![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/digital-newsletters-really-humanise-you-to-your-readers/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/127601314_book1.jpg&description=Image source, Elle GriffinImage caption, Salt Lake City based Elle Griffin is a writer of gothic novelsAuthor Elle Griffin says she would definitely turn down a book deal if she was ever offered one."I'd never accept one… traditional book publishing is full of bad math, and even worse marketing," says the 37-year-old writer of gothic novels.Last year, instead of releasing her first book, called Obscurity, as physical copies in High Street bookstores, or as a Kindle version to download, she started to self-publish chapters as email instalments.Using online publishing platform Substack, the new chapters were emailed out every week or two to Ms Griffin's subscribers. She already had more than 3,000 non-paying followers before she started to release the book, as she had for a number of years been writing articles on numerous topics.Image source, Elle GriffinImage caption, Elle has now moved on to her second book, which is also being released in emailed instalmentsBut by the end of the first 12 months of her novel's serialisation her subscriber numbers had more than doubled, thanks to recommendations from readers and other Substack account holders.Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Ms Griffin now has 6,843 subscribers, and, crucially, 301 paying ones.They are charged from $10 (£8.60) a month, or $50 per annum, and Ms Griffin says in the first year she earned nearly $18,000.With many of us spending more time online than ever before, writing coach Nancy Erickson says it makes sense for novelists like Ms Griffin to focus on offering readers direct digital access to their work."What you really want to do is meet your audience wherever they're already engaged," says Ms Erickson, who is based in St Louis, Missouri. She adds that digital engagement "helps authors build their brands, as well as finding other revenue generating activities".Jane Ostler is executive vice president of global thought leadership at brand consulting company Kantar. She sees online serialisation as an effec){kind=link}
Author Elle Griffin says she would definitely turn down a book deal if she was ever offered one.
“I’d never accept one… traditional book publishing is full of bad math, and even worse marketing,” says the 37-year-old writer of gothic novels.
Last year, instead of releasing her first book, called Obscurity, as physical copies in High Street bookstores, or as a Kindle version to download, she started to self-publish chapters as email instalments.
Using online publishing platform Substack, the new chapters were emailed out every week or two to Ms Griffin’s subscribers.
She already had more than 3,000 non-paying followers before she started to release the book, as she had for a number of years been writing articles on numerous topics.