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“But What Do I SAY?” —
Email Marketing for Authors

Some questions are so fundamentally important that they must be answered again and again — especially in an industry like publishing, wherein the rules are constantly shifting AND new authors are starting their own journeys every day. One of these questions, which I keep hearing over and over in various author communities, is the age-old chestnut:

“Do authors really still need a newsletter?”‍

Followed closely by:‍

“Can email marketing ever NOT be sleazy or annoying?”‍

And, of course, the final volley — usually in a tone of bleak despair that would make a tragic Brontë character proud:‍

“But what do I SAY in an author newsletter?”

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‍Chef is here for you, friends. Let’s tackle each of these, one at a time.

“Do authors really still need a newsletter?”

Short answer: YES. A thriving social media platform is a wonderful thing to have, but it should be the icing to your thriving-email-list cake. Here are a few of the many reasons why:

SECURITY: You’re not dependent on an outside platform for your sales and audience. If some massive change in social media (like a TikTok ban, for example) cuts you off from your readers there, you can rest easy: they’re all on your email list. :cat-boss:
METRICS: You can measure engagement (who’s opening, who’s clicking, who’s buying) in far more detail with a newsletter than on social media platforms. This helps you clarify your target audience and hone your message accordingly towards that ideal reader.
COMMUNITY: You can engage specifically, directly, and authentically with your target audience. If social media is shouting from the rooftops, a newsletter is sitting down for coffee and a chat with your ideal reader. That engagement is what transforms a group of individuals into a community of devoted readers — which is really what book marketing is all about!

Of course, that question leads naturally to other questions:

“Can email marketing ever NOT be sleazy or annoying?”

Short answer: YES. A few key points to remember:

Email marketing is HOSPITALITY.
- Your goal is to make a reader’s journey to your book — the book they would love, and which would bring them much joy — as easy as possible!
- To that end, be sure to welcome folks into your world properly with an automated welcome email — perhaps even a SEQUENCE of welcome emails. This serves multiple purposes:
  - reassures the reader that their sign-up did, indeed, go through
  - demonstrates to the reader that you are prompt, professional, and trustworthy (especially if they signed up in order to receive a reader magnet; fulfilling that promise is your first email’s top priority)
  - makes the reader feel at home, affirming their decision to sign up in the first place (and making them much more likely to open your next regular email when it comes)
- Author / book marketing expert David Gaughran emphasizes the importance of conversation over broadcasting in email marketing.
  - Remember, you’re talking to your ideal readers. These are the people who LOVE your author brand and can’t WAIT to hear more from you.
  - What interests you? What makes you want to shout from the rooftops? What topics can you NOT SHUT UP about? That’s your author brand — and that’s what your ideal reader is here for.
  - Approach email marketing like a conversation with that ideal reader, and be yourself!
Email marketing is STORYTELLING.
- We’re authors, right? We tell stories. Your author newsletter is just another chance to tell stories!
- Every email — even the sign-up process — is a chance to communicate your author brand. Your books are part of that, but so are YOU: your process, your anecdotes, your unique message for which your books are a vessel.
- NOTE: as with storytelling, pacing is important. If your author newsletters are too rare, readers may forget about you; if your emails are too frequent, you run the risk of annoying those readers you seek to delight.
  - ‍Written Word Media recommends 1-3 author newsletter per month as the best strategic frequency; this may differ based on your personality and your ideal readers’ preferences, but it’s a good place to start!
Email marketing is GENEROSITY.
- “You need to make your emails about what your readers want, not what’s important to you.” ~ Nick Stephenson, author & self-publishing coach
- Email marketing for authors, when done effectively, is NOT just an endless litany of BUY MY BOOK NOW missives.
  - This is related to pacing: don’t just send a newsletter whenever you have a new book coming out, with radio silence in between!
  - Layer in lots of giving before you ask. Your author newsletter can only build community if it adds value to your reader’s lives — if they look forward to seeing your name pop up in their inbox.
- How? By telling stories! Generously invite your readers into the story of your author brand and let them feel like they have a stake in it: a place in your world.
- This lays the foundation for communicating the story of your books’ value; then, when a launch IS imminent, the “buy now!” CTA becomes a natural response rather than another sales pitch shouted through a digital bullhorn.

For a veritable cornucopia of other helpful, practical email marketing advice, many indie authors highly recommend Newsletter Ninja!

This is all well and good; still, the next question is as tricky as it is inevitable:

“But what do I SAY in an author newsletter?”

So glad you asked! Resources abound with helpful suggestions; here are a few to get you started:

Sign up for the newsletters of popular authors in your genre and see how they approach email marketing.
- What makes you want to open that email and read it?
- How could you implement that strategy in your own email marketing?
Based on author newsletters I’ve enjoyed receiving, here are some crowd-pleasers:
- interviews with (and/or between) characters
- humorous anecdotes from your life
- PETS. (Very difficult to go wrong here.)

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And now, for email marketing help, there’s Realm Chef!

Book Consultation Chat: Upload your book(s) and then start chatting. Simple!

First, clarify your author brand:

Then, use Chef’s AI-powered analysis and understanding of your books & author brand to brainstorm author newsletter topics:

You can also work with Chef to generate email templates — or just use the Marketing Content Strategy feature . . .

‍Marketing Content Strategy: Instantly generate a detailed marketing content strategy based on your book, budget, and launch date!

A 'Marketing Strategy Generator' screen with fields to select a book, input budget, and release date.

Chef’s strategy includes . . .

‍Measurable Goals:

The screen displays a marketing content strategy guide for a book, with a card for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on the left and a card for Marketing Objectives on the right.

Strategy & SEO / Keyword Ideas:

The screen displays a marketing content strategy guide for a book, with a card for overall Content Strategy on the left and a card for SEO & Keywords on the right.

Timeline:

and . . . EMAIL TEMPLATES!

The screen displays a marketing content strategy guide for a book, with a card for Email Templates on the left and a card for “Influencer Outreach & Template” on the right.

Fun Email Marketing for the Win

Yes, an author newsletter is still necessary; but it does not have to be a necessary evil. With indie author resources in abundance and book marketing allies like Realm Chef, you never have to be alone! Let Chef help you find the FUN in your email marketing — and give the gift of that FUN to your community of ideal readers, till they are all waiting eagerly to see your name pop up in their inbox.