Kicking People Off Your Newsletter

Why Actively Managing Your Newsletter Is Essential

Newsletters are a wonderful way to have a steady and ready audience for your fiction.

But they also can be problematic, and you need to take an active role in managing them.

Problems like lurkers, those creepy people who always hang on the periphery of life, bush-dwellers ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

Believe it or not, there are people who will sign up for a ton of newsletters because they know Indie authors survive and thrive by their newsletter lists. These people know we give things away for free to our subscribers, and they want in on the action.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but I would be remiss in my duties as an indie author with a podcast aimed at less experienced writers and aspiring authors if didn’t warn you about the darker side of these subscribers.

Specifically, I’m talking about the subscriber who signs up for newsletters with no intention of helping but who answer the author’s call each time we need beta and advance readers for our new stories and books.

Don’t Be Fooled

They throw their hands in the air and wave ’em like they just don’t care when the author goes looking for fresh eyes in the form of Beta and Advance Copy readers.

And they are the type who never fulfills their end of the bargain.

Authors have important working relationships with Beta and Advance readers. They get exclusive access to our works and we get the beautiful benefit of their early feedback on a story/book before the work sees the light of day. These newsletter subscribers are the most important fans an author can have.

The Truth Hurts

Yet, we cannot ignore the fact that some of these subscribers volunteer to help while never actually intending to actually do so. The ugly truth is, they just want free books. Like yours. That year of hard work you did, slaving away at that story you wanted to scream at (and probably did on a few occasions)? They want it for free because expecting to pay $2.99 for a year or more of your life is too steep of a price for them.

Because these people do exist, it’s imperative that any writer and aspiring author attempting to grow their readership through leveraging a newsletter understand that you must (no, there is no alternative) actively manage your subscriber list.

Tips, Tools, and Tactics of Newsletter Management

Each time I send a call for Beta and Advance readers, I create a new spreadsheet on a master Excel file. On that new sheet, I enter the person’s first and last name and their email address.

Doing this gives me a one-stop source for email distribution list for those calls, a list I use to follow up with the group on the progress of their read, and to use to send a quick reminder when my deadline is drawing near. A simple copy and paste from the sheet into an email and I’m on my way to my next task.

BUT ….

There’s another trick to my spreadsheet.

Each time I receive feedback from one of these early readers, I highlight that person’s name in Green, making them stand-out as having fulfilled their end of the promise. Yellow goes to those who responded but haven’t completed, and Red goes to those who stayed silent … you know, the lurkers.

(It’s important to note that I’ll take any level of feedback. Even if someone could only get through half the book before my deadline, I’m still happy to get their thoughts on what they read. I’m not that much of a tyrant; I get that life, and poo happens and would never abuse the kindness of people willing to give me so much of their time — please, don’t be that author who takes these wonderful readers for granted.)

I always give those Reds the benefit of the doubt and another chance. After all, life happens and there are very good reasons why a person couldn’t send feedback.

But, them not sending anything back should be the exception, not the rule.

No Remorse, No Regret

If you use my trick, you’ll quickly identify (within your 2nd call for help) the people who are there to simply get free stuff.

My advice: the Reds get a second chance, and no more. After that, they’re deleted from my newsletter subscriber list.

Writing and bookselling is a passion of mine, but it’s also a business and I treat it as such. I have no obligation to satisfy mooches and lurkers.

I don’t work this hard just to give things away for free … unless I intend to give it away for free for strategic marketing purposes.

Nor do you, I assume (or you’d be writing audio drama instead of books).

Pay attention to your subscriber list and actively manage it. You and your books deserve it, but so do those absolutely wonderful subscribers who take time out of their lives to help you make better art.

It’s about respect.

Cut without remorse.

Paul Sating is the author of Novel Idea to Podcast: How to Sell More Books Through Podcasting, and the horror books, 12 Deaths of Christmas and Chasing the Demon. He is the host of Horrible Writing podcast, and creator/writer of Subject: Found, Who Killed Julie?, Crown of Thieves, and Diary of a Madman. You can find more information about Paul and all his creations at paulsating.com. You can even sign up for his newsletter … just don’t be a lurker.