To do this in a way that’s affordable and doesn’t take too much time, I recommend subscribing to e-newsletters that report on trends and developments, offer how-to advice, and introduce you to new ideas and options.

Here’s a very short list of some of my favorite free newsletters with a brief description of why I find them helpful. Each newsletter title is linked to a page where you can subscribe — just click through.

I hope you’ll introduce me to more winners by sharing the names of your favorites in the comments section.

Helpful newsletters for authors

ASJA Weekly

This newsletter from the American Society of Journalists and Authors is a compilation of web-based news stories from the publishing and writing world. I always find something helpful in it. For example, this week’s issue includes a link to an article on digital tools for crime writers.

The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter

This monthly missive from Penny Sansevieri and her team at Author Marketing Experts is always loaded with useful, timely information. A recent issue featured an article on how to optimize your press release for maximum exposure.

Build Book Buzz 

I publish this newsletter twice a month to help authors figure out how to promote their books. It’s packed with lots of how-to book marketing, publicity, and promotion advice. Subscribe in the box on the upper right  or by clicking on the title above and going to this site’s home page.

Savvy Book Marketing Tips

Consultant Dana Lynn Smith now offers special interest newsletters for authors of nonfiction, fiction, and children’s and YA books. I particularly like the short news items with links to more information online.

Vocus blog

I’ve got this one on the list because Vocus taps the resources in the companies it owns (PRWeb and iContact) to send out helpful articles related to press release writing/distribution and e-mail marketing. Get on the mailing list and you’ll receive these useful articles from the Vocus blog in your inbox, but you’ll also receive invitations to free webinars that deliver truly useful content. Yes, there’s usually information at the end of each session about the company’s services, but do you really care if you feel like you’ve learned something during the presentation?

Where Writers Win

The weekly Where Writers Win newsletter is really just an e-mail with excerpts from the promotion service company’s blog articles. To read more, you click through to the blog site. This not-quite-a-real-newsletter-but-is-more-like-a-visit-the-blog-reminder-message works for me because it’s hard for me to find the time to visit interesting blogs regularly. And the blog posts on this site are worth reading. They’re full of “learn how to do it here” information that authors love. To subscribe, use the link in the title above, and scroll down to the “Subscribe to our email list to receive updates” box on the right.

What are your favorites?

There are lots of great e-newsletters and e-zines available for authors who want to absorb as much information as possible. Which ones do you read and recommend? Please include a name and link in the comments and if you have time, a brief reason why you like it.

Thanks!