What is an E-mail List
An e-mail list is a list of people who want to hear about your books and writing career. This is a list that you have control over. Social media is unpredictable in how they handle authors’ posts, especially if you are not paying for advertising on their site. Your e-mail list makes sure you have a point of contact with people who are interested in buying and reading your books. Never buy a list of e-mail addresses. Don’t sell your list. And, most importantly, don’t spam your e-mail followers. More on that in another post.
Why Build an E-mail List
The reason you should build an e-mail list might be apparent from the first paragraph I wrote: it is your guaranteed point of contact with your audience. Social media algorithms and rules change. The next change could cause a severing of your ability to reach your audience. When you have taken the time to build your list, you have a contact point that cannot be taken away from you.
When To Begin Building Your E-mail List
Begin building your e-mail list now. It is never too early or too late to build your list. If you are writing a book, or even thinking of writing a book – it is time to start. If you are looking for a way to market your book, it’s not too late to start. The point is, there is no time like the present to begin the process. You will not be sorry that you started.
Ways to Build Your E-mail List
A Word of Caution:
There are several ways to build your e-mail list, and I will mention them here shortly. First, I want to say it again for emphasis: Do not buy a list, sell your list, share your list or spam your followers. This is a sure-fire way to earn a reputation that you don’t want. Beware of the gurus out there that make it sound easy or share varying strategies that may or may not work for you. Don’t do anything that is not authentically you. The people who follow you, want to hear your voice not some guru’s voice.
While we are on that subject, grow your audience organically. It feels great when family and friends want to join your e-mail list. However, if they are not your readers – because maybe they don’t like the genre you write – then they can unintentionally mess up the algorithms and help cause your book to fall in the ratings. You want people to follow you because they are interested in buying and reading your books. That is, if you are hoping to make a living with this author gig.
Website
A website, or landing page, is one popular way to grow your e-mail list. Many people use a give-away of some kind as an incentive for followers to join. It also gives your followers an opportunity to see your style of writing, first-hand. It can tell them a lot about you as an author. Your style, voice, and careful attention to details such as editing and story line, can be conveyed in one well-written chapter. If you have a lot of books on the market, setting one aside as your incentive, can work. If you choose to offer an incentive, choose carefully and give your incentive the same level of attention you give to your books that you plan to sell. The incentive should be something that will draw your readers to you.
Incentive Examples:
Here are some good examples and some bad examples of incentives. See if you can tell which would be good examples:
- An author of childrens’ books offers an adult romance as an incentive.
- An author of a science fiction trilogy offers the first chapter of their first book as an incentive.
- An author of a romantic trilogy offers the first chapter of Book 1 for a time, followed by the first chapter of Book 2 when Book 1 has been released.
- An author of true crime novels offers a free car wash to whoever joins their list.
#1 will draw readers, but those readers are probably going to want romance novels not childrens’ books. #2 will work for a while, but what about the readers who come to the site because they already read Book 1 in the trilogy? #4 is probably going to cost a lot of money and will draw a large crowd who are interested in free carwashes, but maybe not in the author’s writing. When deciding on the incentive you might use, think about the audience you want to attract and how your incentive can appeal to them.
Carry a Notepad with You to Your Author Events
This is a nice way to grow your e-mail list. It’s a bit old-school so it often gets overlooked as a strategy. If you have double opt-in set up on your website, then you can enter their information on your website. When they receive your opening e-mail, they can confirm their subscription.
Always Carry Your Business Cards
Again, this is an old-school strategy that works. Be sure to be brave enough to carry and distribute your business cards. Your business cards can direct people to your website, landing page, or provide an e-mail address for contacting you. If you ask them to e-mail you while you are with them, then BINGO, they are now in your contacts.
Back of Book Marketing
Another way to build your e-mail list is to provide the information for your e-mail list and website in the back pages of your books. This will help readers know how to stay connected to you and your books. Of course, that only works for book two and later. Still, it will help, so get into the practice of adding the information.
Pro-Tip for Shoestring Budgets
Do not use your personal e-mail account for your business contacts. Use a free e-mail service to set up a dedicated e-mail for your author business. This way you can keep personal and professional e-mail addresses separate. Add your professional contacts to the professional e-mail as they come. When you are ready to automate your list, switch to a different provider and take your contacts with you. Remember to check your professional e-mail every day.
And, while we are on the subject of e-mail addresses, why not set up a signature on your personal and business e-mail addresses that directs traffic to your website? Just food for thought.
What Have You Tried to Build Your E-mail List?
Share your thoughts in the comments below. And why not sign up for the “Latest News” from Amarlenn Arts Publishing while you’re at it?