There is a first time for everything. My May newsletter produced one tiny bit of engagement. A recipient actually requested an ARC copy of my latest novella ~ you know, the one that may never be finished. Now I'm feeling that I have to somehow complete it. I hope the reader is patient!
I also had two unsubscribes, which again does not bother me. I feel that way about newsletters, too.
My stats show a decrease in the open rate ~ about 17.5% ~ but one person clicked on my website link, which shows someone somewhere is at least slightly interested. To put it in perspective, this is the first time anyone's clicked on any of my newsletter links aside from "unsubscribe", so while these results look paltry to most people, I feel quite good about them.
I truly put no thought into this month's newsletter. Maybe that's the key. I was on the fence about even sending one, and only decided at the last minute. And I completely forgot about checking my stats until I received that email requesting an ARC. When I first embarked on this process, I had high expectations that were quickly dashed. A newsletter is like most author-related things ~ ads, reviews ~ we fool ourselves into believing we've stumbled upon the road to success, then quickly grow disappointed, then bitter, then ultimately accepting. I no longer expect that anything I do will boost my career, but at least I've stopped investing emotional currency in any of them.
I try not to compare my (lack of) success to other indie writers', though that's not an easy task. I know my genre is likely at the bottom of the list of reader faves, so any positive news I get feels like gigantic encouragement. I'll settle for that.
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