How do I grow an email list as an author?
Offer something worth an address — a narrated first chapter, a prequel scene, a deleted chapter — put the invitation in the back of every book and at the top of every page you own, then write often enough that readers remember you. The list is the only audience that survives a platform's next change of mind.
Work it out yourself, free
The Audiogram Forge →Free: turn a scene into a shareable audiogram — the sign-up offer and the advertisement in one asset.
The offer
Not “sign up for updates”. Nobody wants updates. Offer a piece of the experience: a chapter performed aloud, a scene that never made the final draft, a short story in the same world.
Audio and video offers convert unusually well because almost nobody else is offering them.
The placement
The last page of every book, including the ebook — a reader who finished is the warmest reader you will ever have.
The top of your author page, the pinned post on each social account, and the end card of every trailer or audiogram you cut.
The rhythm
Monthly is enough. Fortnightly if you have something real. Never send a letter that is only a sale.
One valuable thing per letter, plainly said, and a door back to something free. That is the pattern that keeps a list opening.
What not to do
Do not buy addresses. Do not add people who did not ask. Do not run a giveaway for a prize unrelated to your book — you will harvest a list of people who wanted a tablet.
Asked and answered
- What should I send my list?
- One useful or interesting thing: a scene, a piece of craft, a look at the work in progress. Sell rarely and directly when you do.
- How often is too often?
- Weekly is fine if every letter earns its place. Monthly with substance beats weekly with filler.
Also asked
Every answer in the hall
- How much does it cost to make an audiobook?
- What is a film book?
- How long is an audiobook by word count?
- Book trailers: how do you make one, what does it cost, and how is it different from a film book?
- How many voices does an audiobook need?
- How do you turn a book into a video?
- Can I narrate my own audiobook?
- How long does it take to make an audiobook?
- How do you make an audiobook?
- Should I use ACX or a professional audiobook producer?
- How much does a film book cost?
- How do I get my audiobook on Audible and Spotify?
- What does audiobook production for indie authors involve?
- How much does an audiobook narrator cost?
- How do I record an audiobook?
- How do I publish an audiobook?
- What do book marketing services actually do?
- How do I self-publish a book?
- How many words are in a novel?
- How do I copyright a book?
- What is BookTok?
- How much do authors make per book?
- How long does it take to write a book?
- How do I find the best narrator for my audiobook?
- How do I get reviews for my book?
- What should be on my book launch checklist?
- How do I write a book blurb?
- Will AI replace authors?
- Is AI narration good enough for my audiobook?
- Do I have to disclose that I used AI?
- Can I copyright a book written with AI?
- Is AI voice cloning safe for authors?
- How do I market my book?
- What is an author platform and how do I build one?
- How do I use video to sell my book?
- How do I promote my book with no money?
Strength and Solidarity LLC — 37 answers kept in this hall