Staying in Touch with Readers: Newsletters, Part Two

by Linore Rose Burkard

Last month we looked at Author Newsletters, discussing the why and wherefore. This month we'll look at the what (what content to include) and next month the how (how to get one started).

What Do I Put in A Newsletter?
Your audience has subscribed to your list because they've read a book you've written or are considering reading one. You've caught their interest as a writer. Therefore, the first order of business is giving them book news. No new releases right now? Give an update on progress of your next book. New contracts, a stellar review, an article related to your book--it all fits.

Other Content Ideas:

• You're a writer! Share some new writing. 
• Be sure to include a copyright notice (the little symbol will do) if it's something you plan on using in a book someday.  
• A Calendar. If you're actively doing speaking engagements, or have any upcoming author-related events, share them with your fans.
• Make sure to tell them they're the first to know!
• What made you write that book, or is motivating your next one?  
• A good back story can be the catalyst that makes a reader purchase a book.
• See a current headline that dovetails with content from your book? Share the link.  
• Example: When a sizable solar flare hit, I shared a link to that story since my YA, PULSE, deals with a catastrophic solar flare that takes down the electric grid of the nation.  
• Other books in your genre catch your eye? Your audience will be interested. 
• Share direct links to Amazon. (This is a nice way to support fellow authors, too.)
• What do you know about your audience? Share content that appeals to them. Non-fiction authors have a far easier time doing this, but even fiction writers can find areas of interest in their book. 
• Example: My regency romances take place in the Jane Austen era. So, I often include links to JA news and events for readers of that genre.  
• For fans of my YA Pulse Effex Series, I share articles related to disaster preparedness and homesteading.   
• Do you have a blog or write for one? Share links to those posts.
• Spirituality: I often have something related to Christianity, whether a poem, a meaty quote, a short devotion, or book recommendation.
• Reviews: Not only for your book, but ones you write for other books. Include purchase links to the books you review.   
• Have you written non-fiction articles about something that ties to your books? Run it in the newsletter. 
• Example: I've written dozens of articles about life during the Regency. After using them as the main article of a newsletter, I often package them into illustrated PDFs and re-use them as perpetual freebies on my website.  Freebies are important, because your newsletter has to answer one question for your subscriber--even the subject line that lands in their inbox should strive to answer this all-important question; namely:  

What's In It for Them?

One pitfall to avoid is having your newsletter be all about you and your book(s). Such content gets tired quickly. Everyone who opens your email is asking on some level,  What's in it for me? So make sure there is something in it for them. How? Run a giveaway, give them chances to win a free book or other neat prizes. If you don't have a current contest or giveaway, find someone who does (in your niche or genre) and share news of that.

Better yet, get in the habit of creating little free PDFs they can download.
In the past, I've offered free PDFs such as:

One of my free PDFs

• Jane Austen-related word searches
• Historical costume articles, richly illustrated
• Short accounts from 19th century sources in the public domain, such as, "Extraordinary Escape of an American Traveller." (sic)
• Recipes for a Regency Tea.
• The Prayers of Jane Austen   
• Myths and Mysteries of the Regency
• the possibilities are limited only by your imagination!

Reader Engagement

Free PDFs increase reader engagement. And if you can increase reader engagement, you'll grow loyal readers who can't wait to open your newsletters. 

For my regency fans, I used to run a monthly "Jane Contest." I'd choose a quotation from one of Jane's books (or even her letters) and ask readers to identify the character speaking. All correct answers went in a drawing for a free book, or other prize. (Janeites adored this contest.) Anything that gets readers clicking a link, answering a question, entering a drawing, etc. will up your engagement level.  Using polls and asking for feedback on a book's title or cover are more ways to increase engagement.

Perpetual Content

Somewhere in the newsletter should be links that stay permanently. Your website link, your Amazon book page, facebook fan page, twitter profile, even your Pinterest boards, if they can tie to your writing. For new subscribers who haven't yet read your work, keep a thumbnail of your titles with links to purchase. One of my favorite perpetuals? A "share this newsletter" button!

In Closing:

Some people may read your newsletter because they're interested in you. But most readers are far more interested in the What's in it for me? question.

Don't forget to answer it.

I won't tell you how often to send your newsletter. Opinions vary widely on that, and it all depends on what your goals are. But since most authors are busy people, once a month is probably often enough to help readers remember you and to share whatever's new.

Finally, people who read newsletters are, well, readers. Keep it interesting, offer a variety of content, and you'll keep subscribers happy, engaged, and coming back for more. When at long last you  announce a new release, your subscribers will include many who feel they know you, and are eager to get that next title.

Next Month: HOW to start that newsletter and mailing list. 


Linore Rose Burkard wrote a trilogy of genuine regency romances for the Christian market before there were any regencies for the Christian market. Published with Harvest House, her books opened up the genre for the CBA. She also writes YA Suspense/Apocalyptic fiction as L.R. Burkard. Married with five children, she home-schools her youngest daughter, preferably with coffee in one hand and an iPad in the other. Her latest  PULSE EFFEX SERIES, takes readers into a "chilling possible future for America."

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Setting Your Stage ~ Sarah Sundin

More than a Stage—Use Your Setting to Illumine Your Story

by Sarah Sundin

“The British are coming! The British are coming!” (Or “The regulars are coming!” for my historian friends.) When you hear those words, what do you picture? Boston, Paul Revere, the brink of the Revolutionary War in 1775. How can those elements be used in a novel set in 1941?

Plot, characters, and setting work together to create novels that come alive. Most of us writers love plot and characters, and the setting is merely a stage they perform on. But setting can be so much more—it can create mood, echo external conflict, and highlight internal growth.

Choosing Your Setting

The initial choice of setting is usually driven by that story spark. We already know it’s set on the prairie in the 1880s or an English manor in 1815 or a modern-day big city. My Waves of Freedom series required an East Coast city that had a large naval base and a naval shipyard during World War II.

Personal preferences often fine-tune our options. We choose the specific manor or village or city because it’s someplace we’ve visited or want to visit, or it meets story requirements. For me, Boston, New York, and Charleston were my main options—and I’ve visited Boston frequently. When my historical research revealed Boston was a base for destroyers and a site for naval antisubmarine warfare research in WWII, I knew I had my location.

So Much More

Very clever writers deliberately choose a setting to highlight aspects of plot, characters, and theme. For those of us who are less clever, we can still use our chosen setting in the same way.

As I began to write Through Waters Deep, I enjoyed playing on my Bostonian playground. So much history! So picturesque! Great foods! But then I noticed similarities between Boston’s revolutionary past and my story. That’s when the real fun began.

Create Mood

An open expanse of prairie—does it represent freedom and the pioneering spirit, or isolation and loneliness? A forest of skyscrapers—does it represent energy and opportunity, or claustrophobia and danger?

It’s all in how we write it. The same setting can represent different things at different times in the story.

Look for elements of the setting you can use to create mood. Even better, play with ways the same element can be used in different scenes. In Through Waters Deep, when Mary Stirling is at work at the Boston Navy Yard, the massive cranes give her a sense of industriousness and purpose. But when she’s alone on the docks at night, the cranes feel menacing.

Echo External Conflict

Every setting comes with history and lore and landmarks. For an imaginary setting, you should invent history and lore and landmarks. Find or create those elements that echo the conflict in your story.

For me, it happened by accident. My characters were having a “getting reacquainted” chat while exploring Boston from Paul Revere’s house to the Old North Church—simply because I liked the walk. But as they studied Paul Revere’s statue, I was struck by the similarities between 1775 and 1941.

In both years, America teetered on the brink of war and faced a difficult decision—do we continue life as before, or do we fight for freedom? In both years, America was bitterly divided—Patriots vs. Tories in 1775, isolationists vs. interventionists in 1941. In both years, Americans debated England’s motives.

Since this conflict drove my book’s action plotlines, I decided to use the Boston’s revolutionary scenery to underscore the tumult in America in 1941.

Highlight Internal Growth

Symbols are a powerful way to show our character’s internal conflict and growth. Those symbols become more meaningful when they arise from the setting. The rosebushes at the English manor that blossom while the heroine grows—and wilt at her black moment. The bridge over the creek in the small Southern town that shows the hero’s determination to become a new man.

In Through Waters Deep, Mary Stirling passes the Bunker Hill Monument every day on her way to work. The memorial to those brave, outnumbered soldiers represents Mary’s own battle to overcome her fears and do the right thing.

From Stage to Playground

So what about you? What elements make your setting unique or memorable? How can you use those elements to illumine your story?

Sarah Sundin is the author of seven historical novels, including Through Waters Deep (Revell, August 2015). Her novel On Distant Shores was a double finalist for the 2014 Golden Scroll Awards. In 2011, Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A mother of three, Sarah lives in northern California, works on-call as a hospital pharmacist, and teaches Sunday school and women’s Bible studies. She also enjoys speaking for church, community, or writers’ groups. You can find her at http://www.sarahsundin.com

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