Tag: Authors Helping Authors

Let me preface this post by saying, no … I am not on Tinder. Nor do I have any desire to take part in the shit show that is online dating. For those of you who brave those tumultuous waters, I bow down to you. My husband and I often joke about how screwed we’d both be if we had to navigate dating in this day and age. Therefore, he’s never allowed to leave.

Even still, there are lessons that we, as authors, can learn from Tinder. The idea of “Swipe Right” is so insanely relevant and obvious for authors, that we need to stop and take a moment to really appreciate the simplicity of it all.

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It amazes me the number of authors who don’t have websites — or worse, have a website and do absolutely nothing with them. In this technology driven-era, it is imperative to have your own digital home beyond the realm of social media.

We are so reliant on Facebook and other social channels to carry our digital presence, and that’s a risky approach to take. Far too often have I seen authors land in “Facebook Jail” at critical times like release week or get completely banned from running ads.

But rather than wax poetic on the importance of having a website, I want to talk about some of the key elements you absolutely, positively, 120% HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE on your author domain (and yes … you want an actual, ownable domain).

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There’s a lot of chatter going on about email, list growing, and the GDPR these days. With list building methods now needing official trails for compliance, I think it’s going to push authors to become more creative on how to grow their mailing list.

List building, in my experience, has been nothing short of mind numbing. But I want to take a moment to say don’t get discouraged if you don’t have many contacts on your mailing list. As long as your contacts are engaging with you–that means opening those emails and clicking inside them–you’re in good shape.

An engaged mailing list can truly be a powerful tool when it comes to release time. But the truth is, the size of your list isn’t as significant as the QUALITY of your list. It’s kinda like the old adage of it’s not the size of the wave, but the motion of the ocean.

Yeah. That. But with emails and not sex.

So in an effort to help us all find our own league of engaged readers who want to receive our newsletters, I’ve gathered together 10 list building strategies.

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