2024 in Review - Part 3 of 3
Welcome back to the final segment of my 2024 writer’s business review. Today we’re reviewing my website and newsletter.
My website
I’ll admit I made a mistake in 2024 with my website. I forwarded my URL to my store, making it the destination for people looking to learn more about me and my books.
I liked the idea of having a one-stop shop. In theory, there’s a lot to like about that idea. Though it left some things to be desired.
First, I lost my blog. Well, I didn’t really lose it, but Shopify isn’t built for blogging. Its posting process was clunky. That’s how it felt to read them on the site, too. Clunky is not good when you want visitors to hang around for a few minutes. I basically stopped blogging because of it, which was a bummer because I enjoy sharing random thoughts on this site (such as this post).
Second, I lost the ability to host some additional items like The Arcade Experience and my list of vampire references I hid in Cozy Up to Blood. Are those necessary for my writing career? No, but I liked them and missed them.
Lastly and most importantly, I lost the convenience of signing up for my newsletter. I wanted a simple button that folks could press and be taken to a sign-up page.
In late December, I stopped the URL forwarding and returned to my main website. I’m still tweaking the interface between the shop and the store to make it more seamless. It’s not quiet there, but I’m working on it. I’m much happier now with the shop and the main website once again separated.
Overall grade: B
Newsletter
I’m a huge proponent of an author newsletter. Whenever I give presentations, I always take about the need for authors to have one. I even call out the authors who I think do the best job at them (Jess Lourey, Craig Johnson, and James L’Etoile).
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed writing my newsletters even though I’ve been inconsistent about sending them out. I tried sending them monthly, biweekly, and weekly. I was doing well at the weekly when I shifted my sales strategy to an online store.
As I mentioned above, forwarding my main website’s URL to my store affected my blogging. That had a correlation to my newsletter, which surprised me.
In the past, I’d write a blog post, then create a newsletter afterward with a link to the post. It was a symbiotic relationship.
With the blog, I suddenly wasn’t writing a newsletter. I don’t really have a reason. It just happened.
It’s horrible to realize I’ve gone many months without sending a newsletter. It’s one of the best ways to stay connected with my readers. I’ve had some outstanding conversations with readers via email. It also makes me sound hypocritical when I’m standing in front of other authors and explaining how important newsletters are.
Overall grade: F (this is such an important tool for staying in contact with readers. I should never have overlooked it)
Looking ahead for 2025, I’m back with the blog, which means I’ve got the newsletter in my sights again. I don’t have a plan for regularity yet. Weekly feels a bit much with what’s going on in other areas of my life. Maybe I should plan for monthly and get it right first.
Award
I won my first writing award this year. The Fate of Our Years (the 509 Crime Stories #11) won first place in the Police Procedural category at the 2024 Public Safety Writers Conference. It was a thrilling experience considering the competition.
The same book also won the Marilyn Meredith Award for Excellent in Writing, which is given to the book the judges scored the highest.
That’s all for this year. I’d love to hear your comments about how I’m doing. What do you think I’m doing well? How can I improve in 2025? Let me know in the comments below.