Email Marketing for Authors: Lessons from the Virginia Writers Club Annual Symposium

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of presenting on email marketing for authors at the Virginia Writers Club (VWC) Annual Symposium.

Over the past year and a half, I’ve been working hard to build an author platform and foster reader engagement—all while working a full-time marketing job and writing multiple manuscripts. 

Why Email Marketing Matters for Authors

I write a lot of presentation proposals for work and have a successful track record—about 80% are accepted. But I’m never the speaker—just the writer. Usually, we have a great lineup of speakers I’m submitting the proposal on behalf of.

When VWC sent out a call for proposals, I wanted to see if I could land a speaking gig of my own. While I have been writing most of my life and am fairly successful, I don’t have any books published, and I’m still pretty young—most people who attend writers conferences are decades older and have years more experience than me. 

But I know a thing or two about how to grow an author email list—I’ve been working in marketing for nearly seven years, and I write a lot of emails. One of the biggest topics of conversation at conferences is email newsletters for writers—authors are always swapping newsletter information. And if you’re querying literary agents or indie publishers, you’re expected to have a newsletter at the very least. 

I have a newsletter, but I also use email marketing to promote my blog, publishing credits, and events. I knew I could share this knowledge with others. And even though I don’t have books to sell, I have plenty of experience with retail marketing (thank you, Emerson Creek Pottery), and I didn’t think it would be hard to translate these concepts to book marketing with email.

What We Covered in the Session

I tried to structure my presentation in a way that would be appealing to both beginner and novice email marketers. We covered the following topics and did a variety of interactive, hands-on activities to help seal in the material: 

• Statistics showcasing the relevance of email in today’s marketing landscape

• Getting started with email marketing

• Email newsletters for writers

• One-off and targeted campaigns

• Copywriting tips

• Email subject line tips

• General email marketing tips for authors

• Key metrics

Reflections on the Virginia Writers Club Annual Symposium

I mentioned earlier that I was nervous about submitting a presentation proposal. Writing conferences for authors typically have speakers with years and years of experience, and I didn’t think my proposal would be taken seriously let alone accepted. 

The keynote speaker at this year’s Virginia Writers Club Annual Symposium was Diane Fanning, an award-winning crime author who has had more than 20 books traditionally published. One of her books has even been turned into an HBO Max series. She received the Defender of Innocence Award from the Innocence Project in 2011. In short—she’s a big deal.

So to say I was delighted when my proposal was accepted would be an understatement. I was humbled, excited, anxious, and proud. My feelings were mixed and intense and shifting. One moment, equipped, the next, dismally unprepared. 

I’ve always tried to do things in the face of fear, using my anxiety as a reverse compass. When I hear the misleading voice of uncertainty telling me to run away, I sprint toward it.

This is not easy, but it does get easier. I had so much pent up energy the night before the event that I had to go march on the treadmill and throw around some weights in the hotel gym. It was enough to stave off the adrenaline rushing through my veins. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the outpouring of encouragement and support I received from my community—many of whom are subscribers to this blog. Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your confidence in me. I wouldn’t have been able to tackle this fear head-on without you. 

I spoke during the second time slot of the day, and I had about 30 people attend my session—over a quarter of the conference’s attendees. The audience was receptive to my message, and I gained confidence as we worked through the material. By the end, my face was ready to crack from smiling so hard. 

I can’t wait to participate in other author events in Virginia and beyond.

Thank you so much for your support over the past year and a half as I’ve built my platform on EmilyBabbitt.com. I would not be a very successful email marketing professional if I didn’t ask you to share my blog—with your family, friends, and neighbors. If you’ve found value in my words, I humbly ask you to consider sharing my website or this post with them. I can’t do this without you.