If the very thought of creating an email newsletter makes you want to crawl under your desk and hide, I’ve got some good news for you.
You don’t need a newsletter.
In fact, I don’t even use that word when I teach authors about email marketing.
Why?
Because the minute most authors hear “newsletter,” they picture some long, complicated, information-stuffed bulletin they have to create every month.
Something filled with book updates, writing progress, announcements, and enough graphics to rival a small magazine.
And then they wonder why nobody opens their emails.
Table of Contents
Email Marketing for Authors 101:
Here’s what I want you to understand.
Email marketing isn’t about sending newsletters.
It’s about building relationships with readers.
Your goal isn’t to become somebody’s favorite newsletter writer.
It’s to become their favorite author!
And the best way to do that is to consistently show up in their inbox with something THEY actually enjoy receiving.
So, let’s talk about how to build a simple, effective email marketing funnel that helps you attract readers, turn them into fans, and eventually sell more books.
Without spending hours every week doing it.
Step 1: Pick Your Platform!
First, you’ll need a system to collect and manage your email subscribers and send your emails.
There are numerous platforms available to you online that you can use, and MailerLite used to be the go-to system for authors.
But due to some questionable practices on their part lately, including jacking up their prices unannounced and more, authors are scrambling to find a better solution.
And as always…I GOTCHU!
I now highly recommend (and use myself) Kit (formerly ConvertKit).
The pink link gets you 30 days of Kit Pro on me.
But it’s also beginner-friendly, offers automation features, and makes creating signup forms and managing your subscribers relatively simple.
You don’t need anything fancy or expensive to get started.
Click that link (or the blue logo below), start for free now, and set up your account.
Don’t spend three weeks researching platforms.
You’ve got readers to find!
Step 2: Start Your Subscriber List!
Here’s something most new authors don’t realize.
You already know several people who would be happy to help you get started and be on your VIP EMail List!
And you can start building it NOW with those names and emails.
Open a spreadsheet and create two columns:
Column 1: First Name
Column 2: Email Address
Think about friends, family members, coworkers, or other people who would happily volunteer to be your guinea pig subscribers while you’re getting everything set up.
Depending on how well you know them, you might want to message or text them first and let them know what you’re doing.
You don’t want to start your email marketing journey by signing people up without permission!
Every time I walk my clients through this step, we wind up with upwards of 50 (even more) emails.
Once you have at least 10 names and emails, upload your spreadsheet into your email platform’s contacts.
Congratulations! You’ve officially started your email list.
Step 3: Create a READER Magnet!
A reader magnet (aka “lead magnet”) is simply something valuable you give readers for free in exchange for joining your email list.
And here’s where I see authors make one of their biggest mistakes.
They create something about themselves or their books.
But readers who don’t know you yet aren’t necessarily interested in your characters, your fictional world, or your writing process.
They ARE interested in the types of books and stories they already love.
So give them something related to their favorite genre!
For example:
Thriller readers: “10 Spine-Chilling Thrillers You Probably Haven’t Read Yet”
Romance readers: “The Ultimate Small-Town Romance Reading Bucket List”
Fantasy readers: “15 Magical Fantasy Series Worth Getting Lost In”
Mystery readers: “The Cozy Mystery Lover’s Ultimate Reading Checklist”
Historical fiction readers: “10 Fascinating Historical Mysteries That Inspired Popular Novels”
See the difference?
These resources appeal to readers who enjoy your genre, whether they’ve ever heard of you or not.
Create your lead magnet in Canva, download it as a PDF, and save a separate image of its cover.
You’ll need both in the next steps.
Step 4: Create Signup Forms!
Now it’s time to give people a way to get your fabulous free resource!
Kit makes creating pop-up forms surprisingly easy, and for an effective funnel, you need two different types of forms: a pop-up form for your home page and a static form embedded on your contact me page.
Your forms should include:
A prominent 3D mockup image of your lead magnet’s cover.
A big, compelling headline that makes readers want it.
A short subheading explaining that they’ll get your free resource and become a VIP email member. Let them know they can unsubscribe anytime.
Two fields: first name and email address.
A first-person CTA button, such as “YES! SEND ME MY FREE READING LIST!”
Make sure the forms match your brand colors and fonts.
And please, don’t make the headlines “Subscribe to My Newsletter.”
Nobody wakes up in the morning thinking, “You know what I need? Another newsletter!”
Sell them on the FREE RESOURCE, not the email subscription.
Step 5: Set Up a Welcome Sequence!
Your welcome sequence is a series of three or four short, friendly emails that automatically go out to new subscribers, beginning the day they join.
Think of it as introducing yourself as their new book-genre bestie!
These emails shouldn’t be sales pitches or long introductions about your author journey.
Instead, entertain them!
Share a funny genre-specific meme, recommend a great book, ask about their favorite fictional trope, or start a conversation about something readers of your genre love.
Write all three or four emails ahead of time, upload them to your platform, and schedule them to go out automatically over the first few days.
Once they’re set up, they’ll continue welcoming new subscribers without you lifting another finger.
This shouldn’t take you longer than 30 minutes to create and upload into your platform, and it’s going to save you tons of time in the long run!
Step 6: Send Weekly Reader EMAILS!
This is where authors tend to overcomplicate things.
You do NOT need to create some elaborate PDF newsletter with blocks and images and all that nonsense that take hours to create and send.
In fact, I teach my clients to write simple, short, fun, reader-facing emails to send out only once a week on a dedicated day.
And that should be a weekly task that takes NO MORE than 15 minutes.
That’s it!
Write like you’re chatting with a friend over coffee.
Keep it short, personal, and focused on something your readers will enjoy.
Use their first name when appropriate.
Break up your writing so there’s one sentence per line instead of big, clunky paragraphs.
Sprinkle in a fun image, GIF, or meme when it fits.
And always give readers something to DO!
Ask them to reply with their favorite book boyfriend, vote on a popular trope, share their latest five-star read, or click a button to check something out.
The goal is to encourage interaction and build relationships.
Because readers who feel connected to you are far more likely to become loyal fans and eventually buy your books.
Step 7: Promote Your Lead Magnet!
Now that your funnel is working, it’s time to send readers into it.
Start by adding your website’s homepage link to the TOP of your link-in-bio profile.
Put that link everywhere else it makes sense, too.
Then, at least once a week, create a fun social media post promoting your lead magnet.
Notice I didn’t say promote your email list.
Nobody wants another email subscription.
But a thriller reader might absolutely want your free list of ten terrifying books to read after dark!
Create a short video, a funny Reel, a carousel, or an engaging post that makes readers curious about your freebie.
Send them to your homepage, where your pop-up form will do the rest.
And that’s how you consistently attract new readers and grow your email list without constantly begging people to subscribe.
See the Magic In Action!
Here’s the fun part.
You don’t have to imagine what a simple email marketing funnel looks like.
You can experience mine for yourself!
Just visit my website’s homepage by CLICKING RIGHT HERE!
Wait about three seconds for my pop-up form to appear.
Sign up, grab your own free resource from me, and then sit back and watch what happens next.
You’ll see firsthand how the signup process, free resource delivery, welcome sequence, and ongoing emails all work together.
And hopefully, you’ll realize that email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, overwhelming, or time-consuming.
It just has to be done with your READERS in mind.
Because at the end of the day, you’re not trying to build a newsletter.
You’re building a fanbase of readers who actually look forward to hearing from you.
And THAT is what successful author email marketing is all about.
Let me know in the comments if you already have an email funnel set up, if you found this helpful, or if you need my help.
