Email marketing is a key part of a successful book marketing plan. Your email list lets you connect with your readers, build a loyal following, and encourage subscribers to buy your books. It’s also another platform where you can build your author brand and flex your creative skills.

There’s just one thing: What if you’re brand new to author email marketing? What on earth do you do next?

Not to worry. We’ve outlined three key email marketing strategies for authors and why you need them as a self-published author below!

Why use email marketing to grow your author brand?

Email marketing is an effective tool for business owners and entrepreneurs in all sorts of industries, not just authors. Half of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month, and 60% of people in a survey said that marketing emails have influenced their purchases.

The data says that email marketing works. But it does more than help boost your sales.

Email marketing gives you a direct connection to your readers that you can build a strong relationship upon. You might argue that you can do that on social media — and you can! — but remember: You don’t own what you share on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram. The media companies do. (And we know that you care about the ownership of your work!)

With this connection, you can stay top of mind with your fanbase, depending on how often you send your emails. You can encourage engagement and even get feedback on your work. It’s a cost-effective marketing strategy for sure: every $1 spent on email delivers an average ROI (return on investment) of $32. That’s. Huge.

And finally, email marketing gives you a chance to do what you do best: speak to your audience through writing. No lip-syncing TikTok trends, no trying to create graphics, no trying to “people” at conventions. 

However, a successful author email marketing strategy involves more than throwing a Subscribe button on your website and praying that people join your list. It requires audience research, planning, and creativity. But you’re an author, so we know you’re already great at all that!

Author email marketing strategy #1: Create a reader magnet

A reader magnet (also called a lead magnet or opt-in) is a free incentive for readers to join your email list. Someone exchanges their email address in order to download your reader magnet. Now they’ll start receiving your emails — and hopefully, stay subscribed long enough to become loyal fans and buyers of your books.

What should your reader magnet be? It’s up to you! Here are some ideas:

• A free chapter, novella, or side story
• A quiz based on your book
• A custom Spotify playlist that transports readers into your book’s world
• A discount coupon
• A fun downloadable like fantasy world maps, fan art, love letters, or evidence files for mysteries and thrillers
• Fan art (phone and desktop backgrounds, wall art, etc.)

Whatever you choose for your reader magnet, it should be enticing enough for readers to want it. Make it worth the free download. And make it exclusive, too! Tell potential subscribers that your reader magnet content is only available by signing up for your list.

Author email marketing strategy #2: Set up a solid email sequence 

Your email list is growing now that you’ve given people a reason to join! Huzzah! But… what’s next?

Setting up an email sequence that builds on that new subscriber relationship is a crucial part of a successful author email marketing strategy. The last thing you want to do is disappear from their inbox after giving them something for free! Because the next time you show up, they’ll either forget why they joined your list in the first place and ignore you. Or worse, hit Unsubscribe.

To prevent that, you’ll set up a welcome sequence that automatically sends to your new subscribers. (This also means you don’t have to worry about what to write every time someone joins.) 

A typical reader welcome email sequence looks something like this:

• Email #1: Say hello. Deliver their reader magnet OR notify someone that they subscribed. Thank them. Remind them who you are, what you write, and where they might find you elsewhere online. If you have a library of books they can shop, briefly link to that.

• Email #2: Connect with your readers. Tell a story, answer a common question, share info about your characters/world-building, or share something about your creative process. Ask your subscribers what questions they have or what they’d like to see in future emails. Your goal here is to provide value and spark a connection. Again, if you have a library of books they can shop, briefly link to that. (Just don’t make book-selling the whole focus of this email.)

• Email #3: Keep engaging. Share more valuable content that’s different from Email #2. It might be something about what drove you to write your book/series, something you want your readers to experience, etc. Tie that content into an action you want them to take; say, pre-order your upcoming book, buy your current book on sale, etc. (If you are right on the cusp of releasing a new book, make sure you update this sequence to be more “evergreen” once the book is out!)

• Email #4: Tell readers what to expect. In the final email in your welcome sequence, remind your readers to use and enjoy their reader magnet. Let them know what they can expect in your regular email newsletters and how often you’ll show up in their inbox.

From there, your new subscriber will receive your regular email newsletters. If they didn’t buy during your welcome sequence, no sweat. You’ll have opportunities to promote your books in your regular emails, too. 

Author email marketing strategy #3: Keep subscribers around by providing value  

Your email newsletter should focus on providing value to your subscribers so that they stick around. If you only focus on selling your books, you risk burning out readers who could become loyal fans. And people will either unsubscribe or ignore you. Ouch. Think about nurturing your relationship with your subscribers instead of pleading for them to buy.

What kind of content helps nurture your email subscribers? We have ideas, of course:

• Behind-the-scenes content. What’s your writing setup look like? Do you listen to music? Do you prefer coffee or tea? Does your cat or dog bug you while you write? Readers want to know these things. Trust us.

• News and updates. Keep subscribers posted on your upcoming books, interviews, in-person events and conventions, and anything else they can attend or watch.

• Topical content. Is there a controversy in your corner of the book world? Talk about it (to the extent that you feel comfortable). Share stats, share publishing news, share other authors’ releases, etc. 

• Non-writing content. If you have a podcast, blog, vlog, writer’s group, book coaching side hustle…talk about it! Don’t be afraid to talk about non-business stuff, too. Family stuff, personal challenges, what you’re reading/watching/currently enjoying. We readers love when authors are relatable.

Now for the age-old question, “How often should I send my emails?” 

It’s up to you. You know your audience, but you also know your schedule and capacity. Aim for once a month if you’re busy, once a week if you can squeeze in more emails. Your readers won’t forget you, but they also won’t feel bothered by too many emails. 

BONUS: Tips for writing great author email newsletters 

We know you’re an amazing writer and all, but remember that email newsletters are not books. What makes an enticing, persuasive email probably won’t translate to a bestselling novel! Follow these quick tips so that your emails get read and your subscribers take action:

• Write like you’re talking to a friend. This is not the time to be overly formal and stuffy. Don’t be afraid to sound natural, quirky, or grammatically incorrect. Be yourself.

• Pay attention to your author brand. Your author brand voice is probably close to your natural voice, but double-check your emails to be sure it matches your author brand, whether that’s bubbly, snarky, sweet, deadpan, and so on.  

• Don’t forget about design. You’re NOT sending these emails from your personal Gmail window. You’re designing them in an email tool, like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, etc. Because of that, every email should be somewhat designed. Think readable and skimmable; no giant blocks of text. Keep paragraphs and sentences short. Use bullet points, images, GIFs, graphics, and links. Good design encourages readers to keep reading.

• Be mobile-friendly. Over half of emails are opened on mobile devices! So make sure that your emails look and sound good on phones, not just desktop PCs.

• Include CTAs. Your CTAs, or calls-to-action, are links that you want your readers to click on. Always tell subscribers what to do next with your CTAs, whether that’s to buy your book, subscribe to your YouTube channel, or reply to your email.

Grow your author brand with the right email strategy

It’s not enough to write and self-publish your book, hoping that people buy it. You gotta put in the work so that you and your book get noticed. That’s how you get sales, but also how you turn casual readers into a cult following. 

A killer author email marketing strategy is one of the best ways to put yourself out there, connect with your readers, and promote your books. Pick the right reader magnet, set up an excellent welcome sequence, and create valuable regular content for your subscribers… and you’re golden. 
Want our help creating an author email strategy that gets more readers primed to buy your books? Hit us up — we can help.