I’m not a huge fan of talking about myself on social media. Writer friends have advised me to intensify my Facebook hustle, but there’s something so inherently uninteresting about that platform. First, even the most innocuous posts can be boiled down to an agenda (usually “muh brand”) and second, to quote George Costanza, worlds are colliding. All the time colliding.
For example, book plugs are hijacked by an aunt asking after the health of your father, while a former work acquaintance gets inappropriately political in a space you work hard to keep agnostic. Facebook almost never fails to make me cringe, which is why I’m almost never on it.
That said, I would like to have more rapport with my readers. So I’m in the process of building a newsletter where I can talk about my books without other distractions getting in the way. And this way I know that I’m speaking only to people who want to hear what I’ve got to say. There’s some pretty nifty announcements coming down the pike and this newsletter will be the first place you’ll hear about any of them. I’ll also solicit reader feedback on a number of issues, from works in progress to sequels I’ve considered writing.
If this sounds like too much work for you, the reader, don’t worry! You’re not going to hear from me more than once a month (and even then, I’ll likely start with a bi-monthly approach). But I’m also going to make this worthwhile for subscribers by writing a piece of short fiction exclusive to this newsletter. Once finished, everyone who signs up to enter These Dark Woods will get a download link for that free ebook.
Oh yeah, there will be giveaways and other types of contests too! And all you need to do is click my newsletter link and take 10 seconds to fill in your contact info.