Vikings, Spam and Relaunch
Over a thousand years ago, Vikings scoured Europe for spam. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE) A couple of weeks ago, I re-launched this blog with a custom-built application. Last week, I imported the dozen-odd subscribers from Hey World that I accumulated over the past few months. If you are receiving this via email, that is where you signed up from. (If you don't remember subscribing, you can opt out below!) The "from" email has changed, and will probably change again.
But before I sent the first newsletter--which is this one--I accumulated 672 bot email subscriptions. I accounted for them and purged them out. But inspecting the other emails I noticed some that appears to be bogus. Email deliverability is all about not sending to the wrong people. I played with a few different approaches before choosing an email blacklist service that rightly noticed that a third of my remaining subscribers were bots (and Vikings) who responded to the confirmation notice.
That leaves you and a handful of our fellow humans who asked to join my newsletter. If you wonder what I've been up to, the past five months have been a flurry of writing this website. But you probably aren't here for that. You're here to find out what I'm working on as a writer. And if you don't remember signing up for this blog/newsletter, I understand.
Apart from my initial foray into a fantasy series, not much. Work stress cuts into the emotional energy I have for writing.
Two beta readers have read the first two books of my alternative history series and liked it. There are a few minor grammar issues, and perhaps a character that people aren't too emotionally invested in. I'll give them a re-read and decide if I want to add two more novels and get them covered.
That's it. I just wanted to send the first newsletter from this app, and thank you for your patience and your support!
But before I sent the first newsletter--which is this one--I accumulated 672 bot email subscriptions. I accounted for them and purged them out. But inspecting the other emails I noticed some that appears to be bogus. Email deliverability is all about not sending to the wrong people. I played with a few different approaches before choosing an email blacklist service that rightly noticed that a third of my remaining subscribers were bots (and Vikings) who responded to the confirmation notice.
That leaves you and a handful of our fellow humans who asked to join my newsletter. If you wonder what I've been up to, the past five months have been a flurry of writing this website. But you probably aren't here for that. You're here to find out what I'm working on as a writer. And if you don't remember signing up for this blog/newsletter, I understand.
Apart from my initial foray into a fantasy series, not much. Work stress cuts into the emotional energy I have for writing.
Two beta readers have read the first two books of my alternative history series and liked it. There are a few minor grammar issues, and perhaps a character that people aren't too emotionally invested in. I'll give them a re-read and decide if I want to add two more novels and get them covered.
That's it. I just wanted to send the first newsletter from this app, and thank you for your patience and your support!