"The Book Sistah"

I got lucky. The month that I offered my novel was the same month that I began my newsletter, Living the Dream, for my coaching organisation. I had no idea that as my list of customers grew I would have a fantastic platform from which to launch the book 18 months later on. Thanks to that list, I was pre-selling my book long before it struck shop shelves.

Now I understand that having a list is a goldmine, both for offering your book and for getting your book discovered by a publisher. How do you get such a list?

1. Start with who you understand.

The majority of us have some type of list already, either in your e-mail system's address book or your basic vacation card list that you use when a year. It may be as little as 10-25 or as huge as 200-400. Start by sending a general e-mail letting individuals on your list understand that you're getting arranged and planning to send regular notes, newsletters, whatever you plan to send out. Give them the opportunity to opt out if they're not interested. Many will most likely stay on since your family and friends have an interest in hearing about what you're up to.

2. Whenever you meet brand-new individuals, get authorization to include them to your list.

You can collect business cards when you network or take classes and get individuals to sign in with their contact information at your event. Make sure you GET PERMISSION and let individuals understand they will be hearing from you via newsletter, and so on. It is really poor form to put people on your mailing list without their knowledge.

I understand that signing individuals up is key since I've observed popular authors doing just that. When it came time to sign books, he made an announcement: he would sign your book if you signed his! Individuals were all too happy to sign the list.

3. Find a list service to preserve your list.

You'll quickly learn, as your list grows, that your email account may not permit you to send out mass messages to Critical Essay groups larger than 50-80. It's not a great idea to only have your list on your computer system, you'll desire it backed up elsewhere. The service: sign on for a list service. You'll have your database expertly maintained, plus the majority of list services will offer you templates and enable you to send truly excellent looking HTML e-mail messages to your list. You can likewise get code and links that enable individuals to sign themselves onto your list from your site. There are numerous you can try. I utilize both Constant Contact (http://www.constantcontact.com) and 1 Shopping Cart (http://www.1shoppingcart.com). If you're not offering service or products, you might not need a shopping cart so Constant Contact may be simply the thing for you.

4. Communicate to your list frequently.

You want to keep in touch with the people on your list so they don't forget about you. As I stated above, E. Lynn Harris sends out notes and cards to his list. You're also providing individuals a great factor to remain on your list-- they're getting good stuff out of it.

5. Generate enjoyment and anticipation with your list.

You can produce pre-sale orders, alert your list of book evaluates as they come out and let your audience understand where you'll be appearing when you begin speaking and doing book signings. My book was first listed on Amazon.com about 6 months before its publication date. On that glorious day my book ranked as high as 3,000 on Amazon's list!