Author Email Lists: Why Have One and How to Use It

Author email lists get talked about a lot, and it’s because they’re a seamless and effective integration of both active and passive book marketing. They allow direct, customized contact with your audience and they’re a built-in, ongoing promotional tool that you have ultimate control over, much like your website. So, let’s talk a little bit about why you should consider building one and how you use it.

There are Definite Pros to Building Your Author Email List!

Did you know that email marketing is one of the most effective types of marketing out there? It’s true. Everyone has an email and most people check their email daily, and sometimes multiple times a day, just like they do social media. But unlike with social media, these emails land exactly where they’re meant to because they don’t rely on an algorithm to be seen. Of course, catchy subject lines help as far as open rates go, but more on that later.

An Easy Integration of Active and Passive Book Marketing 

Because many authors are shy about putting their face out there and having daily social media presence, author email lists are something they can build to keep in touch with their audience while remaining fairly behind the scenes. There are other benefits too. 

• Your click and conversion rates may vary but in general, email marketing has a very high ROI.
• Everyone has an email, even if they don’t have social media.
• The visibility of an email is not bound and limited by algorithms.
• They allow direct contact with your audience without a highly-visible online presence. 
• Emails can be tailored and targeted to a specific audience.
• You have more control of clicks and conversions than on social media(see algorithm).
• They’re a way to speak directly to your audience and build loyal fans.

So, How Can You Build Your Email List?

Now you may be wondering how to build your author email list. Well, there is effort involved and building your list will take time. But first and foremost, you’ll need to choose a service manager for collecting subscribers and auto-sending your emails. We have some options listed at the bottom of this post for that. 

Once you’ve chosen your email service manager, you can begin to build your list in several ways.

• Through reader magnets. You can read more about that here. 
• By adding your sign up links everywhere: Your website, social media profiles, your book, in promos and giveaways. Even your digital and print business cards.
• Directly asking:Add the link and CTA to your email signature. Ask friends, colleagues, and fellow authors to recommend it. Promote it on socials. 

How Do You Use an Author Email List? It Begins with a Strategy

As you build your author email list, it’s best to be prepared by having a strategy to engage your audience. For instance, you’ll want to send a welcome and thank you email to new subscribers. Conveniently, this can be automated through your chosen email service provider. 

Then, you will want to consider a strategy for creating content and who and when you will be sending which types of emails to. The good news is, there is almost always an option to categorize your audience so you know, for example, who signed up via giveaways, and who signed up at a conference or reading event, etc. You can then decide how you want to communicate with these groups. 

Why would this matter? Well, someone who recently signed up via your reader magnet may not be as invested as someone who is already familiar with you. So, your initial approach to keeping them engaged will likely look different, at least in the beginning.

Understand What Your Audience Wants to Keep Them Engaged

What you decide to send out to your email list may vary by audience and your intentions, or your personal preference. You can set your blog up to be sent out on your publishing schedule or you can choose to send a regular newsletter. You can also choose to do both, depending on your needs and your particular audience. 

There are many options for the type of content you can share with the subscribers on your author email list.

• Sharing your blog content (blog feeds)
• Active Email marketing: book release and event announcements, directly selling your book etc.
• Thoughts and updates
• Insider news and insights
• Book recommendations and reviews
• Other valuable content and/information
• Education and tips

Basically, you can use your author email list to connect with your audience and share relevant details and information that will keep them engaged. Whatever that may entail. Keep in mind, as with everything else, too much promotion may drive them away. Especially those who recently joined your list via a reader magnet. So, it needs to be balanced. You’ll need to provide valuable, engaging content along with your active marketing emails. 

Adjusting What You Share with Your Subscribers Based on Results

If you’ve done your research, you will already have an idea of what your audience wants and expects. But as you build your author email list you’ll need to check in regularly to make sure everything is still working, and with every segment of your audience. This requires using your analytics to gauge click-through rates, your number of new subscribers and those who unsubscribe. You’ll need to adapt and adjust as you go. Keep using what works and make changes when you see engagement and subscribers drop off. Maybe you’re sending the wrong type of content to the wrong group of subscribers? Perhaps your subject lines are easily ignored?

We suggest you spend some time looking into writing compelling subject lines, and structuring your content in a way that encourages your subscribers to keep reading, for instance. These details do matter. And the right subject lines, greetings, and content structure have been proven to be effective for conversion rates.

Some Author Email List Services You Can Look Into

Because everyone has different needs and preferences, you’ll want to take a look at some of your author email list service provider options. 

When choosing, keep in mind:

•  The cost
•  Whether you hope to monetize in the future
•  Your content and focus
•  The available features
•  Ease of use

We should also note that some of these services are free under a set limit of subscribers ( usually under 500) and with limited features. These can be a great option for those starting out, but as your email list grows, you will have to pay a fee. 

We’ve listed a few of the well-known and trusted service providers below to get you started. 

You can also read a detailed breakdown of three of these here. 

Your Steps to Building Your Author Email List

1. Choose an email service
2. Get to know its features
3. Create templates for your newsletter/blog feed
4. Choose or create your reader magnet
5. Website integration:Add sign up button/reader magnet/CTA, etc.
6. Automate your welcome/thank you email
7. Create a content strategy
8. Share the link everywhere!
9. Organize your audience with tags
10. Start creating content and sending it to your subscribers!

You can start by finding a service provider for your author email list, then get to know its features and create your templates. Then take it from there. Remember, this will take some effort and you won’t build your subscriber list overnight. But it’s all a work in progress. If you know your audience, you can give them the content they want and expect. And remember to be willing to adapt and adjust as necessary. Then, before you know it you’ll be connecting regularly with a loyal group of fans who look forward to hearing from you and want to buy your books!

If you’ve successfully built your author email list, feel free to leave your insights and tips in the comments!