Do you ever catch yourself skimming your inbox, thinking, “You again? Whatever. Yeah. So what?” and then not even having the mental or physical energy to unsubscribe from the mailing list? So now, you are careful not to subscribe to anything at all. I get it. But I hope you’ll make an exception and subscribe to my blog.
Surely I get a few points for this:
- They’re FREEEEEEE!
- I don’t post every hour of every day. In fact, I often go a whole month without posting anything at all! If you prefer complete silence in your inbox, just come back at the end of April to subscribe.
- I don’t grind one subject to death. As “Queen of the No-Niche Niche,” I like to surprise my readers. But usually, I’m the first one to be surprised – I rarely know what I’m going to write about until I apply butt to chair and start typing.
- Fiction? Check. Poetry? Check. Random digressions? Sure. Writing tips? Isn’t that what writers write about when they have nothing else to write about? Yes, absolutely! Check!
Click for instructions on how to subscribe to my blog (https://jahangiri.us/2020). Pay close attention to the confirmation step – I mean, it’s a pain, but you wouldn’t want anyone just signing you up for every mailing list on the web, and that is what that extra step is there to prevent.
Bonus Tip
For all that “junk” you thought looked interesting, but now skim right past – that stuff that’s not exactly “spam,” but clutters up your inbox? Search all your email for the word “unsubscribe.” Click the link. Follow the instructions. All legitimate bloggers and businesses will honor your request, and it is far kinder than reporting them as “spam.” Save those reports for the ones who don’t respect your privacy. You can always sign up again, but if you haven’t opened the email in a year and probably won’t in the next 12 months, no one’s going to have hard feelings if you stop delivery with “unsubscribe.” That goes for me, too. I might cry, but I won’t have hard feelings.
Happy Monday!
I have sometimes wondered if setting up an email list for my readers would be worth it. Especially if I have a new book out.
Nothing is worse than hearing from someone you always thought kept up with your work say “oh, I didn’t know you had a new book out.”
Yes, exactly! My hesitation has always been, “I don’t have a new book out, yet. What would you want me to say, exactly?” But then I signed up with Substack – free, easy, you can read it in email or on the web, and you can even comment on it like a blog – and I discovered other writers there that I enjoyed, and thought, “Well, why not? If they’re bored to tears, they probably won’t want to buy my next book, anyway.” (Which is completely untrue, and probably about the WORST marketing move EVER. But there you have it.) I can think of one thing worse than your example – that’s when FAMILY members you thought kept up with your work say, “What? You have a book?” and you say, “Well, four of them, but…” and they say, “Oh, my God, why didn’t you say something?” and you look at your shoes, muttering, “Well, I did everything but jump up and down and stick it in your face, but okay…”
It’s not fair. Writers should be allowed to write, and to be happy little hermits. We should not have to become Fuller Brush Salesmen, too.
Holly
I will never unsubscribe
but the Unsubscribe function has brought joy, fullness in life, a transcendental wholeness, and less crap in my inbox.
Honestly, I have no idea how I’ve “subscribed” to things I’ve never subscribed to.
Freeing, isn’t it? I have to go in, periodically, and unsubscribe from a whole host of things. It’s okay – you sign up for one thing, and a company sneaks 10 marketing newsletters in on you. I can barely manage a blog and ONE newsletter.
I’m glad you won’t unsubscribe from me, Stuart! 😀 Thank you.