"The Book of the Sistah"
I was lucky. The month I sold my novel was the same month I started publishing the Living the Dream newsletter for my coaching business. Little did I know that as my subscriber list grew, I would have a great platform from which to launch the book 18 months later. Thanks to that list, I pre-sold my book long before it hit store shelves.
I was cultivating an audience without realizing it. But now I know that having a list is a gold mine, both for selling your book and getting your book noticed by a publisher. If you can prove that you are coming to the table with a large audience these days, great progress can follow. But how to get such a list? These tips will help you go from seed to harvest as you grow your group.
1. Start with someone you know.
Most of us already have some form of a list, whether it's in our email system's address book or your basic holiday wish list that you use once a year. It can be as small as 10-25 or as large as 200-400. Start by sending a general email letting the people on your list know that you're getting organized and plan to send out regular notes, newsletters, or whatever you plan to send out. Give them the option to opt-out if they are not interested. Most will probably stay on because your family and friends are interested in hearing about what you're doing.
2. Whenever you meet new people, get permission to add them to your list.
At this point in your writing career, it's imperative that you meet people at least once a month. You can go to networking events, attend classes, or (best of all) give lectures. Nonfiction writers in particular should speak regularly because they want to demonstrate their expertise in your topic or topics. You can collect business cards when you network or attend classes and get people to sign up for your event with their contact information. Make sure you GET PERMISSION and let people know they will hear from you via newsletter etc. It's really bad form to put people on your mailing list without their knowledge. This is also called spamming!
I know that getting people signed up is key because I've watched popular authors do it. I once attended a reading by E. Lynn Harris because I knew he had a huge — and loyal — readership, and I wanted to glean some clues as to how he did it. The room was packed and everyone acted as if they knew him personally. When it came time to sign books, he announced: he'll sign your book if you sign his! He made it clear that you will hear from him via email, birthday, and holiday cards. People were only too happy to sign on to the list. Brilliant!
3. Find a listing service that will maintain your list.
As your list grows, you'll quickly find that your email account may not allow you to send bulk messages to groups larger than 50-80. It's also not a good idea to only have your list on your computer, you'll want to back it up elsewhere. Solution: sign in to the listing service. You'll have your database expertly managed, and most list services will provide you with templates and allow you to send really good-looking HTML email messages to your list. You can also get code and links from your website that will allow people to subscribe to your list. There are many that you can try. I use both Constant Contact (http://www.constantcontact.com) and 1 Shopping Cart (http://www.1shoppingcart.com). If you don't sell products or services, you may not need a shopping cart, so Constant Contact may be right for you.
4. Communicate with your list regularly.
You want to keep in touch with the people on your list so they don't forget about you. How you do it is up to you. As I said above, E. Lynn Harris sends notes and cards to his list. My colleague posts inspirational quotes daily. I'm a big fan of email newsletters because you can provide your readers with updates on your activities and useful content. When you provide content such as real estate investor tips, marketing ideas, or even cookbook recipes, you establish your expertise. You also give people a good reason to stay on your list – they get good things out of it. In the past, I've offered discounts on my services, gift cards for people to give away around the holidays, and articles with career advice and tips for achieving goals. And every edition of Living the Dream also includes my book and the stellar reviews it has received. Past issues can be viewed at http://www.creativecoachingplans.com/newsletter.html.
5. Create excitement and anticipation with your list.
When your book is getting close to being published, you should let your audience know it's getting close. You can create pre-orders, highlight a list of book reviews as they come out, and let your audience know where you'll be when you start speaking and signing books. My book was first listed on Amazon.com about six months before its publication date. I sent out a "special announcement" letting people know it was there and encouraging them to pre-order the book. On that glorious day, my book was listed up to 3,000 on Amazon! Maybe I'm not J.K. Rowling, but I think it's pretty good. Plus, it's information that helps distributors sell your book to bookstores. They know you already have a great audience waiting to buy!
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