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How to Build a Thriving Author Email List (And Why You Need One)

Build your tribe of loyal readers and boost book sales with an effective email list strategy

As an author, one of your most powerful tools for connecting with readers and selling books is an email list. Building an author email list allows you to communicate directly with fans, sharing updates on new releases, exclusive content, and special offers.

But email lists feel spammy and impersonal, you might think. Isn’t social media enough for promoting my books? While social platforms are great for visibility and surface-level interactions, an email list gives you a direct line to readers who have opted in to hear from you regularly. No algorithms to game or post timing to obsess over.

Plus, you own your email list, while you’re essentially renting space on social media platforms that can change their rules or go belly-up at any time (RIP Myspace). With an email list, you’re in control.

If you’re convinced but unsure where to start, don’t worry. I’ll walk you through actionable strategies for building an email list for authors that feels authentic and provides real value to subscribers.

Why Bother with Email? Aren’t Social Media and Ads Enough?

Before we dive into list-building tactics, let’s reinforce why going the extra mile to build an email list is worth the effort:

  • Higher ROI. For every $1 spent on email marketing, the average return is $36. That dwarfs other marketing channels. Email = money in your pocket.
  • Direct Access to Fans. When you post book updates on social, most fans won’t see it thanks to ever-changing algorithms. But email puts your message directly into inboxes.
  • Increased Book Sales. Email remains the most effective way to announce new releases to readers most likely to buy. Your most fervent fans want those updates fast.
  • Long-Term Connections. While social media channels come and go and readership ebbs and flows, fans on your email list are yours to keep (as long as you keep showing up in their inboxes!).

While I’d never suggest forsaking social media or paid ads entirely, having a robust email list ensures you’re not just renting space online – you own a direct pipeline to readers.

Okay, let’s get into how to actually build that list!

Launch a Magnetic Lead Magnet

A “lead magnet” is simply an incentive you offer people in exchange for their email address. It’s the first step in your email list growth strategy.

Now, you could just have a generic “subscribe to my newsletter!” opt-in box on your site. But readers have subscription fatigue these days. To get their coveted email address, you need an irresistible lead magnet.

For authors, here are some juicy lead magnet ideas:

  • A free prequel short story or novella about a popular character
  • A meaty PDF checklist or workbook readers in your genre will find valuable (example: a world-building template for fantasy authors)
  • A multi-part video course delivering pro tips on your area of expertise (self-editing? Writing fight scenes?)
  • Bonus materials that extend or deepen the experience of one of your books or series (e.g. character profiles, maps, POV chapters cut from the final draft)

The key is making sure your lead magnet delivers a “quick win” of useful, high-quality content immediately after opting in. That way, new subscribers start their experience with a positive impression and are primed to keep opening your emails.

List-Building Web Strategies to Try

Now that you have a lead magnet at the ready, you need tactics to start funneling new email subscribers. A great place to start? Your author website and book listing pages.

  • Home Page Opt-In Box and Exit-Intent Pop-Up: Make it crazy easy for website visitors to opt in to your email list. Include sign-up forms and banners in high-visibility areas like your home page header, sidebar, and footer.
    And use timely pop-ups! Software like Sumo and Optinly lets you trigger email capture forms when someone moves to leave your site (“exit-intent pop-up”) or after they’ve stuck around for a bit. Just don’t go overboard with distracting pop-ups everywhere.
  • Lead Magnet Landing Page: Go beyond a generic “subscribe for updates” box with a dedicated landing page promoting the amazing free gift that is your lead magnet. Show off a tasty preview and compel readers to opt-in for the whole enchilada.
  • Book Sales Funnel: Getting traffic to your book listings on Amazon or elsewhere? Smart! But what if folks click away without buying? Set up an email capture funnel to re-target them with the lead magnet and stay top-of-mind. Hello, future book sale!

Speaking of which, I bet some of you have book listing pages just sitting there all lonesome. Turn them into opt-in powerhouses! Promote your bonus content upfront and prompt visitors to join your email crew before they bounce.

But Web Traffic is Hard! How Do I Get More Eyes on My Lead Magnet?

So your website and sales funnels are primed for email opt-ins, but you need more visibility and platform leverage to drive interested eyeballs, right? Time to think outside the inbox…

  • Bonus Materials for Book Promotion Partners: Let’s say you set up a blog tour or promotion where fellow authors or bookstagrammers spotlight your latest release. Sweeten the pot by offering them bonus, reader magnet content to give away! Just be sure they’re also promoting your opt-in offer so those eyeballs can get on your author email list too.
  • Giveaways and Cross-Promotions: Partner up with other authors of complementary genres for multi-author giveaways and cross-promotions. In addition to free books, share a link to your juicy lead magnet as an added incentive for folks to opt-in. New email subscribers across all your mailing lists!
  • In-Person Event Opt-In: At live events (conventions, readings, book clubs), encourage folks with an iPad sign-up sheet or a text-to-join number they can punch into their phones. If you’re rocking a signing table, don’t miss out on collecting those all-important email addresses.
  • Leverage Social Proof: As your email list grows, turn social proof into a list-growth engine. Share testimonials from raving subscribers about your awesome freebie. Plant FOMO seeds to compel more readers to join the party.

Cool, My Email List is Starting to Grow. Now What?

The key to an engaged email list that keeps growing is consistency and providing real value to subscribers over time. Don’t just use it to blast book promo after book promo. Mix in:

  • Exclusive bonus content: Short stories, character backstories, maps, recipes, or other cool extra materials to keep readers hooked.
  • Curations and recommendations around their favorite themes, genres, authors, etc.
  • Early peeks and sneak previews of works-in-progress to build hype.
  • Opportunities for feedback and participation in your author journey.
  • Fun contests and giveaways just for list members.
  • Celebrations of fans’ milestones, achievements, and creative works.

And be sure to nurture different reader interests and behaviors as your list grows. Use email automation and segments to curate more personalized messaging tracks.

For instance, self-publishing comprehensive tutorials for aspiring writer fans, while sending book-lovers juicy gossip about that brand new fictional world you’re concocting. Tailor to the different value props across your fanbase.

The more personal feeling and interactive you can make the experience, the more voraciously engaged that email list will become!

How Often Should I Mail My Email List?

I get this one a lot, so let’s cover it! There’s no perfect universal answer here, as ideal email frequency depends on your specific list makeup and goals.

Most authors I know aim for a sweet spot around:

  • 1 mail per month to promote a new book launch or major event
  • Plus 1 mail per quarter (every 3 months) to check in with fans and share fun exclusive goodies or bite-sized content.

That said, it’s better to err on the side of too conservative if you’re unsure than to blast people more than once a week and get labeled a pest. No one wants that “send regret” feeling after an overzealous email blast.

Also, remember that while automated email funnels and automations won’t bug subscribers with high frequency, you should still be gating or staggering release of materials to avoid notification fatigue. Like, don’t send out an entire 20-chapter serial novel story all at once!

What If My Open and Unsubscribe Rates Aren’t Great?

You’ve done the hard work to build an author email list. But if your open and engagement rates are ho-hum, don’t just keep blasting the same content into the void.

First, try segmenting your list by interest and engagement levels. You may need entirely separate funnels tailored to “super fans” versus casual readers. For instance, the former wants exclusive fantasy world lore, the latter just new book updates.

I also have four words of advice: re-engage, or stop mailing.

If you see clumps of subscribers going stale by not opening or clicking anything for months on end, try a re-engagement campaign like:

  • Send enticing “last chance” emails to reignite their interest, with a clear call to confirm subscription or become dormant.
  • Share a quick “should I stay or go?” poll where folks can explain why they’ve tuned out, and ask how you could improve.
  • Offer a fresh, super-valuable lead magnet incentive for them to re-opt-in from scratch.

If someone’s just not interested in what you’re putting down after a few sincere re-engagement attempts, it’s better to trim the dead weight and focus your efforts on nurturing engaged, happy subscribers.

Speaking of value, that’s my last tidbit on what makes the best email lists work: Make it all about the reader and what you can do for them! Don’t just use email as a self-serving book promo firehose.

Give your superfans that VIP treatment and insider scoop. Listen to their feedback. Take them on the journey alongside you. Relentlessly focus on adding value and delight to their experience. That’s how you’ll have an email list for life!

So there you have it: an epic braindump around the whys, hows and how-not-tos of building an email list for authors that gets results. While growing your list takes effort upfront, the long-term benefits make it an absolute must for connecting with readers and selling more books.

Sure, the email space is a crowded one these days. But if you consistently deliver value and make your list a VIP club that readers can’t bear to leave, it’ll become your most powerful sales channel for years to come.

Happy list-building!

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