Building a mailing list before you have a book to sell

Social platforms change their rules and their algorithms. A mailing list is different: it is a direct line to people who have said they want to hear from you. For authors, it is one of the most valuable assets you can build, and you can start long before your book is finished.

Why it matters

• You own it. No platform controls who sees your message.
• The readers are warm. They signed up because they are interested.
• It supports every launch. When your book is released, you have people to tell.

Give people a reason to join

A reader magnet is something you offer in exchange for an email address: a short story, a sample chapter, a guide, a checklist or exclusive behind-the-scenes material. It should be useful, relevant to your genre and quick to read.

Set up a simple sign-up

• Use a proper email service that handles sign-ups, unsubscribes and records for you, rather than a personal inbox.
• Put a sign-up form on your website, and a link in your bios and the back of your book.
• Make the offer clear: what they get, and what you will send.

Do it lawfully

In the UK, data protection and electronic marketing rules apply to your list. In practice:

• Get clear permission. People must choose to join. Do not add contacts without asking.
• Say what you will send and how often.
• Keep a record of when and how people signed up.
• Include an unsubscribe link in every message, and honour it promptly.
• Have a privacy notice that explains how you use their details.

Check the current guidance on the Information Commissioner's Office website, and take advice if you are unsure.

Write a welcome message

When someone signs up, send a short welcome that delivers what you promised, introduces you in a sentence or two and says what to expect. It sets the tone for the relationship.

Find a rhythm you can keep

A short email every few weeks, kept up for a year, is better than a weekly one that stops after a month. Choose a frequency you can sustain.

What to write about

• Progress on your book
• Short excerpts and early covers
• The ideas and stories behind your writing
• Recommendations of books you love
• Honest news, including the setbacks

A simple first six emails

1. Welcome: deliver your reader magnet and say what to expect.
2. Your story: why you write, in a few warm paragraphs.
3. A useful or entertaining piece related to your genre.
4. Behind the scenes on the book you are writing.
5. A recommendation: something you have enjoyed lately.
6. An invitation: ask readers to reply and tell you what they like to read.

After that, settle into a rhythm you can keep. The same voice and look you use on your author website and in your author brand should run through every email. When your book is ready, your list becomes the core of your launch.

Grow it steadily

Mention your list wherever readers find you, and make it easy to join. Over time, a small, engaged list will do more for you than a large, indifferent one.

Our book marketing and promotion service includes setting up a reader magnet, a sign-up flow and a newsletter rhythm you can keep up.