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How I started my newsletter
Timeline: October 31st, 2016
My first event, the Zombie Turkeys book launch in the Peoria North Library.
I captured people’s email addresses there, at these events. At every event, I had a yellow notebook pad with a signup list for people’s names and emails.
- Nov 4, 2016 First Friday
- Nov 5, 2016 Author Fair at Peoria Main Library
- Nov 25-27th, 2016 Chambanacon
I sent emails to about 48 subscribers using my Yahoo email account.
I continued to gather emails and send them out monthly or bi-monthly since then.
Get Your Free Short Story Continues in 2017-2020
I subscribed to Booksweeps to start building my mail lists in 2017. Booklists offers your books on various mailing lists. When people click on your book, you get a new subscriber.
I now had two books to offer! My Undead Mother-in-law launched in August 2017. Click to get it!
That, plus more book conventions grew my mailing list to 1000 subscribers by 2018. It became too unwieldy for Yahoo and I got a free Mailchimp membership, good to 2000 subscribers.
Paranormal Privateers launched in 2018. You can get your copy here.
Secret Supers launched in 2019. Grab yours by clicking now.
COVID-19 hit in 2020 and I only had two events.
My newsletter list was kind of stuck at 1,500. What was I to do?
I kept writing and published Oops! Tales of the Zombie Turkey Apocalypse in 2020.
My second disabled superhero book also published in 2020, Villain’s Vacation.
But what about my newsletter? What should I do?
Get Your Free Short Story – My Newsletter in 2021
To continue to promote my books and my list, I tried the following in 2021, based upon advice from Travis Bach, author and husband of Rachel Aaron, an author we like. He suggested we try these promotions:
- Bookbub
- FreeDiscountedBooks
- Awesome Gang
- Books Butterfly
- FKBT
- Booksends
- Book Butterfly
- E-Reader News Today (Regular)
- Bknights (through Fiverr)
- Alignable newspaper ad
I didn’t find these brought in sales equal to the expenses.
Here is the growth in the newsletter to this point:
I also published Zombie Detective, a book set between Zombie Turkeys and My Undead Mother-in-law.
Then in 2022 I published my first non-fiction book, The Gospel Medley under a different name, for a different genre. Here’s the blurb:
Are you curious about Jesus Christ? Do you struggle to understand the Bible? The Gospel Medley includes the four Gospels in a single narrative, faithfully pulling the text from the World English Bible. You are now able to read all the gospel as a single, easy-to-read story.
Each Gospel describes Jesus’s life from a different point of view with different details and insights. The Gospel Medley combines every word into a single perspective with all details and events arranged chronologically.
Unlike other harmonies, The Gospel Medley doesn’t put the four gospels in columns or rows. Instead, the text is integrated word by word into a smoothly flowing narrative. Further, each paragraph references the four gospels so you can read the original citations. You also get footnotes of all the quotes from the Old Testament, giving you the context of Jesus’s words.
For a unique perspective of the four gospels, read ‘The Gospel Medley’ today.
Get Your Short Story about My Newsletter from 2023
I then segmented my list by responsiveness (one to 5 stars) and got these results to date:
Around this time, 2023, I began using StoryOrigin ($100/year) to promote my newsletter. It slowly grew my newsletter and response rate.
I published my 9th book in 2023, Secret Supers in Space.
Mailchimp increased its price from free to $30 per month to $45 now. I’m willing to switch if I can find something that saves me money.
I pruned my list of 400+ inactive subscribers in 2024.
Then I published my most recent non-fiction book, The Revelation Devotional.
The Book of Revelation is mysterious to many, but if you use this daily devotional, you can understand it like never before.
Each day you’ll have one small verse to read and reflect upon. You will see connections and meanings you’ve never seen before.
Author Jeffry Smith asks provocative questions to help you think about each portion of scripture. He also supplies useful cross-references which give further insight to the scripture.
Begin your journey of inspiration now, with the Revelation Devotional.
Tell Me What you Think of my Newsletter Short Story!
Let me know what you think by clicking here or emailing me at [email protected]. As always, everyone who responds with a comment or email will get a free book from me.
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