8 Reasons Why Authors Need An Email List
8 Reasons Why Authors Need An Email List
Email marketing
Any writer serious about their career as an author will need an email list as part of their marketing strategy. This list would have to be the most important asset they could have.
I’m sharing eight reasons why an author should have a list because email marketing is a proven marketing method and it is an excellent way of engaging an audience so that your book sells.
Not only for sales, but email marketing is also an effective method of creating exciting anticipation about the books you are planning for the future.
In the past, the precursor of the email list was the names list and this was a central marketing feature of most businesses. Then along came the internet and email marketing.
Here are 8 reasons for having an email list.
1. Direct contact
Sending an email to a person puts you, the author, into direct and immediate contact with them. Rather than connecting with someone via a third-party platform such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn an email gives you direct access.
2. Control
You as the author are in control of your marketing when you send out email messages. You are not dependent on the distribution system of a traditional publisher. Nor do you rely on anyone else to do your marketing for you.
Most people check their emails each day so it’s your opportunity to send them your message straight into their inbox.
3. Regular contact
With email marketing, you connect with your subscribers on a regular basis. This is critical for your success.
Over time you message your subscribers about that new book you are launching, the manuscript you are currently working on or letting them know about a new blog post. The idea is to engage your followers with your brand.
Sending out emails on a regular basis keeps your subscribers informed about what you are doing as well as providing them with valuable content.
4. Subscribers
The people that follow you are known as your subscribers. These are the ones who could be interested in buying and reading your book.
If these people have given you permission to contact them then when you release a new book you’ve got a list of potential raving fans to whom you can promote your book.
5. Build relationships
Build relationships with your subscribers. As this author-subscriber relationship evolves it eventually becomes a relationship of trust.
You keep these people up-to-date with your latest happenings and you share fresh ideas or tell them anything else that is relevant or of value. Over time this audience gets to know you, and to like you.
6. Increase income
An email list will help sales and so you will increase your income. Just imagine building a large list of subscribers of around 5,000 or 10,000 people.
Don’t you think there would be every chance that you would sell many copies of your book? Think of the difference if someone was trying to sell their book but they had no email list; they would most likely struggle.
However, with a large email list that you’ve been nurturing it’s a no brainer – you would inevitably be successful.
7. Ownership
As an author, you benefit from owning your email list. Even if you have large followings on social media platforms you still need to build your own email list.
The problem with having a large following on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest you don’t own those lists. How often have you heard that accounts have been blocked or suspended and you find that you have no access to your followers because you did not abide by their rules – you did not play their game and you’ve been relying on these platforms for your success.
As a priority, you need to direct your contacts to your email list the list that you own.
8. Reviewers
With an email list, you can build a list of reviewers. These become your review team – the people to whom you can send Advanced Review Copies (ARCS).
Whenever you release a new book you can tell the review team about your latest book. Those readers who receive an advanced copy of your book prior to its publication can then post a customer review on Amazon.
For these reasons then, if you want to develop a career as an author and do your own marketing, building an email list is such a valuable asset.
Book a FREE Discovery Call (Strategy Call) with me if you’d like to discuss your ambition to write and self-publish a book.
Author and coach