For indie and self-published authors
How to Build an Author Mailing List from Your Website
Build an author mailing list by inviting interested readers to subscribe, explaining what they will receive, and making the signup easy to find. Your author website can become a consistent destination for people who want to hear about your next book.
Revvue’s author websites include newsletter signup collection and subscriber export. See Revvue’s newsletter signup features.
The author website is free. Newsletter and ARC signup collection require a Bookworm or Bookworm Pro plan. Read plan FAQs.
Define your newsletter promise
Choose a reason to subscribe that you can deliver consistently: new release announcements, writing updates, or occasional behind-the-scenes notes. Tell readers the topic and an approximate frequency. A specific promise helps them decide whether the list is for them.
For example: “Get occasional updates about my next mystery novel and new releases.” This describes the reader benefit without promising a gift or publishing schedule you have not prepared.
Put your signup on your author website
Place the invitation near your biography or book information, where a reader already has context. Explain what subscribing means next to the form. Keep the request short and avoid asking for details you will not use.
In Revvue, enable the newsletter section in your author website configuration, save, and publish your changes. Check the published page and submit a test signup with an address you control before promoting it.
Invite readers from relevant places
- Link to your author website from your social profile.
- Add an invitation in appropriate book back matter so readers can find your next release.
- Include the link in your author biography where the host platform allows it.
- Share the signup when you have a relevant book update, rather than repeating a generic request.
Do not turn an unrelated contact list into a subscriber list. An ARC request also does not automatically mean a reader wants your newsletter.
Organize subscribers before sending
Revvue’s Subscribers area provides a unified view of mailing and ARC readers and supports CSV export. Preserve the reason each person signed up when moving contacts into your chosen email tool.
Collecting signups and sending newsletters are different tasks. Configure your sending service, sender identity, subscription preferences, and unsubscribe process before your first campaign. If your workflow uses confirmation emails, test that step too.
Make the first message useful
Introduce yourself, remind readers why they subscribed, and deliver the update you promised. Link to one relevant book or author page rather than sending a long menu of unrelated promotions. Make it easy for readers to stop receiving future messages.
Judge progress by interested subscribers and meaningful responses over time. Website visits without signups can be a reason to clarify your invitation; they are not proof you need a more aggressive popup or a bigger promise.
Quick answers
What does Revvue provide for an author mailing list?
Eligible Bookworm and Bookworm Pro plans enable newsletter signup collection on your author website. The Subscribers area lets you view and export contacts for your chosen email service.
Does an ARC signup add someone to my newsletter?
An advance reader request and an ongoing newsletter subscription serve different purposes. Explain both choices and preserve the reader’s signup preference when sending follow-ups.