Newsletter, Blog, or Both?

Authors, check out these articles. I totally agree with having both a blog and an email newsletter. Further, I think an email newsletter will outdate Facebook, Twitter, and also your blog! If these go down in any way, you always have an email list. Even though people can subscribe to the blog via email, there’s a deeper personal connection with someone via the email list. Most of the people who follow your blog probably barely read your posts. While this can be because they follow too many people to support every blog they are subscribed to, an email list really narrows it down. I also wouldn’t complain if your email list is small like mine. The benefit of this is that you’ll have a higher open rate because these are the people who really enjoy your work. They are, as the article elaborates on, your real supporters. The people who, when you release a book they will (wait for it) buy it!

If you do have an email list, pay attention to open and click rates. This narrows it down even further. Of the 100 subscribers to your email list, how many of them open the emails? This is your real number. Or even if you have 3,000 subscribers, how many open your emails and click on your links? These are your real numbers. Also, I would try not to be all “businessy” (Made up word) in your emails. Personally, I try to be as genuine as possible. Emails are personal and the people who are subscribed are people who have already read your posts, and probably some of your books too. This means they are subscribed because they are looking for something different. They want to get to know the real you. Again, they’ve already read your blog posts so there’s really no reason to recreate the wheel. Make your email list feel special. Oh and another thing, email lists and newsletters are excellent for people who are not into technology! They may not like your FB, follow you on Twitter, or follow your blog BUT they will open your emails!

Read The Article Here: Newsletter, Blog, or Both

Here’s another good one: 5 Reasons Every Blogger Needs an Email List

AND here’s another: The Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Newsletter and Email List

Get to know the real me: Click Here.

This Month in Black History – September

This month sped by so fast I almost missed this month’s history wrap up!

******

September 5, 1859 – Harriet Wilson’s novel Our Nig is published

September 8, 1965 – Dorothy Dandridge found dead

September 8, 1986 – The Oprah Winfrey Show debut

September 9, 1739 – The Stono Rebellion, the largest slave uprising in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution, occurs in South Carolina

September 10, 1963 – Schools in Alabama desegregated

September 11, 1977 – Roots wins 9 Emmy Awards

September 12, 1905 – Master Horseman John Ware is killed when his horse trips, crushing him and breaking his neck

September 12, 1913 – Jessie Owens is born

September 12, 1947 – Jackie Robinson named rookie of the year

September 13, 1885 – Alain Locke of the Harlem Renaissance is born

September 15, 1963 – The 16^th Street Baptist Church is bombed in Birmingham Alabama leaving 4 little girls dead and one blind in one eye

September 15, 1978 – Muhammad Ali becomes the WBA Champ

September 16, 1794– The French Abolish Slavery. (Slavery is reinstituted under Napoleon in 1802 along with the reinstitution of the “Code noir”, prohibiting Blacks from entering French colonial territory or intermarrying with whites).

September 17, 1858 – Dred Scott dies of Tuberculosis 17 months after emancipation

September 18, 1850 – The Fugitive Slave Law is passed by Congress

September 18, 1919 – Frederick Douglass “Fritz” Pollard is the first African American professional football player for a major team

September 18, 1970 – Jimi Hendrix dies in London (at the young age of 27)

September 20-24^th 1830 – The First National Negro Convention met in Philadelphia

September 20, 1958 – Martin Luther King Jr. stabbed in the chest while signing copies of Stride Toward Freedom in Blumstein’s department store in Harlem

September 24, 1957 – Eisenhower orders the 101^st Airborne Division to Little Rock Arkansas to force desegregation at Little Rock Central High School

September 24, 1935 – Joe Louis defeats Max Baer at Yankee Stadium, Bronx New York

September 26, 1967 – Riots erupt in Tampa, FL after police shoot Martin Chambers, an unarmed black teen

September 28, 1991 – Miles Davis dies

September 30, 1919 – Oct 1 – The Elaine Race Riots (also known as The Elaine Massacre) occurs in the Elaine town of Phillips County Arkansas

****

In Case You Missed It: This Month in History – August

Discover My Top 8 Historical Reads (That you’ve probably never read!) Get it Here.

Meet a Book Reviewer

Wow, I’m truly honored! Special thank you to Linda for introducing me!

I’m writing this quick post to introduce you all to Yecheilyah Ysrayl, a book review blogger, author, and all-round nice gal here on WordPress. It’s not just because she reviewed my novelette, All Good Stories, and gave it 5 stars, I’m writing about her because she gives great (and helpful) reviews. In a market so full, it’s hard to choose what to read, isn’t it? We really need reviews these days that go beyond the minimalistic, “I liked it,” to know what we’re investing our money in. Because money doesn’t grow on trees. Neither do books anymore, for that matter. (Sorry for the cheesy joke, I’ve been watching too much Stephen Colbert.)

If you’d like to check out Yecheilyah’s reviews, you can find a great example by clicking here. (Spoiler alert: it’s mine. It’s a really fantastic review!)

And even more importantly, if you’d like her to review YOUR…

View original post 51 more words

EC Quote Friday

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Repent at Leisure by Stevie Turner

Title: Repent at Leisure

Author: Stevie Turner

Print Length: 238

Publication Date: March 31, 2016

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Paperback)

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1530802838

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

When Paul McAdam awakens to find an unknown woman in his bed, he regrets his previous night out and is disturbed by the stranger’s presence. Paul is agitated and wants nothing but to get Catherine “Cat” Taylor out of his home. Despite Paul’s irritation, he entertains the strangers company and the two begin an odd relationship in which the woman moves into his flat.

Paul regrets going home, staying out late and lying about his whereabouts as he tries to avoid being in the woman’s presence despite she’s living in his house. His demeanor changes however when he meets the love of his life, Anita Fairflax. Despite the short time they’ve known each other, she is his world and the young couple is lovesick. They decide to take their relationship to the next level when Paul brings Anita to his flat.

Hiding evidence of Cat’s existence, Paul can’t let the love of his life know that he is living with another woman. Sure, Cat means nothing to him but that won’t matter if Anita finds out they aren’t alone. Successfully getting through the preliminaries, the two make love and end a perfect night. That is until morning comes and Paul walks into his bedroom to find Cat laid out on the bed. Dead.

What happens next is a series of investigations into the death of Catherine Taylor amid Anita and Paul’s growing relationship. Everything seems normal until Paul’s behavior shifts into one of an angry boy trapped in a man’s body. Will Anita marry a man she knows very little about? Find out in Repent at Leisure.

When the author gave me the description of what this book was about, I could not wait to dig in. The story-line was interesting and I wondered about the meaning behind the title. The book takes off slowly but things pick up a bit when Paul starts to act weird. I love the overall message and the repentance aspect at the end. I won’t say anymore as I am not sure I won’t spoil it! While I enjoyed the story, it was predictable for me personally and the pacing like I said was a little slow, however I did enjoy the story. I wonder if there will be another part as I’d be interested to see where Paul and Anita’s relationship goes.

I will also say that this book presents an important message for today’s youth in regard to rushing into relationships and I’d recommend it for any young person looking to settle down. Take your time young people! As a general rule of thumb, it takes a couple years for most people to drop their masks. Relationships is mostly built on getting to know each other and that takes time.

Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 3/5
Entertainment Factor: 3/5
Characterization: 4/5
Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
Thought Provoking: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

Available Now on Amazon.com

Be Sure to Support This Author:

**************

If you’d like me to read and review your book there’s a long line, however I’d be happy to add you to my list. Be advised that I only publish reviews that I rate with a 3 or more rating. Anything under a 3 is corresponded with the author personally via email.

Click Here to complete my Review Registry Form to see if you’d qualify for my reviews. Reviews are free but there is a wait as I am also still working on my own book. Your patience is appreciated.

Stay Tuned for next week’s review.

EC Quote Friday

I don’t usually include any talking points with my EC Quotes, but I had to on this one because one of the most valuable skills that I’ve gained as a Book Reviewer within the past year is the studying of books. Not only do I simply read them, but now I am also in the habit of taking notes even if I am not reviewing. Currently, I am knee deep into Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad and Toni Morrison’s A Mercy.

Note-taking is a valuable skill and by doing so as you read your favorites, it maximizes your learning, your reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. You get to pull out key points, highlight, underline and look up the definitions of new words, jot down the names of people and places you didn’t know before, meditate on the format and language of the writer and how it is being used, and overall retain and analyze the information. Additionally, not just understanding of the story, but also of how the story is written. The most profound revelation to me of learning to write books, is that reading them is one of the first lessons, stepping stones if you will, we get in how to actually write them.

	SFPA December 2025 R… on Yecheilyah’s Book Review…
	Felicia Denise on Yecheilyah’s Book Review…
	Yecheilyah on Yecheilyah’s Book Review…
	Linda Mims on Yecheilyah’s Book Review…
	Yecheilyah on Yecheilyah’s Book Review…