![]() Scott and Alison mention the idea of traction –> momentum –> expansion. Though Scott and Alison aren’t specifically teaching writers, their methods are spot on (namely because they’re a lot like what I’ve been preaching since 2007). There’s an excellent book I highly recommend by Scott and Alison Stratton called UnMarketing. They FIRST established rapport and built relationships via a blog, speaking engagements, social media, a backlist of books readers enjoy, or a combination of any of these. Authors who have successful newsletters have built some sort of relationship with those on their mailing list. Many authors sing the praises of the newsletter, yet if we pay close attention, the newsletter in and of itself isn’t the whole picture. Or we careen into oncoming traffic and everyone dies.Ĭongratulations, your newsletter is now a French film. Without traction, what happens? We’re left spinning our wheels going nowhere. Since I’ve tasted Meta Sauce, it holds a major advantage over the wall of UNKNOWNS and increases the odds I’ll buy a jar. The company uses the sample to gain advantage through connection. One taste of a free-range heirloom tomato might be all I need to forgo Ragu forever, making Meta Sauce my new go-to when I fall off-then under the wheels of-the low-carb bandwagon.Īnyway, the free sample of Meta Sauce serves a purpose other than propping up the hairnet industry. They KNOW there’s a ton of competition and that, unless they want to compete on price, they’re going to have to make the first move to connect with US.Īlso, that connection is going to COST them…because charging for free samples defeats the purpose of a free sample. Pasta sauce companies hire smiling people in hairnets to hand out samples in order to bridge the trust gap. Though I could have chosen the organic, non GMO, vegan, cruelty-free marinara made with only free-range heirloom tomatoes, I grab a jar of whatever I bought last time.Īnd make a mental note to google what the heck an ‘heirloom tomato’ actually is, aside from pretentious and ‘meta.’ This means the consumers’ comfort zone contracts at twelve times the rate the number of choices expands.įor instance, when faced with seventy-five different pasta sauces at the nearby Central Market, my brain vapor locks. We’re in an age of unprecedented abundance and choice, and most consumers are overwhelmed. People buy from who they KNOW and who they LIKE. The problem is that, in the 21st century marketplace, relationships ARE our business. Too many businesses (and writers) want to skip building relationships and get right to selling. In my last post, I also talked about the trust gap. A successful newsletter requires one critical factor to make it anything other than one more reason to take up heavy drinking. Most authors will still have to work a day job, care for family, needy pets and also build a social media platform. This said, the ways we then cultivate a fan base-actual humans who will BUY those books-should be selected with care. For writers, our priority is to dedicate time to writing books. Time is a nonrenewable resource, which means we’re wise to use the time we have effectively. ![]() Just like we shouldn’t rush out to self-publish because a member of our writing group is suddenly bathing in crisp Benjamins, we shouldn’t dive into creating a newsletter simply because another author swears they sell books faster than a donut shop across from a police station. Like all other business decisions, newsletters require forethought and honesty. How we publish is a business decision only we can make. In my book Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a Digital World, I take a lot of time explaining the various ways we now can publish-legacy, indie, small press, self-pub, hybrid, etc. Want to settle a dispute with that coworker who keeps stealing your lunch from the company fridge? Chainsaws are BAD…and HR is far scarier anyway.īefore we get into pros and cons, dos and don’ts, think long and hard about why you’re considering a newsletter at all. Should you want to cut down a dead tree, chainsaws are awesome. Newsletters are a tool, and tools are neither good or bad. ![]() How other authors swear by them and so why oh why do I hate them?įirst of all, I don’t hate newsletters. Science proves that, the better writers are at sales, the more books they sell. Sort of like studies show that people who have more birthdays live longer.Īlas, whenever I blog about marketing or sales, inevitably a commenter or five mentions author newsletters. Last time I posted at length about sales, namely what it is, what it isn’t, and why we shouldn’t be afraid of it. Do we need one? Do they sell books? Does a human sacrifice help?
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