience, usually means more readers. More readers mean more reviews. More reviews usually mean more good press. And what book doesn’t need that?

Maintaining a newsletter can be a lot of work. You have to take the time to see what design the newsletter needs, what services to use, what articles to write, and, if any, what books to promote. Even so, a newsletter is a powerful marketing tool for curating your audience, as well as spreading the news about your new releases. It’s useful, to say the least.