Building a mailing list

[Jo Zebedee]

I'm working on this at the moment, and have a few questions:

1. How essential is it (bear with me a moment, I know the textbook answer is very but...) I'm on facebook with hundreds of likes across my book pages. I'm on twitter. I have a blog that gets more hits than anything else I put out, which I can use for the odd promo post. I have a website that, when I put up new content, pulls in decent hits. I'm wary of adding another thing to manage and do - because I'm pretty flat out as it is - unless it adds something new to the party. I'm also wary of information overload to my followers since my blog updates on Goodreads, and has its own (small) follower lists and my newsletter goes onto Facebook and twitter.

2. That being the case - that I'm duplicated in a lot of areas, I'm thinking that I need to offer something different to pull people to the mailing list. What I'm good at, mostly, is writing. And I'm not rich, so the offer of a nice snazzy kindle isn't there, and I'm mostly trad published so the offer of free books isn't there (although I did just do a free ebook of my self published one, and that brought some new followers).

What I thought about doing was offering exclusive short stories etc to the mailing list people. But

a. would that disengage other followers who feel they are loyal to me and are being left out, just because they follow me on a different platform

b. Would it encourage anyone to sign up. I mean, I'm doing okay, I have a good rep but is it enough.

and

c. If not - what would encourage you to sign up?

 

[Brian G Turner]

The trouble with Facebook and Twitter is that you do not control those assets, and your visibility can be taken away at any moment. Remember when Facebook changed the settings so that any Page you Liked would no longer display in your feed?

Also, at the end of your novel, there should be a single Call To Action. A link to a mailing list centred on your own website, would be a good idea here - "sign up for updates on when new novels will be released, and also receive free short stories" or whatever. That way, you control the conversation directly, and are not at the mercy of third parties.

You could add Twitter and Facebook links at the end of a book, but you'd be in danger of confusing readers with multiple CTA's. IMO, these links go on your website instead (and at the bottom of any mailing list emails).

Keep the mailing list to essential updates only - otherwise you're in danger of seen to be spamming.

Mailing lists are very hard to build, so offer some exclusive freebies. Invite Twitter and Facebook followers to sign up using that. Expect low conversion rates, and a small list to start with - but these are you loyal followers, ready to buy your next book as soon as you let them know it's out. And this is what your mailing list gives you an opportunity to grow.

2c.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I'm not as experienced as yourself and my book isn't out but.... I'm not convinced I need a mailing list. At least not yet.

My blog is doing well. It's getting anywhere between 17 and 190 readers on a given day (17 is the Tuesday and I've a plan for that). 190 readers is when I do Named Person plus something else.

However the important bits in between are my stories and every week they are retaining their readers and picking up about 6 more. Best Possible Taste now gets about 48-60 and Mayhem is at 88. I'm also noting that those who wander on go backwards to the first chapter/scene and read the rest.

Nobody has signed up for a newsletter and think that's because the reminders go up in the same places every week. The last thing they need is more crap they're probably not going to read in their inbox. However, people have signed up to Twitter and my Facebook page to get the reminders of the next instalment.

Yesterday I got fed up with one writer's site that practically forced me to sign up for the newsletter in order to get it stop reminding me whilst I read their article. If I hadn't promised to comment on it I would have walked away and never gone back.

I'm going to keep my quiet buttons and start one if I get any sign ups but otherwise not bother. Personally, I think keeping my blog updated is a better use of my time.

 

[CWScott]

Mailing lists are very important. Having a large list is one of the best ways to launch a book. Unless you've got a great following on other platforms where you can let fans know your book is out there, I would stick with a list. It takes very little time to set one up, no time to maintain, and almost no time to send out emails to that list. That influx of buyers that first week your book is released is very important.

Giving away a free short story or novella is one of the best ways to get subscribers. I offer free review copies of new releases to 200 random subscribers and its been helping. Eventually I'll get to writing a novella or short to give away.

Another benefit is being able to do cross promos with other authors in your genre.

 

[Brian W. Foster]

1. The general consensus seems to be that an email list is an author's most cost effective advertising tool. As Brian T pointed out, not all your FB followers see your posts. When you send an email, it arrives in every inbox. Granted, most don't open it, but ...

In your case, however, it seems like you're really overextended in ways to interact with your readers, so I definitely understand your reluctance. Every medium you maintain ... a blog and FB and Twitter and updating your site ... leaves you with less time to actually, you know, write.

Really, you have to determine what is most efficient and cost effective for you and focus on those things. All I know is that a lot of authors build up lists in the tens of thousands and use those lists to great advantage. Imagine a curated list of 10,000. Not out of the question to build it such that you could depend on about 10% buying. How awesome would it be to know that you have a guaranteed launch of 1000 buys for anything you put out.

Seems to me like that would be worth the time and effort to build, and considering that others have done it, it's definitely possible ...

Can you build the same kind of numbers and response rates from those other avenues you mentioned? I have no idea, but that's the crux of the question.

2. Free short stories are a great enticement to get people to sign up for your list. Ideally, the short story would introduce narrative questions that compel your readers to buy your novel.

a. It doesn't seem efficient for you to add another platform. Maybe, if you decide to do a newsletter, it would be to best to convert people from some of your other platforms to the newsletter. Offer them the freebie to sign up for the email list and explain that you're transitioning to the newsletter in lieu of that platform.

b. Yes. Chris Fox had an incredibly successful launch with a new pen name, and one of his tactics was using a short story advertised on FB to generate members for his list.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I think I will try to build it, but without putting too much time pressure on myself - as @Brian W. Foster says I do need to leave time to write, a thing that's getting trickier and trickier with every month and that's in the summer when my RL work is quiet.

I do have some shorts - not linked to my worlds, sadly, but I might try to get something together at some point - that I can release, say, once every 8 weeks. I also have a lot of launches coming up so will try to do some calling to arms on them, and I've just put up a post on my main page telling people where to go to sign up (it's in my newsletter page on www.jozebedee.com, if anyone wants a nice little freebie story next week.) I'm also at two cons, on panels and guest listings, so that will be another place to call out to without adding to my workload.

I'll see how it goes - I think I'm at just over 20 signups already.

 

[ratsy]

I think the key too is to have these link to the signup at the start and/or back of your books if your publisher is okay with that. The indie guys do it all the time and I bet that's how they get most of their follows.

This is a much different deal that people knowing what you are posting on FB and Twitter. It's really for the personally unconnected readers, and there to let them know when you release a book. As the guys above said, if they are signing up, then chances are they will by happy to know when a new release is available. And once you're set up you shouldn't have a lot to do with it, time wise. I am signed up on Brent Weeks list and think I've had two emails in a year.

 

[Brian G Turner]

I do have some shorts

*cough* prologue *cough*. Doesn't matter that it's on your blog - offer in in whatever ebook formats you support. And surely there's an Abendau deleted scene somewhere you can add? You don't need to offer anything regularly - someone only needs to sign up once.

 

[Jo Zebedee]

*cough* prologue *cough*. Doesn't matter that it's on your blog - offer in in whatever ebook formats you support. And surely there's an Abendau deleted scene somewhere you can add? You don't need to offer anything regularly - someone only needs to sign up once.

Yes, but the prologue Isn't exclusive. Or doesn't that matter?

 

[Brian G Turner]

Yes, but the prologue Isn't exclusive. Or doesn't that matter?

Is it available in .mobi or .epub format? If not...

 

[Jo Zebedee]

Is it available in .mobi or .epub format? If not...

Not at the moment, but it could be my moment of finding out how to convert to mobi. (Although I think pages does a basic conversion.) I'll have a go at that. Cool.

 

[Keith Taylor]

b. Would it encourage anyone to sign up. I mean, I'm doing okay, I have a good rep but is it enough.

I built my romance mailing list by offering a code that entitled subscribers to a free old story I had on Smashwords. It was a short that never sold so it cost me nothing, but it helped massively boost my list. If you have something throwaway that you can offer it's well worth it.

 

[Keith Taylor]

I think the key too is to have these link to the signup at the start and/or back of your books if your publisher is okay with that. The indie guys do it all the time and I bet that's how they get most of their follows.

Yep, front and back matter are very useful for building a list. Contests are also useful if you have a venue to run them (FB fan page, for instance). Rafflecopter offers a free option that allows you to run a contest for, say, a few $10 Kindle gift cards, with the entry requirement of signing up to a list.

 

[E.Maree]

A self-pub author I really love, SL Huang, rewards newsletter sign ups with the password to instantly unlock some cute, fun short stories set in her series' universe. You can see the description of the shorts, which is what hooked me -- and the instant reward of the password over a mobi/epub was very satisfying.

A 'free book if you sign up' image would hook me as well, though -- a big, professional-looking image with the cover art, tagline, maybe the back cover copy of the book.

 

[Nick B]

And the dumb question of the day, goes to... Me!

Is there an easy way to have the list built automatedly by your website? Or do you build it manualy?

 

[Brian W. Foster]

And the dumb question of the day, goes to... Me!

Is there an easy way to have the list built automatedly by your website? Or do you build it manualy?

I don't 100% understand the question.

If you create a list at, say, Mailchimp, they give you a sign up URL. Anyone who goes to that URL and enters an email address is then added to your list. It's pretty easy to put the link to that URL on your website.

Did that cover it?

 

[ratsy]

@Quellist Check out my site Nathan Hystad it should have a pop-up for my newsletter working. So as Brian says, you do the mailchimp side, then you can add the pop up code to your site. I'm just learning this stuff now too, and it is pretty useful I think.

 

[Nick B]

Brilliant, thanks guys, we can sort that as the site is built.

 

[Cathbad]

If you create a list at, say, Mailchimp, they give you a sign up URL. Anyone who goes to that URL and enters an email address is then added to your list. It's pretty easy to put the link to that URL on your website.

I use Mailchimp. They offer two different sign-up tabs for your mailing list.

 

[E.Maree]

Another vote for Mailchimp, they're excellent.