Most of Fussy's subscribers use either Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail, or AOL, so we've compiled a how-to guide for using email filters with each of these four services. If your book recommendations are being marked as spam or junk, read on to learn how to fix this.

We're happy to help troubleshoot with other email clients not listed here, too — let headlibrarian@thefussylibrarian.com know who you're using, as well as whether you're using security software or another spam filter.

Gmail (desktop)

Log in to gmail.com and check whether any emails from The Fussy Librarian are in your spam folder.

You may need to click the More link (listed under Inbox, along the left side of the screen), in order to display the link to your spam folder.

Once in the spam folder, if you see an email from Fussy, open it and click the Not Spam button at the top of the screen.

Next, add our email address to your Contacts list. To do that, click on the Gmail drop-down menu in the upper-left corner of the screen. Select Contacts.

On the next screen, in the lower-right corner, you’ll see a red circle with a white icon of a person and a plus sign. That’s the Add Contact button; click it, then paste headlibrarian@thefussylibrarian.com into the window that pops up, and hit Create.

Not in your spam folder? Try opening your Promotions tab. If you find a Fussy email there, drag it into the Primary inbox tab.

When Gmail asks whether you'd like to do this for future messages from headlibrarian@thefussylibrarian.com, click on Yes. 

Yahoo!

Sign in at login.yahoo.com and check whether any emails from The Fussy Librarian are in your spam folder, which you’ll find on the left side of the screen underneath Inbox.

If you see an email from Fussy, open it and click the Not Spam button above the email subject line. 

When you’ve done that, go to the inbox and make sure the email was moved there. Open the message and click on More (above the subject line). Select the prompt Filter Emails Like This.

Name the filter whatever you want, but be sure to paste headlibrarian@
thefussylibrarian.com into the From field, and select the folder where you want Fussy emails to land (Inbox or another folder).

Hotmail

Sign in to your account and check whether any emails from The Fussy Librarian are in your Junk folder, which you’ll find on the left side of the screen.

If you see an email from Fussy, open it and click Actions, which will be in the upper-right corner of the email. Select Not Junk when the drop-down menu appears.

When you’ve done that, go to the inbox and check that the email was moved there. Open the message and click on Actions, then select Create rule.

Make sure the drop-down menu on the left says “Sender contains,” and paste headlibrarian@thefussylibrarian.com in the text field next to it. 

The next drop-down menu, underneath “Do the following,” should say “Move to.” To the right of it will be a list of places you can direct all Fussy emails to, such as your inbox or other folders you’ve created — just select the one you want.

AOL

Log in to your AOL Mail account, click on the Options button in the upper-right corner, and select Mail Settings from the dropdown. Then pick the Filters and Alerts settings on the left, and click on Create Filter. 

Name your filter whatever you want, and in the field labeled From, enter thefussylibrarian.com. This should ensure that the filter saves all emails sent from The Fussy Librarian.

Then, when you see the Move to folder prompt, select the place you’d like to have emails from Fussy sent. Hit save, and you’re done.

Smartphone apps 

Mail: Open the Mailboxes screen to access your junk folder. If you find an email from The Fussy Librarian, swipe left and click the More button.

A menu with several actions will appear; tap on Mark and then Mark as Not Junk.

Gmail: Check any tabs (such as Promotions) or your spam folder for emails from The Fussy Librarian. 

Once you've found an email, open it and then tap the three white dots in the upper-right corner. In the dropdown menu that appears, select Move to and then Primary.

Outlook: Once you've found an email from The Fussy Librarian, tap the three white dots. In the dropdown menu that appears, tap Move to Focused Inbox. Then hit the button that says "Move this and all future messages" (the second option).