Mailing lists and email

I'm trying to decide what I want to do when it comes to a mailing list. There are a lot of good services out there that charge you a nominal fee to keep track of email addresses from your fans. These companies are great and do wonders for most people. My problem is I don't want to spend money on a mailing list I'm not sure is going to help me in any way.

What I'm thinking about doing is using this blogger account to send notices to everybody who subscribes to it. This means I will use it just to update everyone on finished projects and where they can get them.

I guess I could use it to talk about things that interest me. I can use it to create a conversation between me and my readers. I could use it to let people know about what I am reading. If I do all these things then I guess I am using it for what most bloggers use their blogs for.

What I might do is make a point to get people to sign up for the email notifications. This means if you are opted in to receive notifications on this web blog, every time I make a post you will see it.

I am also thinking about making my email address public. I'm thinking about letting people email me when they read my books. I know that's asking for a lot of punishment. I know people are going to start emailing me all kinds of good and bad comments. I will set myself up to receive a lot of spam. This is all part of the decision.

The reason I'm thinking about doing this is for the feedback. If I have a lot of negative comments coming my way through email then I know I have to do something about it in future projects. If I'm getting good feedback, I know I'm doing something right. I can also use the feedback to inspire new projects. There may be questions I can answer in long form, as a book I can offer to my readers. 

I can also use the feedback to figure out what my audience is really interested in. If I'm getting a lot of responses about the same thing then I can focus on that one thing and create a solution.

Whatever the case, I think I'm going to start making some small changes to my workflow. 

I need to find a way to write every day and to edit every day and to release books on a more regular basis. I have allowed myself to fall into a rut, not writing for the past three or four weeks. I am going to find a way to inspire myself to write more. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this yet but I am hoping you will be active and respond to me and let me know how you get yourself to sit down and write every day.