Hey,

Writing a book is easy, I tell anyone with literary ambitions, just grab a dictionary and rearrange the words.

Okay, okay, if you are one of those fussy sorts who cares about the quality of your books, things can be a little more complicated—especially if you keep putting words in the order wrong.

But we really do have an endless well of words and stories inside of us… if we can get out of our own way.

It's the same with writing newsletters.

You might think you have nothing to say to your subscribers—or perhaps ideas for a mere handful of emails.

Poppycock. Claptrap. Balderdash!

Yes, there are those who find it easy to talk to complete strangers—often about anything under the sun. And yes, not everyone is the same. Other people take refuge in niche pursuits, and only really feel comfortable enough opening up to people with similar interests.

Wherever you may lie on that particular spectrum, remember this: you have something in common with all of your readers, a shared love of your genre (or a mutual interest in the topic for non-fiction authors).

This tends to be especially true of the subset of readers who are passionate enough about your work to subscribe to your mailing list.

Some can freeze up at the idea of emailing their subscribers—and I get that it can trigger levels of anxiety akin to the dreaded prospect of public speaking.

But I have sent crap emails in my life, and also completely died on stage when giving a talk. Trust me, I know which is worse!

And really, the two experiences couldn't be more different; perhaps that's another mindset switch you need to make with email marketing, along with those I proposed last week.

Don’t think of your subscribers as a hostile crowd that needs to be won over, like some novice comedian doing open mic at a boozy basement club.

Your newsletter is a safe space, is what I'm saying, and you are amongst friends—people with shared passions, who are interested in what you have to say.

That's the mindset, now let's talk content specifics—for both non-fiction and fiction.

I'll start with non-fiction, but I will go on to spend much more time talking about fiction, because novelists seem to struggle with this in greater numbers. Probably because non-fiction authors have a more immediate path to generating regular newsletter topics.

Non-Fiction

This is one area where non-fictioneers have it easier. It's certainly more straightforward; you have written a book on a given topic, your readers bought your book to learn more, and then and anyone signing up to your mailing list usually wants more again.

But more of what?

I recommend thinking of your Ideal Reader and the problems she needs to solve—the reasons propelling her to buy your book in the first place.

For example, you can see the breadth of topics I cover here in this newsletter—and that is restricting myself only to those things in the world of publishing which are useful to my audience (predominantly self-published authors), which fall in my particular areas of expertise (mostly book marketing) and which personally interest me at that moment (I may be a hack, but I am a happy one).

There’s enough in that very specific and personal niche to write about forever.

The principles are similar for most non-fiction authors—certainly most of those who might read this here newsletter. Your readers typically want to solve a problem and there are many ways you can attack that. You can go deeper on some topic areas from your book, explore adjacent subjects, or test out new ideas which could form future books, or indeed other resources, which you may sell, or give away for promo purposes.

My non-fiction business, for want of a better term, is considerable at this point, but the newsletter is its heartbeat. Putting myself in my Ideal Reader's shoes every week is a great way to keep in touch with the problems they are facing right now—which in turn constantly generates new topics and ideas for me.

Win-win.

I think non-fiction authors typically have a good handle on this, so I won't belabor the point, but let me give you one more solid tip: encourage replies.

I don't mean in that bro-marketer, faux sincere way; you must be authentic. I mean you should genuinely seek the opinions and problems of your audience—and treat those concerns with respect.

Aside from the fact that it is awesome for deliverability, and besides the part where it's the human thing to do, these replies are another wonderful pipeline of valuable topic ideas. Plus, it can show you where the gap in your resources might be—and everyone else's too.

Helloooo market opportunity.

Fiction

I could be facetious here and say the situation is the same for fiction newsletters—it's just that the "problem" your subscribers have is that they wish to be entertained.

And I will!

That doesn't mean you need to dust off your top hat and tap shoes—relax.

It also doesn't mean you need to start (over) sharing things from your personal life. Instead, reach for those common interests you have. with your readers—particularly those tied to your niche.

Do you write science fiction? Are you very excited that Apple TV is turning the Murderbot series into a show and have picked Alexander Skarsgård as the titular hero?

I'm a science fiction reader and loved that series—and I'd be super interested in a newsletter from any of the SF authors l've read on that topic.

To hammer home the point, it doesn't need to be a newsletter from Martha Wells herself—the wonderful author of that series. As a reader of the genre, and a fan of that book, I'm curious what any SF author I read has to say about the series, or Al generally, or the colonization of Mars, or the metaverse, asteroid mining, or FTL travel, or black holes, or... you get the idea.

You can talk about your favorite books, movies, games—it doesn't matter, as long as they are genre-flavored shared interests.

And just to avoid any confusion on this point, you can also talk about your book, your spaceships, your clever solution to FTL travel—not suggesting otherwise.

But I think most authors know that talking exclusively about themselves or their work will ultimately be a turn-off. (For both sides, perhaps.)

So, it's great to sprinkle in third-party stuff like this which is not directly self-serving. l'd go further and recommend leaning more towards non-you stuff in the overall mix, but you can find your own balance over time.)

Perhaps it can also help you shake any block you have around writing newsletters – talking about non-you things can be easier sometimes.

This approach can work for almost anyone.

Romance authors have loads they could talk about spanning love, sex, dating, and relationships—before getting into all the latest movies and books your readers might be enjoying right now.

Thriller, mystery, and suspense authors can discuss forensics or criminology or the psychological make-up of a serial killer.

Of course, you will still have your launch emails and newsletters promoting some sale you have going on, and ones where you are creating buzz about an upcoming release – and lots of other occasions where the newsletter is about you and where you are asking for something from your audience (a share, a review, a purchase).

But try to balance with lots of gives too – where you are giving something to your audience.

Don’t take this too literally. I mean giving in the broader sense – an email which your subscribers enjoy reading where you don’t pepper it with some ask or another.

You can still push your stuff. You can still do the hype email for your launches. Just balance it with non-salesy newsletters which your audience find interesting and engaging.

I can't think of a single adult fiction genre where this approach won’t work.

I write historical fiction also, for example, and I have written newsletter on the weird history of the guillotine, Christmas pagan rituals of the Irish, the real origin of "banana republics" in Central America—all of which are topics of interest to my audience.

It doesn't have to directly relate back to a book of mine—although in the examples mentioned they pretty much do—I just try and think of topics my audience is also interested in, ones that are still in the same wheelhouse as my genre.

I picture myself perched on a barstool (my happy place), I keep the tone casual and friendly and welcoming, and then I just... talk to them.

I don't need to tell a bunch of writers how to tell a story, but all of us need to hear this every so often: get out of your own damn way.

You know what your readers like. You know what they want.

Tell them a story,

Dave.

P. S. Music this week is Lou Reed with Trade In.