by Rachel D. Russell, @RDRussellWrites

I’ve had over 165 unsubscribes to my latest newsletter—and I’m thrilled. That might sound a little bonkers to you, but I’ve had a huge mindset shift about subscriber numbers in the past three months.

You see, I’m in a paid-tier subscriber level. I’d brought on quite a few subscribers over two years, and the bulk of those had been obtained from various giveaways. When I got those gigantic (to me) CSV files, I was elated.

I remember back when my list had six people on it. Yep. Six. All close friends and relatives.

However, when I got these large CSV files and incorporated them into my subscriber list, I was also terrified.

In fact, I didn’t want to send this big group a newsletter. I didn’t know how to keep them, entertain them, woo them. What if I said the wrong thing? What if they didn’t like me? What if—gasp—they unsubscribed?

Then what?

I did what many newer authors do. I thought it over and made a very solid business decision. I stayed silent. 

That’s what I did. Sometimes, I’d write newsletters and never send them, paralyzed by wanting to be one of the cool kids and facing the strong possibility that I wasn’t. As long as they still lived in stagnant silence on my subscriber list, they represented being my “potential people.” I wanted to hold on to that as a fantasy. 

Okay, you know, that was not a good business decision. But, human, right? Has that happened to you? You never send a newsletter because you’re certain that little button at the bottom will be clicked and those numbers will go down?

Reality settled in as my time opened up a smidge and I was able to give my attention to marketing and developing reader relationships. I had to write and actually send newsletters—I mean, what else am I paying MailerLite for, right? And, as I saw my next annual bill coming due, I decided it was time to start hitting “send” on a regular basis. (Cue the dramatic music.)

It’s been an interesting experience. First of all, getting reported as spam by people who were given a freebie and/or signed up for the giveaway (and were reminded of that in the newsletter) is a bummer. Luckily, that’s been only a handful. It’s not like I was offering them an extended car warranty. The most humorous one was a very famous author who I’ve met in person. Maybe someone else signed the email up as a joke, but the spam reporting sure wasn’t. We’ll let that person go unnamed, but, yeah. That one stung. 

The mindset shift, however, came when I truly recognized that my newsletter’s value isn’t in the number of subscribers. It’s in the quality of the subscribers. Out of this mass of people who entered the giveaway, I want only those who are looking forward to hearing from me. The ones who will open my email, laugh at my silly stories, engage in the questions I ask and the experiences of my life. The ones who want to know about my writing, family, cats, horse, and what made me laugh so hard I cried. They’re the ones who want to be the first to see my new book covers and celebrate releases with me.

I’d rather have 1000 dedicated and engaged readers than 5000 ghosts—or more. 

I also used to think that unsubscribes meant I wasn’t saying the right things in my newsletter…but, I’m me. What I say matters to those who want to hear from me. 

When people subscribe through a multi-author giveaway, each author will have to root out from that master list the subscribers are going to stick around. You’ll do that by being you. Authentic and true. Sure, you’ll have some hits and misses in the newsletter department, but your target readers will stick around.

I, myself, don’t unsubscribe from authors I love, even if one newsletter or anecdote doesn’t resonate with me. Because, that’s how real relationships are. We don’t always “get it,” but we care enough to show up and listen. 

It isn’t that I want to end up with no one on my list—I do hope to keep and engage most of the remaining subscribers. But, the ones that need to unsubscribe? It isn’t personal. It isn’t about me saying the wrong thing. They aren’t my people. I’m not losing them. I’m being freed by them. Over the past four months, I’ve been liberated by more than 500 subscribers. How awesome is that? 

Because the results speak for themselves. My last email was opened by more than half of my subscribers—I hope that percentage increases over time, but it’s more than double some industry averages.

I’d rather their inboxes be filled with emails from authors who do connect with them and that they free up my list to those who want to hear most from me. And, please—I don’t want to pay for those who never open my emails.

If you’ve been holding back from sending out your newsletters, for fear of losing subscribers, don’t be. I’m not calling on you to inundate them, but find your rhythm. How often do you want to hear from authors you subscribe to? Consider that as you plan your schedule. 

Don’t let the fear of unsubscribes keep you from developing a relationship with the readers who really want to get to know you, hear about your writing, and champion your new releases with you.

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It’s Your Love

When Grayson Fox is asked to return home to Deep Haven and run the wrangler activities for the local camp, the last thing he expects is to run into the one woman he never wanted to see again. Worse…she’s his boss. But Grayson has big hopes for a life back in Oregon, and he must keep the promise to the camp in order to keep his dreams alive.

Just because Beth Strauss has stuck around Deep Haven doesn’t mean she doesn’t want a bigger life. And becoming the camp assistant director is the first step to that bigger life. Of course, standing in her way happens to be the one man who has always managed to derail her dreams, way too arrogant Grayson Fox.

But if they want to keep the camp afloat and their dreams live, these two must learn to work together. But will these enemies become sweethearts, and if they do, will they find something better than the dreams they’re striving for?

Award-winning author Rachel D. Russell writes contemporary inspirational romance focused on forgiveness, redemption, and grace. She’s a country girl now living in the suburbs, whose resume includes presenting live-animal reptile programs, being a park ranger, a reserve police officer, and a stint in federal prison (where she worked, not lived). She makes wild attempts to balance writing under publisher deadlines with her full-time career with the federal government. When Rachel’s not cantering her horse down the Oregon beaches, she’s probably interrogating her husband on his own military and law enforcement experience to craft believable heroes in uniform. The rest of her time is spent enjoying her active family, including two college-age sons and three keyboard-hogging cats.