Are you wondering how to build an email list to promote your book? Here are 6 easy steps for you to get started building an email list of devoted fans so you can sell more books.If I was starting over today as a new author, I would start collecting email addresses even before I wrote the book. That may sound premature but today’s book publishing environment is more competitive than ever. More important than your book’s quality, book reviews, or even cover art is the ability for you to get the word out to people interested in your work.
Email is the cheapest and most effective way to reach them. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all the social media toys get more ink, but it's email that continues to reach people most effectively.
How to Get Started Building Your Email List . . .
You don't need to know a lot about technology to start collecting email addresses today. Here are 6 easy steps you can use to plant your flag online and begin building an audience for your work:
Step 1 – Brand Yourself with a Good Domain Name.
Give some thought to how you want to brand yourself. Your domain name might simply be the title of your book, it might be your own name, or it might be a reference to a concept or character that you use in your books.
Be careful about wedding yourself permanently to a narrow topic area or specific book title, however. Over time, your interests may expand and you can find yourself limited by a domain name that only references your first book or your own name.
For example, ScottFox.com was my primary website for years after the publication of my first book, Internet Riches, in 2006. Now that I'm on my third book, I'm switching over to a broader branding strategy and using the name of my third book, ClickMillionaires.com, as my main website. I made this switch deliberately to take the focus off of me. To attract more readers, it’s better to refer instead to the ideas and services from my books that interest my readers most.
Step 2 – Grab Your Usernames in Social Media.
After picking your domain name, use it to begin branding yourself in social media. This means going to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, YouTube, GoodReads, and any relevant forums to register a free user account using that brand name.
This step is important so that later when you begin marketing the book, you can post across these platforms using a consistent brand name. Each of these social networks and websites also offers you additional places to post your email sign-up offers.
Step 3 – Include Your URL and Special Offers in Your Book.Don’t miss the opportunity in your book to promote your other content and services. For example, your URL should be on the front and back covers.
Also try adding a Special Offer for your readers inside. Promise them bonus chapters, a Q&A interview with you, additional back story on your characters, related art, or other bonuses if they sign up for your email list.
Step 4 - Set Up at Least a One-Page Website.
To start collecting email addresses, you need at least a simple webpage. This page doesn't have to be fancy, but you need some place online that potential readers can visit to sign up for your new email list.
If you don't already have a website, get started with WordPress, Weebly, TypePad, or any of the many easy-to-use, point-and-click website builders available online today.
Step 5 - Sign Up with Aweber or Other Email Provider.
Aweber is an email services company that can help you collect email addresses and manage them efficiently. For $19/month you get access to a powerful system that you can use to collect email addresses, manage subscribes/unsubscribes, and even automatically send out follow-up messages to your audience. Register for the service and copy/paste the signup code into your new webpage to allow your visitors to register for your new email list when they visit. Check out Aweber by clicking here: http://www.aweber.com/?381604 for a special offer.
Step 6 - Promote Your New List and/or Special Offer in Social Media.
Remember those social media accounts we set up earlier? Now that you have something to say that benefits your audience, you can put them to use.
Post news about your new email list on Facebook and the other networks. Friendly messages there can let people who come looking for you know that they can sign up for your emails. Be sure to mention the special offer you developed so that they have an incentive to sign up.
In fact, you may not want to promote the email list itself as much as the reward. Simply sharing the link to your page that describes any type of free bonus can attract traffic. Then ask people for the small favor of signing up for your email list in order to get their reward.
Conclusion
I know it may sound ambitious for you to begin collecting email addresses even before your book is available. But, since you are likely spending some time online anyway, the sooner you have a place to point people that you meet there, the sooner you can start building the email list that will be critically important for you to be able to reach your fans and sell your book.
All of these email marketing topics are worth lots more discussion. If you have found these beginning tips helpful, I'd be happy to help you further. In fact, I have a whole community of friendly Internet entrepreneurs waiting to meet you. Visit us at http://www.ClickMillionaires.com to join my Internet business coaching forum for free.
Forum membership is free with purchase of my latest book, Click Millionaires: Work Less, Live More with an Internet Lifestyle Business You Love, or you can use the sign-up code bookmarket to gain access and start learning more about how you can sell more books online to become a Click Millionaire yourself.
About the Author
Scott Fox is the host of the popular lifestyle entrepreneur coaching community ClickMillionaires.com. He is a serial Internet start-up executive who found success online building multimillion dollar websites for start-ups, celebrities, and a Fortune 500 corporation.
Now a blogger, podcaster, and bestselling author of three books, including the new Click Millionaires: Work Less, Live More with an Internet Lifestyle Business You Love, you can visit his http://www.ClickMillionaires.com website for free email newsletters and to join the friendly coaching forum there for free.
