Books & Cookies

I read a blog post recently about newsletters and what makes people sign up or not sign up for them. Aside from the obvious lure of "FREE," once people sign up, there has to be something that keeps them coming back.

For my part, I seldom sign up for "Get 30 books free, plus an e-reader!" type promotions. But that's just me. I have an e-reader and I have a tablet, both of which serve me well. Given the chance, I probably wouldn't invest in another dedicated e-reader, and my TBR pile is pretty healthy as it is.  To some, the free part is irresistible. The catch is always that you have to sign up for newsletters for the participating authors, or follow them somewhere that will help them get more visibility. Hey, we all need that. I've participated in a few of those, myself. The problem is that once you've hooked your fish, you have to be able to hold onto them. For a lot of "freebie" subscribers, they unsubscribe with the next newsletter. 

I hope to make a connection with my readers. That means I need something beyond the freebie to keep them interested. Not a problem for people who love my books, but if they haven't read my books before, and don't read the free one for a month (30 other books to compete with, you know) or even a year, they might not pay attention to a newsletter from me. 

What keeps a subscriber interested beyond knowing when an author's next book comes out? I'm subscribed to some very personable authors, but I have to say even they get on my nerves if I hear from them too often. What makes for good content? How often is too often?

Back to that blog post I read - one commenter mentioned something that triggered an idea, a good way to keep touch with my readers--or at least I think so.

Announcing 

Hey, we're headed into the holiday season, and for me, that means cookies, so I thought I'd share my love of cookies. And books. Beginning October 1, I plan to test the idea of a monthly newsletter with a book recommendation -- a book I've read that I think my readers might like -- and a link to a cookie recipe. I'll also include writing news and new release information, and for people who don't want the more frequent contact, they can subscribe to "new release" information only. Good idea? Bad idea? 

This is where I'd love to hear what you think. What kind of content would keep you opening newsletters, and what makes you unsubscribe? Do you want to hear from your favorites more regularly, or only when they have a new book to share?