A screenshot of MailChimp’s process

Remember that I was planning to document the creation of an eBook? Well, that project has just got quite a bit more meta. As I create my BlackBox newsletter, I’m documenting the steps and I’m hoping to turn that process into an eBook. It might even be useful for somebody.

I think I should clarify the newsletter a bit more, since I’ve had more than one reader of the male persuasion tell me that he doesn’t use cosmetics and therefore doesn’t want to read it. Yes, I do accept that some of my beloved readers will drop off because I’ve narrowed the focus. But I’m planning to include pieces about my personal development (remember the Lizard Brain?) and how I’m learning to do this network marketing thing, and I hope that will be of some interest even to those who don’t care for their skin.

The newsletter has several parts to it. There is a large section on top which will be unique to the newsletter, a la Chris Brogan’s monchu. As he once expressed it to me, his blog is for the hoi polloi; his newsletter, which has now become Owner Magazine, is for his special people. That blue section will be for my newsletter subscribers. Because of the focus of the newsletter, it will often contain offers from BlackBox Cosmetics. Right now, for example, I am offering free shipping to all new subscribers.

Underneath are three columns, which will redirect back to the blog, so they are sharing blog content. The reason for this is that I want to keep the newsletter short (I don’t, myself, have a lot of patience with wordy newsletters). At least one column in each newsletter will connect to a non-BlackBox blog post, just because I am not a one-trick pony, even in a focused newsletter. I imagine that at least some of them will refer to my learning how to make eBooks.

So stay tuned … and if you want to subscribe to the newsletter, the sign-up form is in the right-hand column. I would love to get your feedback on it! After all, learning new things is what I’m really about …