Author Newsletter Best Practices (What to Send & How Often)
· 6 min read
You’ve built an email list. Congratulations! Now comes the harder part: keeping readers engaged without overwhelming them or boring them to death.
Author newsletter best practices aren’t mysterious. They’re built on two principles: consistency and value. When you send the right content at the right frequency, your subscribers stay happy, open your emails, and—most importantly—buy your books.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about running a successful author newsletter, from optimal send frequency to the specific content types that drive engagement and sales.
How Often Should Authors Send Their Newsletter?
This is the question every author asks, and the answer is: it depends on your audience and goals.
Frequency guidelines:
Once per month — Minimal frequency, good for busy authors. Works if your content is substantial and valuable. Risk: readers forget who you are.
Twice per month — Sweet spot for many authors. Regular enough to stay top-of-mind, not so frequent that readers unsubscribe.
Once per week — Ideal if you have a lot of content and an engaged audience. Best during book launch season.
Multiple times per week — Only if you have high-value daily content (like daily writing prompts or tips). Most author audiences don’t sustain this.
The real answer? Start with twice per month. Monitor open rates and unsubscribe rates. If you’re getting 30%+ opens and low unsubscribes, experiment with weekly. If opens drop below 20%, you’re emailing too much.
Pro tip: Set expectations in your email sign-up form, which can be customized on your website. “I’ll email you twice a month with writing tips and book updates” gives readers permission to expect you.
What to Include in Every Author Newsletter
The anatomy of a great author newsletter:
A compelling subject line (8–12 words, no all-caps)
- ✔ “5 plot twists that confused readers (and how to fix them)”
- ✘ “NEWSLETTER #47—READ THIS NOW!!!”
A personal and authentic greeting (2–3 sentences)
- Start with your name and a human moment
- “Friends, this month I finally finished revisions...” feels warm
- Generic “Launch Update” feels cold
The main content (3–5 paragraphs)
- One focused topic: a writing tip, behind-the-scenes update, or valuable lesson
- Show your personality and vulnerability
- Answer a question your readers have
A call-to-action (1–2 options)
- “My new book launches next week—preorder here”
- “What’s your biggest writing struggle? Reply to this email”
- Link to a relevant blog post, book, or resource
A sign-off (name and social links)
- Include where readers can find you: Instagram, your website, Goodreads
Optional but powerful: An image or header graphic. Visual content increases engagement. Tertulia for Authors email templates allow you to incorporate your headshot or logo seamlessly, and apply the design theme of your site.
Length: 200–500 words is ideal. Long enough to deliver value, short enough to read in 2–3 minutes.
Subject Lines That Actually Get Opened
Your subject line determines whether your email gets read. Here are the strategies that work:
Curiosity gaps — Create a question without fully answering it. This does NOT need to be pure click bait, but pinpoints an intriguing quote or concept that you unpack in your content.
- “A new ‘friends-to-lovers’ trope that will make you start seeing old buddies through new eyes”
- “The secret to a healthy relationship that people rarely talk about”
- “This one word in your opening chapter is killing sales”
Specificity — Numbers and concrete details are proven to increase opens
- “3 plot structure mistakes I found in bestselling books”
- “How I went from 0 to 10k subscribers in 18 months”
Urgency without urgency — Create a gentle time pressure
- “If you order my book by Friday, I’ll personally sign it for you”
- “Here’s what I’m working on this week”
Benefit-driven — Make it clear what they’ll gain
- “How to write dialogue that readers can’t put down”
- “5 ways to beat writer’s block (starting today)”
What NOT to do:
- All caps or excessive punctuation!!!
- Spam triggers (“FREE!!! MAKE MONEY NOW!!!”)
- Clickbait that doesn’t match the email content
- Generic subject lines (“Newsletter #47” or “Author Update”)
Test different subject line approaches and track which gets the highest open rate. You’ll quickly learn what resonates with your audience.
Make your author newsletter more powerful with a dedicated platform. Tertulia for Authors helps you manage subscribers, design beautiful emails, and integrate them with your author website for a seamless reader experience.
Start your free author website with Tertulia →Newsletter Metrics Authors Should Track
These metrics tell you whether your newsletter is working:
Open rate — % of readers who open your email
- Typical: 20–30% (higher if your audience is engaged)
- Too low (<15%)? Your subject line or sending time needs adjustment
Click-through rate — % of readers who click a link in your email
- Typical: 2–5%
- This shows how relevant your content is
Unsubscribe rate — % of readers leaving after each email
- Typical: 0.2–0.5%
- Spike above 1%? Something in that email wasn’t working
Conversion rate — % of readers who complete your desired action (buy a book, visit your website, etc.)
- Typical: 0.5–2%
- Higher if you’re emailing during a book launch
Reply rate — % of readers who respond to your email
- Typical: 1–3%
- High reply rate signals strong engagement
Track these metrics monthly. They’ll guide your content decisions and tell you if your newsletter is sustainable.
Take your newsletter to the next level. Tertulia provides author-focused email tools with beautiful templates, detailed analytics, and seamless integration to your author website and book sales.
Create your author site with Tertulia today →Common Author Newsletter Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Over-promotion — Asking for sales in every email destroys trust. Aim for 80% value, 20% promotion.
Mistake 2: Inconsistency — Saying you’ll email monthly then disappearing for six months tanks engagement. Send on a schedule, even if content is minimal.
Mistake 3: Vague subject lines — “June Newsletter” or “Author Update” have zero intrigue. Make every subject line worth opening.
Mistake 4: No personality — Corporate, generic writing loses readers. Show who you are, share your struggles, be human.
Mistake 5: Forgetting to encourage replies — Ask questions. “What’s your biggest writing challenge this month?” invites engagement and gives you valuable feedback.
Mistake 6: Not optimizing send time — Send when your audience is most likely to open. For most fiction readers, Tuesday–Thursday, 9 AM–12 PM works well. Test to find your audience’s window.
Mistake 7: Broken links or typos — Check every link before sending. A broken book link means lost sales.
Mistake 8: No clear call-to-action — If readers don’t know what to do next, they won’t do anything. Always include one clear call-to-action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I include images in my newsletters?
Yes, if possible. A header image or book cover significantly increases engagement. Keep file sizes small (under 1 MB) so emails load quickly.
Can I use the same newsletter content across social media?
Absolutely. Repurpose your newsletter content on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Different audiences, different formats—same value.
What’s the best day of the week to send an author newsletter?
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday typically have the highest open rates for commercial newsletters. Avoid Mondays (inbox overload). Weekends could go either way—they are a no-no in many industries, but weekends do tend to be a “lean back and read” time for book lovers. Test your audience’s preferences by tracking open rates by day.
Should I write “from” a person’s name or my business name?
Always use your name. “From: Sarah Chen” gets higher open rates than “From: Sarah Chen’s Publishing Company.” Readers want to hear from the author, not a brand.
Is it better to have an author newsletter or a Substack?
For most authors, a dedicated author newsletter is the stronger long-term choice. It lives on your own website, gives you full control over design and delivery, and—crucially—every email you send drives readers back to a place where they can buy your books directly. You own the list completely, and it isn’t tied to any third-party platform’s rules or future changes. That said, Substack isn’t without value. Its built-in discovery features can help new readers find you organically, which makes it a worthwhile complement to your main newsletter. The smartest approach for many authors: use your own newsletter as your primary reader relationship tool, and treat Substack as a lightweight discovery channel—a place to reach new audiences who might then migrate to your owned list.
