Author newsletters are part of the standard marketing package for savvy authors.

They are more reliable than social media, in that authors can be pretty sure the email will end up in the reader’s email inbox.

I’ve signed up to a lot of author newsletters over the years, and unsubscribed from most of them.

I know. That’s not what the authors want.

But I see unsubscribing as doing the author a favour for two reasons:

1. Most authors have to pay a mailing list provider to send their emails, and the cost usually depends on the number of people they have in their email list. If I’m on their list but never open their emails, I’m actually costing them money.
2. Open rates can affect email deliverability. If I never open their email, then that could lead to their mailing list provider to start sending their emails to spam or junk. If I’m on their list but never open the emails, I might be affecting their ability to send emails to their genuine fans.

I signed up to a lot of email lists as a result of free promotions i.e. the author gives away a free ebook if you sign up to their email list.

I often sign up as a low-risk way of finding new authors to read.

If I read and enjoy their free book, I’ll usually stay on their email list. If I don’t like the book—or if the author’s emails are too boring, to salesy, or arrive too oftethen I’ll usually unsubscribe.

The newsletters I’m most likely to read tend ot be short and have some personality–they show a little it of the author and their life. They’re not just about selling books. They don’t come too often (weekly or monthly is great. Daily is too often). And they’re not too long.

And on that note, I’ll stop before I go on too long!

What about you? Do you read author newsletters?