Lola’s Ramblings: Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

Posted October 27, 2016 by Lola in Lola's Ramblings / 26 Comments

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Lola’s Ramblings is a feature on my blog Lola’s Reviews where I ramble on about a book related or a non-book related topic. These are discussion type of posts where I talk about a topic and readers can weigh in on the topic in the comments. Usually these posts are everything that doesn’t fall under any standard header, like tours, cover reveals, memes, challenges, recaps or reviews. Lola’s Ramblings posts are discussions of a certain topic and my point of view on them. The banner for this feature is designed by Michelle from Limabean Designs.

Today I want to talk about author newsletters. I can’t fully remember how this topic came to me, but it just popped into my mind one day and I decided to go with it. I subscribe to quite some author newsletters and I thought it would be interesting to hear what other thought of this topic. For the purpose of this post I use the term newsletter, but that’s the same as mailing list/ reader group etc however authors might call their e-mail list.

To how many author newsletters do I subscribe?

I subscribe to a lot of author newsletters, I am not even sure how many. But I wouldn’t be surprised if I am subscribed to more than 50 author newsletters at this point and the list keeps growing, maybe even more than 100. So yes I am a bit of a newsletter addict. Every day I’ll have about 1-10 newsletters in my inbox. It depends a bit on the day, I have some authors that know each other or they do a group promo and then I get quite some newsletters about the same promo in a few days time. But I don’t really mind. And most of the authors only send out newsletters a few times each month, so it doesn’t get too overwhelming and I like reading the the newsletters.

When do I subscribe to an author newsletter?

Usually I subscribe to an author newsletter in one of the following five occasions.

  • After I read and enjoyed a book by an author. If I read a book by an author and enjoyed that book I am more likely to sign-up for their newsletter. I find newsletters a good way to stay up to date with an author, so after I read a book I enjoyed I might decide to sign-up for their newsletter.
  • When I realize I haven’t signed-up for a newsletter by an author I like. Sometimes I don’t sign-up for a newsletter directly after reading a book I enjoyed and if I later realize I haven’t signed-up for an author their newsletter I might still do so. Often this is thanks to a website visit or a on social media post.
  • when I see an author mention their newsletter or content in their newsletter. Sometimes I see an author mention their newsletter and this can be motivation for me to sign-up or a reminder that I hadn’t done so yet.
  • To Enter a giveaway. Another moment when I might subscribe to a newsletter is to enter a giveaway. Whether it’s a giveaway for newsletter subscribers only or a giveaway where you have to subscribe to author newsletters.
  • When I hear about a new author. Sometimes when I hear about a new author this can make me curious and sign-up for their newsletter. This can be on another blog, a group, an author who books a tour with me, hear about one of their books etc.

Why do I subscribe to an author newsletter?

  • To hear about new releases. Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with an author and it’s often one of the places authors almost always announce their new release. I find it a good way to keep up to date about authors their new books.
  • To hear about sales/ giveaways. In my opinion an author newsletter is the best place to hear about sales, giveaways etc. This ties in with some of my when I subscribe points, but if I either have read an author their book already and would like to read more or haven’t read a book by them yet or want to, I often subscribe to their newsletter so I can hear about sales and giveaways and maybe get the chance to get one of their books when it’s on sale or enter a giveaway.
  • More reliable than social media. A post on social media you can miss, but it’s very unlikely for me to miss a newsletter as I open all the newsletters I get. So a newsletter is often a more reliable way to keep up to date about an author and their books and makes sure I hear about things.
  • To see what their newsletter is like. I have a strong interest in book marketing and I love seeing how authors handle their newsletters. What content they share, how they write their newsletters and what they share. It’s really interesting and sometimes I sign-up for a newsletter partly because of that. There are some authors who really write great newsletters and I usually enjoy reading them. It’s fun to see what kind of newsletters I like reading and which ones not. If I don’t enjoy a newsletter I can always unsubscribe again.
  • To join their arc list or reviewers list. Some authors have arc lists or reviewers list either combined with their normal newsletter or you have to sign-up for their standard one and can click an option to join their review list. Sometimes this is the reason why I subscribe to a newsletter as I want to join their review team.
  • For the extra Content. I have joined a few newsletters to to get access to extra content. Sometimes this is an extra chapter, epilogue, other point of view etc. I usually don’t like it if the epilogue is only for newsletter subscribers, but I do like it when newsletters offer extra content like removed chapters or another point of view through the newsletter and sometimes this is reason enough to sign-up for an newsletter.
  • To enter a giveaway. I also listed this at the when already, but it can also be the reason why I sign-up. I have signed-up for newsletters by authors I never heard about just to enter a giveaway. I usually don’t mid if subscribing to a newsletter is required to enter a giveaway, as long as it’s clearly stated. I did remember a few months ago where I entered a giveaway and didn’t realize I would get added to a lot of newsletters and that was a bit annoying. I rather they make it very clear and not just write it in small letters somewhere. I like subscribing to author newsletters, but I do want to know when I do so instead of getting surprised by new newsletters. Usually with newsletters that I join only because of a giveaway I give them a few e-mails to hook me and if not I unsubscribe, but I do like to check out a few e-mails first.
  • To get a book from Instafreebie. There are some group instafreebie promo’s going around lately and getting a book from instafreebie can be the reason why I subscribe to an author their newsletter. Some instafreebie books require sign-up to newsletters and for others it’s optional and you have to click that option. I usually only get a book from instafreebie if I am really interested in it and if I want to read the book anyway I usually don’t mind signing-up for a newsletter as well.
  • Authors I want to read books by, but haven’t done so yet. Author newsletters are a good place to get a feel for an author and their books. There are some authors who’s books are on my wishlist or to-read list and sometimes I subscribe to their newsletter. It’s a good way to keep in touch with an author and get reminded about them now and then. And as mentioned later it also is the place I am most likely to hear about sales, discounts, giveaways, reviews copies etc.
  • For the freebies. Yes I have signed-up for some newsletters because of the freebies. Quite some authors give a free book or novella to newsletter subscribers and if I am curious about the book or author I might subscribe to their list for that reason. So I guess that means that tactic work ;).

Do you subscribe to author newsletters? And if yes why? And when do you sign-up for newsletters?

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26 responses to “Lola’s Ramblings: Do you subscribe to author newsletters?

  1. The answer is yes and there are far more than I can actually read in a day. I have to laugh when people get upset that they were added to a mailing list without their permission b/c if I was, I would not know due to how many ways I’ve signed up for newsletters (those instafreebies or a contest). So I don’t worry about how they got there and read the ones that interest me on any given day.

    I’ve signed up for much the same reasons as you. Most, I glance over, but there are several that I read carefully and enjoy the content. I appreciate the ones that provide news about future books, extras on the current books, bits about their writing and their personal life even if its a family recipe or a song, and some I pay attention for when they need reviewers.

    I’m aware that someday I’ll have to do some newsletter housekeeping, but for now, I like the twenty or so that show up on a given day and I can read some positive news. πŸ™‚
    Sophia Rose recently posted…Of Scions and Men by Courtney Sloan #ReviewMy Profile

    • It sounds like you’re the same as me when it coems to this. I also sign-up for so many enwsletter sit’s hard tor ead them all sometimes. I also feel like the adding people to their newsletter without permission isn’t that common. If I get added to a newsletter I don’t remember signing-up for I usually just unsubscribe after a few newsletters if I don’t like them. Most likely I forgot I signed-up or there was a sneaky giveaway where I didn’t read the terms too well.

      I definitely have some newsletters I read more carefully than others. In fact I wrote another posts about what I like to see in newsletter and some of my favorite ones, but that’s for next month ;). I like the personal touched in newsletters as well or when they ask for reviewers.

      And yes I might have to housekeeping eventually, but so far I can still handle all the newsletters and mostly enjoy them πŸ™‚

  2. I subscribe to very few. I do sometimes subscribe in order to get a free book or to enter a giveaway, but those are the ones I almost always end up unsubscribing from in the future. The only ones I really subscribe to just because I want to are a few authors whose books are my favorites, and I want to make sure I don’t miss anything from them. Like you said, sometimes there are giveaways for subscribers or extra scenes and freebies. I probably should sign up for a few more for the purpose of keeping up with series (getting notified when new books are out), but I just don’t like having my email cluttered. I get overwhelmed and end up deleting everything. So unless an author is really special, I just follow them on GR or check for future books on my own.
    Kristen @ Metaphors and Moonlight recently posted…Book Review: Life as a Teenage Vampire by Amanda MeuwissenMy Profile

    • I actually found some good newsletters by signing-up for a free book or giveaway, although if they don’t interest me I do unsubcribe again. I don’t usually mind newsletters and don’t see them as clutter. I like reading a few of them every day. But I think I might be the exception here and part of it also comes form y interest in how authors market their books.

      I like the reminder about sales, new books etc. maybe it’s also because of with author marketing the focus seems to be on newsletters nowadays and I feel like I can bets stay up to date with authors by signing-up for their newsletters. Although I do certainly have my favorites among the newsletters. I actually talk more about that in a future post.

  3. Yes, yes, and yes. All of the reasons you listed for why I join, I agree and am on the same page with you. I find the newsletters are much more reliable then social media. I use FB and Twitter to to follower authors, but most don’t show up on my feed or they get by pasted so fast, so the newsletter is a great way for me to keep up on new releases, sale deals, and giveaways.

    When I started out I had very few authors I subscribed too, but the more time I blog the more newsletters I joined.

    The one downside I find is a few authors don’t limit on how often they send out an email. Once a week or once a month would be nice, but a few authors I have gotten emails from everyday and at that point I start unsubscribing. They aren’t a blog with new content, so they should limit the amount of emails they send out.
    Angela @ Angel’s Guilty Pleasures recently posted…Review: Beauty and the Highland Beast (A Highland Fairy Tale #1) by Lecia CornwallMy Profile

    • Social media is great, but it isn’t always as reliable, which is why I often sign-up for a newsletter if I really want to stay up tod ate about an author and her books. It’s a shame how many posts we don’t see about the pages we liked and with twitter there is so much tweeted that you never see everything.

      It feels like every week I add another few newsletters to my lists. I only had a few of them when I started blogging, but nowadays I don’t even know to how many newsletters I am subscribed.

      I think twice a week to once a month is a good frequency for newsletters. More than twice a week it starts to feel a bit much, but if it gets too less than once a month I might forget about the newsletter and author altogether.

    • Newsletters can be really fun. If I am interested in an author or their books I like signing-up to keep in the loop about their books. And the giveaways can be cnie indeed!

  4. Purposely? Nope. There has been more than one occasion when I receive a newsletter e-mail from authors though. And at the bottom it tells me that I’m on the list because I subscribed. And I’m like, “no I didn’t?” and then I remove myself. Which honestly, isn’t going to make me want to read their book if they’re randomly adding people. It also makes me glad I don’t tend to subscribe to newsletters, so I don’t ever actually subscribe after that kind of shenanigans.

    There are a few authors I wouldn’t mind getting a newsletter from, but none of them have anything like that. For the rest, I get too many e-mails a day as it is and they’d be lost in the shuffle. Especially ones I don’t immediately recognize the name of.

    Admittedly, that sounds pretty bad! It’s just that it seems the authors I adore don’t do newsletters, and the ones that either I haven’t read the book yet so I don’t know if I’ll adore it, or the ones I was only meh about, are the ones that do newsletters. Mostly it’s the ones that I haven’t read a book by them yet. And since I don’t know if I like their writing style and characters, I have no reason to subscribe to a newsletter.
    Silvara recently posted…Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (review)My Profile

    • It’s a shame when that happens and you get added to a list without subscribing. Although I personally haven’t had that happen often and if I don’t like a newsletter I just unsubscribe again. Most authors are very careful about who they add to their newsletter though as spam com plaints are a serious thing.

      There are a few authors who don’t have a newsletter although it does seem to get more rare lately to find an author without a newsletter.

      I like signing-up for newsletters of unknown authors as they often let you know about giveaways and sales so I can give their books a try. Although I usually only subscribe to a newsletter if I think I might read their book one day.

    • I feel like nowadays newsletters are the best way to keep in touch and keep tabs on authors as that way you know for sure you hear about the important things.

    • I sometimes skim too, it depends on the newsletter. I do always open them, read them if I want to or skim to see if there’s something of interest. I feel like it’s a better way to stay up to date than social media.

  5. I’ve never subscribed to an author newsletter! I think it might be this compulsive desire to keep my inbox as clean as possible lol but I would probably know a lot more what is going on with my fave authors if I DID subscribe. One thing I’ve noticed is how everyone wants you to sign up for their newsletter now, literally every site I go to you get that pop up. Which gets old. Of course if I was an author or had a newsletter I would see the other side of it lol. And I think sometimes with my favorite authors I figure that if I check their websites periodically and just follow news I’ll be up to date, but I’m sure I miss a lot!

    Your reasons for following are good too- you’re right other social media posts are easy to miss, and ARC’s are another good reason. I suppose if I reviewed ARC’s that would be another good reason to subscribe.
    Greg recently posted…How Scary Is Too Scary?My Profile

    • My inbox always is a bit of a mess with review request comment notifications, e-mails from others who replied to my comments on their blogs and authors newsletters.

      I do feel like there has been a trend lately to encourage newsletter sign-ups and I feel like promotion focuses on getting more newsletter subscribers. I can see the logic behind that as it’s often a better way than social media to make sure people hear about you.

  6. I only subscribe to a couple of them. Mostly the authors that I talk to on a regular basis on my blog or on fb. I also subscribe to author newsletters that are auto buys for me and there are only a few of those.
    Mary Kirkland recently posted…Freebie Friday!My Profile

    • I also only have a few auto buy authors and I am pretty sure I have subscribed to all their newsletters. I kind alike seeing all the different newsletters, so I sign-up for quite some of them :).

  7. Oh yes, I do subscribe to author newsletters! (I actually subscribe to blogs via email as well so my inbox is FULL) I like getting an author’s news delivered to my inbox though because I’m not so good with checking social media so newsletters ensure I don’t miss anything. It’s also nice that authors tend to have subscriber giveaways. I’ve only won one but it’s still a nice perk. πŸ™‚ I’m not sure how many I’m subscribed to, but most of my favorites anyway. I’ve also subscribed to get books from instafreebie but typically I subscribe because I see the author advertising it OR I just really like the author.
    Great topic, Lola!
    Bookworm Brandee recently posted…#OctobeRecFest Chat Review ~ I’ll Give You the Sun ~ Jandy NelsonMy Profile

    • I only subscribe to a few blogs via e-mail, my inbox would be way too full if i subscribed to all blogs by e-mail as well. I can imagine yours must be pretty full.

      I do check social media, but it’s so easy to miss something and that’s why I like newsletters as that way you know you get the most important parts. I think I’ve only won one of those subscriber giveaways as well, but it’s still a fun touch.

  8. It is very seldom that I sign up for author newsletters, because I just don’t really have the time to read them! So much is going on in the bookworld, and I prefer to spend my time reading, blogging and visiting other bookbloggers!
    When I do sign up, though, I use an e-mail address that I have for only newsletters… that way, I know that someone else has added me if my normal e-mail address starts to receive author newsletters.
    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews recently posted…Review: Ruthless – Gillian ArcherMy Profile

  9. I sign up for authors that I want to make sure that I don’t miss their new releases. I want to hear mostly about new releases and sales. I think extra content and giveaways are great extras. I’ve read a few that share books they’re reading, which is a great way to find new authors. Also, if the author shares new releases for their author friends in the same genre (same with sales). If an author emails too often, I will unsubscribe. If I get an email once a week or twice a month with just a “buy my book” type information, then I’m done. I want something of substance. Great post.
    Melanie Simmons @mlsimmons recently posted…Feedback Audiobook by Mira Grant (REVIEW)My Profile

    • Some newsletters have great extra content indeed. I have seen a few newsletters that share books form other authors or mention wat they are reading, which is a fun way to discover new authors.
      I do think there’s a fine line between sending good updates or too many and it also depends on the content.

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