Email marketing for authors – How many times have you heard, “Build a list!” “You NEED it!”

I feel email marketing for authors is the new “buy my book” on Twitter thing that was going around a few years ago.

Someone somewhere said, “All authors should be on Twitter,” but that “someone” didn’t teach authors how to do Twitter and thus, authors became obnoxious tweeting their buy links out every five seconds.

There are a million reasons why you should build your email list. But how to do it isn’t cosmic.

It isn’t rocket science.

Hopefully this will help you out.

Email Marketing for Authors

If you learn to use email marketing to your advantage and to your reader’s advantage, it’s a spectacular way to build a solid readership.

First though, here’s the deal. You aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Your books aren’t for everyone either.

Know why “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” got loads of rejections?

Because those agents didn’t like Harry Potter. That’s just the way it is. And that’s ok.

People who don’t like your genre, your work, or frankly you, aren’t people you want on your email list anyway.

You want people who want to be there so you need to market to your ideal reader.

Next, you want those readers to stick with you.

People get enough email.

Make your email the one they want to open.

because you’ve given them something fun, interesting and distracting to think about.

How do you build this email marketing list thing?

Pick an email service provider.

Free ones up to a certain number of subscribers include MailerLite, Mailchimp, SendinBlue, or Drip.

Create a freebie or magnet.

This should be something the reader wants: free book or novella, scenes, maps, case studies, recipes from a series. Get creative. And make it easier transferable (think, PDF)

Build your landing page.

This is where readers will sign up for your list. Not too cluttered and to the point. Use ad copy – short, choppy sentences. Make it fun and very, very clear.

Use the double Opt-in.

This keeps you out of ANTI-SPAM law trouble.

Create an automated email trail.

This is a series of introductory emails for the reader — to you, the stories, the setting, the character, releases, appearances, events. ONE email with a place to buy your books is good. No more.

Segment your list.

This will tell you who actually opens your emails. This will matter when you start having to pay for subscribers.

Split test.

Test subject lines, photos, contents, anything to increase open rates. Test only one component at time or you’ll receive skewed results.

Avoid spammy words.

FREE, BUY, OPEN NOW, PROMISE, OBLIGATION. Google for more. These will get your emails kicked to spam and your subscribers will hate you.

Buy Facebook ads.

Target the people who read what you write.

Put the sign-up link on everything.

 Website, social media, whatever.

The bottom line with your email marketing is to think about the reader, not yourself.

Be friendly, engaging and value-added to their day.

Grow that list with stuff you think is cool.

If they don’t think it’s cool, they aren’t your people. It’s that simple.

Having a hard time with email subject lines? Grab some ideas at the toolkit!

Want to know what to put in your email, click here.