All Quiet On The Newsletter Front

 

 

I must say that I'm disappointed in MailerLite. It turns out their "free" plan offers zero newsletter templates once the "30-day trial" ends. I didn't even know I'd signed up for a trial subscription; I simply enrolled in the free plan, which MailerLite prominently displays as an option.

Now I'm not sure what the point of having a free plan would be, since it offers me nothing. I can upgrade for $10.00 a month, but for someone like me who's gotten no engagement from my first newsletter, I don't even know if it's worth my while to continue sending them. And I believe the subscription is billed on a yearly basis, so I would be stuck paying ten dollars a month for a full year. 

I spent a few frustrating days trying to authenticate my new Google Workspace email, which MailerLite informed me was required (since I didn't have a dedicated email address associated with my website). My correspondence with the Google Workspace team dragged on and on, although I will say they were supremely patient and kind about it, until finally I managed to achieve MailerLite authentication. Was all that for nought? 

Then, being dissatisfied with the February newsletter layout I'd initiated, I decided to try a different template, only to find out that, oops, my 30-day period had ended and now I had no templates available from which to choose. Fun times!

Needless to say, I'll be removing MailerLite from my list of self-publishing recommendations.

As far as newsletter subscribers, I've managed to gain none. I put out the word on Goodreads, Instagram, and Facebook, and even on Reddit. No one has bitten. In fact, both my Goodreads and Instagram feeds have gone mysteriously silent. I certainly don't feel that my online presence has diminished. I did spend about a month writing my latest novella, which limited the time I had to spend on marketing, but a month isn't very long. They say authors must churn out new product in order to stay relevant, and that's what I've been busy doing. I've been so excited to share the news of my forthcoming novella, but share it with whom? I frankly feel like a fool sending out newsletters to people who are obviously uninterested. 

I'm on the fence about continuing to invest money in an enterprise that never produces a return. And paying MailerLite is but one more investment that feels futile. I need to make a decision soon. I'm going to play around with the site a bit, to find out if a blank template is able to be modified somehow (by adding images and text boxes). If not, I think I might just throw in the towel.