Newsletters by Terri Weldon

I’ve been meaning to write a newsletter to promote my books and to get to know my readers for quite some time. Well, all my good intentions didn’t cut it. No newsletter. 

I subscribed to numerous author newsletters and watched as one writer friend after another produced a fantastic product. I kept telling myself I needed to do the same. 

So finally I plopped my backend in a chair and got busy. Things were going well and much faster than I expected. I could handle this. When I finished I printed it out and took it to the person I trusted to give me an honest opinion. She did. Didn’t like it and thought it looked unprofessional. Ouch! Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m thankful she told the truth. The last thing I wanted to do was send out an unprofessional newsletter that would cause readers to want nothing to do with my books, thinking they might read as poorly as my newsletter.

So I went back to the drawing board. It took me f-o-r-e-v-e-r to produce a product I was satisfied with. And guess what I discovered? There were still a ton of things I didn’t understand. 

If you have plans to start a newsletter I’ve got several suggestions for you:

1. Subscribe to numerous newsletters.
2. Choose a mix of authors you read and authors you don’t read.
3. Read their newsletters voraciously and see what makes the author seem real to you.
4. What did they include that made them seem fun? This is why it is important to read some from authors you aren’t familiar with.
5. What about their newsletter would make you want to read their books?

Now on to creating your newsletter:

1. Choose which automation service you’re going to use and sign up and familiarize yourself with the program. I didn’t do this first and as a result wasted a great deal of time.
2. Decide how often you plan on producing a newsletter – monthly or quarterly.
3. Use social media or whatever platform you choose to start your list of subscribers.
4. Determine how much of yourself you want to share publically.
5. Create the best newsletter you possibly can.

Okay, I’ve probably oversimplified the process. But hopefully you’ve gained a little insight into creating a newsletter. 

If you’re a writer and can offer some tips I’d love to hear them. If you’re a reader please leave a comment and let me know what you like to see in a newsletter. 

And finally, shameless plug, go to www.terriweldon.com and sign up for my newsletter. If all goes well it debuts next week!

The Matchmakers Anthology

A Match Made in Sheffield (Book Two by Terri Weldon)

Nalie Benton bounced from one foster home to another until she landed on Ellie Alexander’s doorstep. Natalie’s vagabond childhood caused her to yearn for a secure life, which led to Natalie’s five-year plan: complete her law degree, marry the perfect man, become a partner at Montgomery, Haynes, and Preston, and produce one child. Getting arrested wasn’t in Natalie’s plan. Needing a public defender wasn’t in her plan. Falling for Grady Hunter, her public defender, definitely wasn’t in her plan. Can Grady convince Natalie there is more to life than her five-year plan? Is Ellie the only one who sees a future for Natalie and Grady?

Terri Weldon is a lead analyst by day and an award winning author by night. Her novella The Christmas Bride Wore Boots won the best novella category in the 2016 Lyra Awards. She enjoys traveling, gardening, reading, spending time with her family, and shopping for shoes. One of her favorite pastimes is volunteering as the librarian at her church. It allows her to shop for books and spend someone else’s money! Plus, she has the great joy of introducing people to Christian fiction. She lives with her family in the Heartland of the United States. Terri has two adorable Westies – Crosby and Nolly Grace. Terri is a member of ACFW and RWA. She is a member of the Seriously Write Team (www.seriouslywrite.blogspot.com). Readers can connect with Terri at www.terriweldon.com