What if your email list wasn’t a marketing tool… but a community?
Most authors think about email lists the wrong way.
They see a number. A metric. A channel for announcements.
But Jen Simpson (Author Gold) and I see it differently.
In this conversation, we share what we learned the hard way about building an audience, why a small list isn’t a liability, and what it actually means to show up for your readers with intention.
Highlights
Ownership changes everything.
There’s a version of building an audience that leaves you completely dependent on platforms you don’t control.
Jen learned that the hard way.
She sold about 100 copies in her first month, mostly through ads and social media. And then realized something uncomfortable.
“I had no way to ever know who those purchasers were and or how to ever reach them again.”
That’s the moment everything shifted.
When you own your list, you own the relationship. No platform gets to change the rules overnight or let the algorithm decide who sees your message.
A small list isn’t a problem.
Here’s something nobody tells you when you’re just starting out.
A hundred subscribers isn’t a small number. It’s a hundred people in your living room, listening.
“Imagine if you had a hundred people in your dining room or your living room and these people are all listening to you with your message. That’s crazy, right?”
When you’re small, you can actually know your readers. You can respond when they reply and build something real before you ever have to think about scale.
Take advantage of that opportunity to really build those super fans from an early stage.
The authors who rush past this stage often look back wishing they hadn’t.
Different readers need different conversations.
If you write in more than one world, you already know this feeling.
The parents who follow Jen for her children’s books are not the same people as the writers who follow her for Author Gold.
And trying to speak to both in the same voice, with the same message, serves neither.
“I have two very, very distinct separate audiences. And again, to the point of you have to treat your audience, you have to know who that audience is very specifically. It’s not an age group. The more specific you can envision that person, the better.”
Segmentation isn’t complicated. It’s just paying attention to who you’re actually talking to before you start typing.
Treat subscribers like people, not a list.
There’s a version of email marketing that feels like shouting into a megaphone.
I think of it more like sitting across from someone at a coffee table.
“The more that you can focus in on at least a single person that you think would be the best fit for this, the more likely it is people are going to think, he’s talking to me directly.”
Think about it this way. If ten people were sitting in your living room, would you walk in and say “buy my book”?
Or would you say hi, tell them what inspires you, and ask what they’re passionate about?
Relationships should always comes first.
Consistency over frequency. Always.
You don’t need to email people every day or even every week.
You also don’t need a content calendar with seventeen touchpoints.
“Consistent is different for every person, right? Because everyone’s life circumstances are completely different... it’s how much do you want to do? How much do you want to commit and be more purposeful about the things that you’re doing?”
The minimum? Once a month. Enough to stay connected without disappearing.
But more than frequency, what keeps people on your list is this: staying genuine. As Jen puts it, if everything you send sounds salesy or disingenuous, your readers are not going to stick around for long.
The best thing you can do is show up consistently as yourself.
Your storytelling muscles work in marketing too.
Your books are built on story.
Your emails can be too.
“Lean into what your muscles are good at. And if your storytelling muscles are great, which they are because we’re wonderful writers, then use those to help make that relationship.”
Tell the story of what inspires you to write. Share a character’s backstory. Give something away that pulls readers deeper into your world.
It won’t make them less likely to buy your book. If anything, it’ll make them want it more.
Your audience will change.
The readers who found you at the beginning may not be the same readers you’re speaking to a year from now.
That’s just a sign of growth.
“Your audience will change too over time… and what your audience is thinking about is going to change. So it’s okay to be adaptable and to change with it.”
The authors who stay relevant are the ones who keep paying attention. They notice when something stops working. They ask questions and adapt.
They treat their audience like a living thing, not a static list.
Protect what you build.
One last thing that doesn’t get enough attention.
Back up your list, understand your platform, and know what happens if something changes.
“Always, always, always once a month put on your calendar, go in and download your email list just in case. It will never happen that you would lose it unless you’re never downloading it. Then it will happen.”
I also recommended you should save your posts too. Export everything. Because platforms go down, accounts get locked, and the people who get hurt most are the ones who assumed it wouldn’t happen to them.
You’ve worked hard to build those relationships. Don’t leave them sitting somewhere you don’t fully control.
Closing Reflection
Building an email list is really about one thing.
Deciding to show up for your readers before you need anything from them.
Just show up consistently as yourself for the people who said yes to hearing from you. That’s what turns subscribers into fans. And fans into people who can’t wait for your next book.
If you’re an author thinking about building your list, or rethinking how you’re using it, leave a comment or ask any of your burning questions. We’d love to hear from you.
Thank you Kirsten Weiss, Enchanting Tales Publishing, Dog Lover & Story Explorer, and many others for tuning into my live video with Author Gold!
