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WHY Authors Need To Build an Email List
As an author, having an email list of readers is essential for your success. An email list allows you to create a direct connection with your readers and build a community of loyal followers. It gives you an opportunity to share exclusive content, promote new books, and stay in touch with your readers. An email list also allows you to build relationships with your readers and get feedback on your work.
By engaging with your readers and responding to their comments, you can gain insights into how they view your work and what they’d like to see from you in the future. This feedback can be invaluable for improving your writing and ensuring that you are creating content that resonates with your readers.
Having an email list also gives you an opportunity to promote your work and sell more books. By sending out regular emails with updates and special offers, you can keep your readers informed of new releases and encourage them to buy your books.
You can also use your list to drive traffic to your website and other online platforms, such as social media, and build a larger online presence.
Finally, an email list is a great way to stay connected with your readers and build a community around your work. You can send out regular emails to keep your readers engaged and informed, and help them to get to know you better.
Here's HOW to Get Those Reader Emails
We know that it behooves you to start an email list as soon as possible. People won't just give you their email for free. As an author, your lead magnet can be anything that provides value to your target audience and incentivizes them to sign up for your email list or follow you on social media.
Here are some popular lead magnet ideas for authors to test:
Exclusive content: Offer your subscribers a free short story, an early release of a new chapter, or a behind-the-scenes look at your writing process. They will appreciate being treated like a VIP and getting information that is not available to the general public.
E-book or PDF: Create a free guide, such as a "how-to" on writing or publishing, or provide an excerpt from one of your books that they can't get anyplace else.
Workshops or webinars: You could offer a free writing workshop or webinar to your subscribers. While this isn't necessarily helpful for a fiction writer, it can be great for growing the database of a non-fiction writer with something to teach.
Book clubs: Create a virtual book club for your subscribers, where they can discuss your books and receive exclusive content and offers. One way is to set this up as a private Facebook group only for those on your email list.
Quizzes or assessments: Create a fun quiz or assessment related to writing or your books. This can be fun trivia about the story for fiction books and you could offer personalized results and recommendations to your subscribers if you're a non-fiction writer.
Checklists or templates: Provide a free checklist or template for writing a novel, or for publishing and promoting a book, or maybe some other fun thing related to your story like the playlist idea below or maybe even a list of fun local places listed in your book.
Consider a playlist: While writing, compile some of your favorite songs that remind you of your characters, places, and story and share that in exchange for an email address.
The key is to choose a lead magnet that aligns with your brand and appeals to your target audience. By offering value and engaging with your subscribers, you can build a relationship with them and convert them into fans and customers for life.
Now that you've learned WHY you should have an email list and HOW to get that prized email address, you might be asking...
WHAT should an author send their readers in those emails?
Email is an effective way for authors to connect with their readers and build a relationship with them. Here are some things you could send to your readers in emails:
Behind-the-scenes updates: Share your writing process, new book projects, and personal stories with your subscribers.
Advance reader copies: Offer your subscribers the opportunity to read your books before they are released to the public.
Book recommendations: Share books you've been reading and recommend books to your subscribers based on their interests.
Bonus content: Offer your subscribers exclusive content such as deleted scenes, alternate endings, or character sketches.
Contests and giveaways: Run contests and giveaways for your subscribers, such as signed copies of your books or writing-related prizes.
Ask for feedback: Ask your subscribers for feedback on your books, and engage with them by responding to their comments and questions.
Upcoming events: Announce any upcoming book signings, speaking engagements, or other events to your subscribers. This is also a great place to offer your services up for events such as online book clubs and chats with an author.
Personal updates: Share personal updates and news with your subscribers, such as new book releases, awards, or speaking engagements.
Remember to segment your email list based on subscriber preferences, so you can send targeted and relevant content to each group. And always make sure to respect your subscribers' time and privacy by limiting your emails to once or twice a month, (weekly tops)
and providing an easy opt-out option.
I hope this has been helpful to give you some ideas and spur your creative juices in getting that email list set up. If you'd like to brainstorm your ideas or need help pulling them all together, feel free to reach out for a FREE 30 minute brainstorm session. I'd be happy to chat with you.
Rebecca Paciorek is an Online Business Manager specializing in assisting in the growth of your business through traditional and digital means.
*I often recommend products and services that I use or that have been recommended to me by people we trust. In many cases these recommendations are accompanied by an affiliate link, which provides me with a referral commission should you click through and make a purchase.
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