Publishers Weekly – July 29, 2019

MARKETING ADVICE ®

BOOKLIFE.COM 45

I

ndie authors were early pioneers in building

marketing platforms at Facebook to reach read-

ers. But after authors collectively invested

millions of dollars and years of effort to build

their followings on Facebook, Facebook pulled a

bait and switch. It took the authors’ followers

hostage, locked them behind a paywall, and held

them for ransom. Now, authors must pay Facebook

to ensure that fans who already requested the

authors’ messages in their newsfeeds can, in fact,

see those messages.

The hostage taking didn’t stop with Facebook.

Amazon has adopted a pay-to-play approach with

Amazon Advertising’s sponsored ads.

At Amazon, authors bid by the click to have their

ads inserted into the search results of customers

who are generally searching for different authors.

The company is diluting and polluting customer

search results, selling an author’s fan base to the

highest bidder.

Reclaiming Marketing Independence

It’s not too late for indie authors to take back their

marketing independence. One of the most impor-

tant elements of an author’s marketing platform

is the private mailing list. Here are seven list-

building tips for authors seeking to attract and

retain subscribers:

1. Practice ethical email marketing. A mailing list
   should be 100% opt-in, meaning that readers are
   only added to the list if they explicitly request to
   be added. You should never sell, rent, share, or
   trade readers’ email addresses.


2. Give readers a reason to sign up. Readers appre-
   ciate incentives in exchange for sharing their
   contact information. Make a promise, then deliver.
   You can market your newsletters with an elevator

pitch such as, “Subscribers gain exclusive access

to discount codes, sneak peeks of upcoming releases,

and the latest updates on my works in progress.”

3. Be strategic with giveaways. A common list-
   building tactic is to offer readers free e-books in
   exchange for signing up. Series starters are good
   giveaways because once readers are invested in
   the continuing story, they’re more inclined to
   purchase the follow-on titles.


4. Delight the reader. When you send emails to
   your lists, do so with the understanding that you’re
   imposing upon readers’ precious time and atten-
   tion. Every email should offer something to enhance
   fans’ appreciation of your writing.


5. Use a mail list management tool. A good mail
   list management tool helps you manage your
   subscriber database, design and send personalized
   and professional-looking bulk emails, and track
   email open rates and clicks, and it allows readers
   to perform one-click unsubscribes.


6. Personalize in bulk. It’s easy for bulk emails to
   come across as cold and impersonal. To avoid this,
   the emails should be written in your voice, by you,
   and the tone should aim for a blend of friendly,
   business casual, and upbeat. Address readers by
   their first names.


7. Drive subscriptions in back matter. The best
   time to motivate readers to sign up for a mailing
   list is when they’re feeling peak love for you, and
   that’s usually the moment they read the last word
   of one of your books.

Special thanks to authors Donna Wilson and Eva

Pohler for sharing list-building tips that contributed

to the development of this column. ■

Taking Control

Social media platforms such as Facebook

are compromising authors’ marketing efforts;

mailing lists provide a solution

BY MARK COKER Mark Coker