114 You Have a Book in You newsletter or clicked through to what you o昀昀er. Some are text only and can get through any spam 昀椀lter. Constant Contact, Campaigner, AWeber, Namaste Interactive, and iContact are great online resources for starting your own newsletter. You can choose to send out your newsletter once a week, once a month, or just randomly, depending on your style. However you go about it, make sure it’s fun for you and for your readers. Don’t just blast them with sales messages. I know a woman who writes a newsletter to help other writers 昀椀nd funding sources. In every issue, she includes a photo of herself with her elderly, blind dachshund. Her subscribers love her dog and always enjoy hearing about him in every letter. Personal details help people connect with you. 吀栀ey get to know you and trust you. 吀栀at’s at least as important for your book sales as giving them a link to Amazon. What about Branding? Branding is a buzzword in the book business that you are going to hear a lot. As an author, you want to be branded. All it means is that you create something that is recogniz- able to people so that they know what you stand for. Tom Peters says, “Be distinct or extinct!” You might choose certain colors or images, but all of that is secondary to the experience you take to people.