Today is the first Wednesday of October and I’m honored to be one of the co-hosts for IWSG along with the amazing Tamara Narayan, Eva E. Solar, Shannon Lawrence, and Stephanie Faris. Don’t be shy, stop by and say hello to the co-hosts and participants.
IWSG is a group for writers to meet once a month and share their insecurities. It’s amazing how one kind word from a fellow blogger and author can help me see the positives and to focus on them and not dwell too much on the negatives.
Today my niggling insecurity concerns my mailing list. I started my list early, which is good, but I didn’t do enough to encourage people to sign up. I’ve been taking baby steps to change that. The biggest adjustment I’ve made is offering a free copy of my novel, A Woman Lost, to all new subscribers. This has helped grow my list substantially. But I need to keep finding more ways to find new subscribers and readers.
While prepping this post, I realized I never officially announced on my blog that if you sign up you’ll receive a FREE copy of A Woman Lost. Ooops. Here’s the signup link. And if you would like to find out more about A Woman Lost, just click here.
TBM’s Monthly E-Book Giveaway
Don’t forget to enter this month’s e-book giveaway. One winner will receive copies of five wonderful books by super cool authors.
Here’s the Rafflecopter link and here’s the giveaway announcement post.
Calling all YA author’s!
Derek Murphy is offering an awesome giveaway and opportunity. Here’s the deal:
He’s forming a private group of YA authors who can help each other succeed. He’ll let you leverage his platforms and traffic, and suggest lots of ways the group can work together to share readership and sell more books.
The giveaway includes $7500 worth of book design and marketing help. There are five days till the deadline.
So if you want to be involved and get some unique opportunities to market your YA fiction, sign up on the giveaway page.
One more thing before I’m off to visit other IWSGers. Last week I included a mystery photo and asked who owned a particular house in the Garden District in New Orleans.
Here’s the photo:
Several of you guessed Anne Rice and ding ding ding—you are correct. Rice not only lived in the house, she also included it in her novel, The Witching Hour, one of my favorite books by her.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG today, TBM! I don’t have a mailing list, so I can’t offer you any insights. I can get in enough trouble just with my blog! Good look with your book!
I hope your blog gets you into fun trouble 🙂
Hello there. Like you, I don’t do enough with my mailing list.
I wish there was magic water I could sprinkle on it and watch it grow and grow and grow.
I had a mailing list, but deleted it because no one subscribed. Your post is making me rethink it. Thank you so much for co-hosting. You are wonderful.
If you do re-launch it, let me know. I’ll sign up 🙂
just signed up! I’m researching newsletters b/c something tells me i’ll need one!
Nick Stephenson and Mark Dawson have free classes you can sign up for to learn more.
It’s good to have a newsletter, but it is also all too easy to neglect to tell people about it. Offering a book to subscribers is a good way to get more subscribers. Thanks for co-hosting IWSG!
I’m wondering if I need to come up with a schedule for my newsletter so I don’t forget about it.
I would sign up if you launch your mailing again. Thank you so much for co-hosting.
Hi Olivia. The list is still active. I’m just trying to think of new ways to get people on it. Just in case, here’s the site: http://wordpress.us7.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=78899bc0c114e5c6cec40de35&id=0423b96893
You already signed up for my newsletting pimping event. I’ll work at getting more people on it. http://mpaxauthor.com
Got your newsletter yesterday and I haven’t responded yet, but sign up me for a review. Recently got my hands on the second book in the series. Loved the first!
Good luck with the mailing list! That’s one of those promo things I haven’t had the guts to try yet. Lol. But I’m sure you’ll find your readers will appreciate it!
I really had to talk myself off the ledge when I set up mine. It’s intimidating.
I haven’t even considered a mailing list – I’m not quite there yet!
If you do, let me know and I can direct you to some useful websites.
Hey! Thanks for co-hosting. I don’t have a mailing list–I figure the blog is more than fine for now–but good luck on getting more people on it!
I understand. Managing everything can be a bit much.
Thank for co-hosting today. Glad to see you growing your mailing list. I’ve given up on mine. Had no problem growing it, just couldn’t get any interaction or results with it. Thanks for sharing all these cool giveaways too.
I’m so sorry to hear that. That’s another issue to worry about: engagement.
Thanks for co-hosting. Good luck with the book and mailing list. I don’t have a mailing list either.
I started my mailing list late too. Five books and I didn’t start a newsletter until last week. Thanks for signing up. I’m off to sign up on yours too.
Better late than never.
Hey T.B., just wanted to let you know that I signed up for your newsletter but the email confirmation never arrived…
For some reason it can take a long time and other times it arrives immediately. I’ve noticed that when I’ve signed up for others.
Love that picture of Anne Rice’s house. Looks like the perfect house for her and her books.
Good luck with your newsletter! I still haven’t started one but I know it is a smart thing to do. Have fun co-hosting! 🙂
I wish I could have gone inside, but I might have been a bit creeped out.
A writers group offers so much. If I have to choose between attending that or something else, writers group always wins out.
I love the support.
Okay, the email confirmation just arrived! Just wanted you to be aware if it wasn’t working. Thank you!
Woot! That’s a relief.
You will get the mailing list done to your satisfaction-you will do well:)
I should chant this every day.
I don’t have a mailing list, which I’m sure is a mistake, but I hate being on lists so I carry that forward. Sounds like you have a good plan though. I know they actually work–I hear a lot of people say it. I just can’t get over my own feelings about the things.
I used to hate being on lists, but now I’m on some good ones and get cool stuff.
Newsletters are supposed to be helpful (not that I’d know from experience myself). Interesting that offering the free book helps. I’ve noticed that several ones I follow offer free shorts or promo material or swag or other things occasionally to subscribers. Maybe that’s why. Good luck with it!
People love free. Thanks!
Thanks for co-hosting #IWSG this month! Terrific idea to do a giveaway to raise the numbers of your subscribers. I must try that!
People have been happy about getting my book and I’ve gained new readers and fans.
Good luck with your mailing list. I started one early this year and it got off the a great start. But life took over and it quickly fell by the wayside.
Stephen Tremp
http://www.stephentremp.com
Maybe there’s still a chance to revive it.
Thanks for co-hosting this month. I have been looking at this course Your First 10000 Readers by Nick Stepohenson here http://noorosha.com/ It has my interest.
Juneta Writer’s Gambit
Yep, I began with Stephenson’s course. I’ve also studied Mark Dawson.
Good luck with your mailing list. And thanks for co-hosting this month. Love the Anne Rice home. Witching Hour is one of my favorite novels also.
It’s such a great book. I didn’t really like the second book in the series, but the first: wow!
Mailing lists are a mystery to me, but good luck on moving forward with that. Gorgeous house! If I lived in New Orleans, it would be in a house like that.
They’re a mystery to me as well, but hopefully little by little I’ll learn.
Thanks for co-hosting this month! I hope you’re list responds to your extra efforts and grows, grows, grows.
Thanks
That’s an awesome giveaway! Best wishes with your newsletter. My newsletter scares me. I think it might have teeth or something.
I was shocked when I saw Derek’s giveaway. I have a feeling he’ll get a great response.
Hi Tyrean! Thanks for visiting my WP blog, but I’m about to give up again. After blogger, WP is so hard to add stuff to. Unless I can get someone to give me a hand, I’m deleting it. 😦
You have been busy. How cool to live in a house Anne Rice lived in. I just finished her Werewolves in Winter and there’s an interview with her in a magazine I bought for the first time. Groovy!
You have a good time co-hosting! I’m up in November!
Denise 🙂
I haven’t read Werewolves in Winter yet. Must correct that oversight. Have fun in November!
Hi, thanks for co-hosting. I don’t have an email list or a newsletter so I don’t have any tips, sorry. I’s sure that offering your free book will get plenty of people signing up. I recognized Ann Rice’s house, right away. Love that house. Love the area. Also that’s some give away going on. Best of luck with the newsletter.
I’ve only been to New Orleans once, but I fell in love with the city.
What a great idea to get people to sign-up! I try to tempt people with recipes. 🙂
Thanks for co-hosting this month!
Heather
Where do I sign up? Lately I’ve been on the hunt for some good recipes. This time of year, I love to cook and bake.
If you go to Pinterest you can lose days on there looking at recipes. It’s scary. : )
I have my newsletter sign-up on the right sidebar of my blog.
HMG
Great! Signed up. I try to avoid Pinterest for that reason.
Best of luck with the mailing list! More and more people seem to be doing those, but I’m too apprehensive to take the plunge. I have a hard enough time thinking of things to mention on my blog, much less a newsletter!
Thanks for visiting me! Hey that Anne Rice house rocks.
It was a kick to see it.
Look at all of those giveaway books! Technical problems plague most authors, if it makes you feel better! Nobody told us we had to be able to master all this crazy stuff when we signed up to be novelists!
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
It’s probably good we didn’t know in the beginning or it would be so discouraging.
I’ve put off starting a newsletter, but it’s going to be one of my first projects next year. I think I already have a love/hate relationship with it. Good luck on yours!
And good luck to you.
A mailing list is probably a good idea. I’m sure your subscribers will appreciate a chance at getting a free book.
I’m still thinking about setting up a newsletter. A giveaway to encourage people to sign up sounds like a great idea. Thanks for co-hosting!
You’ve got a mailing list and that’s more than some can say. I hope your giveaway goes well. 🙂
Thanks for co-hosting!
Thanks for co-hosting this month! I don’t have need of a newsletter right now, but I think a free book is a great incentive to get people signed up. I hope it goes well 🙂
I keep telling myself I need a mailing list. One of these days … Thanks for co hosting this month.
Lots of authors seem to be going with the newsletter/mailing list option.
I don’t have either… yet.
Will have to look into it and decide.
… as if we don’t have enough on our plates trying to get stories written… 🙂
It never ends, does it?
Thank you for co-hosting the IWSG this month!
Thanks for co-hosting the IWSG! Seeing that lovely house makes me want to visit New Orleans again. Best of luck with your mailing list!
At least you’ve got a newsletter started. Congratulations for that success, and yes I have signed up!
Thanks for hosting, and for visiting my blog! Subscribed to your mailing list – hope this helps in some small way to make it something you feel less insecure about 🙂
Thanks for co-hosting! That house is amazing… LOVE them. I featured and run down antebellum house in my second novel…. so cool.
Great that your newsletter is doing well! Keep up the good work. I’ll sign up for it right now!
Thanks for co-hosting this month. Happy to hear your newsletter is doing well. I’m building mine slowly too. Every subscriber counts! Awesome giveaway. 🙂
Good luck building that mailing list. Giving away free stuff is the key. Keeping subscribers after they get their freebies is a little more work. I’m learning as I go.
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That’s a good idea to offer a freebie for signing up. I might try that.