Maribeth Barber Albritton

I’ve been teasing this on my blog and my Twitter account for several weeks now, but at last, after lots of preparation, nervous jitters, and prayer, I can finally reveal the Big Thing…

The Wordsmithery, a monthly newsletter from A Writer’s Tale!

If you had asked me a year ago if I’d ever start a newsletter, I would’ve been quite taken aback. It’s not something I’ve ever considered until the past couple of months–but once my thoughts were steered in that direction, I actually got excited about the idea!

But here’s the thing, dear readers (and I want to be very honest and up-front about this): I need your help.

I’m nearly finished with my book proposal for my novel, Operation Lionhearted...except for the one part of the proposal that brought me to a screeching halt: the marketing section. One of the things publishers really want to see, especially from first-time authors, is the presence of an established email list—a list of dedicated readers who’ll be there to read and maybe even promote a book once it’s finally published.

This kind of email list is different than when you subscribe to a blog. This is more like establishing a loyal fanbase…and I can’t do it without you and your help.

But it’ll also be a lot of fun for everyone, too! The Wordsmithery has become a labor of love for me, and I’m so excited about offering my readers some exclusive content that you won’t find here on A Writer’s Tale. That special content will include:

• exclusive updates on my life and my writing that you won’t find on the blog (or you’ll at least hear about it before anyone else!)…
• monthly recommendations (podcasts, books, articles, movies, etc.)…
• micro-reviews (1-2 sentences long!)…
• inspiring quotes…
• …and liturgical treasures to enrich your Christian life.

The Wordsmithery won’t be a long newsletter, but I do hope it’ll be a morsel of goodness and encouragement in your inbox once a month. As a sincere thank-you gift, I’m offering all subscribers a free PDF, The Secret Weapons of a Good Story. (YES, I created my own freebie!) Just sign up and download from your welcome email. It’s that easy!

Just a few more notes of clarification and information before I invite you to the sign-up form:

• This is NOT the same as your current blog subscription! If you’ve signed up to receive my blog posts by email, you will STILL get those emails. The Wordsmithery is something entirely different that you will receive once a month (and on the rare occasion when there’s a Major Update on my book). Conversely, by signing up for The Wordsmithery you are NOT signing up for my latest blog posts. That is a separate subscription.
• DON’T WORRY–I will never sell or give away your email address, and I will never send you spam. I cherish you and I never want to betray your trust with either blatant dishonesty or tacky emails.
• The first edition of The Wordsmithery goes out THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, December 18th! Sign up now so you don’t miss this very special, Advent-themed letter. Future editions will go out on the first Wednesday of every month, so you’ll get another edition on New Years’ Day and then another one every four weeks or so.

Without further ado, here’s the sign-up form. Thank you so much helping me out with this. I appreciate each and every one of my readers; I couldn’t climb this very daunting mountain without you!