Most authors know they should have a mailing list, but growing one feels vague. The most dependable approach is also the simplest: offer a free book and ask readers to subscribe to receive it. Here is a repeatable process.
A prequel, a short story in your world, a bonus scene, or a starter novel all work well. It should leave readers wanting the next thing you publish.
Every extra step costs you subscribers. A single page with an email field and a clear consent checkbox converts far better than a multi-step process. Storyfinch gives every book a hosted signup page, and you can also embed the form on your own site or drop a QR code onto a printed book.
Growing a list is only useful if those readers actually want your emails, and if you can show they agreed to receive them. Record the wording they consented to at the moment they signed up. This keeps your list healthy and your marketing on the right side of data-protection rules.
Consenting readers should flow straight into your email platform. Storyfinch connects to Mailchimp, MailerLite, Kit, EmailOctopus, Brevo and more, or to any endpoint via a signed webhook, so new subscribers land where you send your newsletters.
A list only pays off if you email it. Welcome new readers, tell them about your books, and be a person they are glad to hear from. The free book gets them in the door; your emails keep them.
Start free and turn your next reader into a subscriber.
Give readers a free book and turn them into subscribers, with secure delivery and consent built in.
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