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MAILING LIST BUILDER FAQ & INFO

FAQ

Long story short: We run a genre-specific book giveaway. In the end, you'll gift 3 books as prizes to your winners (we send you the list of winners). We give you the list of everyone who signed up for the giveaway to add to your personal newsletter!

  • Events run for 1 week, starting each Tuesday morning.
  • Your book does NOT have to be free or discounted.
  • Total book cost to author: 3 eBOOKS. Authors send ONE eBOOK to each grand prize winner (2) and ONE (1) to the winner of their individual book.
  • Bonus! You'll get a free Book Fair coupon for selling/promoting ANY free, 99c or KU books. Anyone entering the giveaway can see your book on the page that appears after entering! (Bonus! Not required).
  • Averages 200–800+ reader emails.
  • ALL events support Amazon-Only & WIDE authors.
  • Bonus! If you PROMOTE the giveaway to your current mailing list, social media, etc., sometime during the week-long event, you'll get a $5 off coupon good for any AXP program! Promoting also expands the list for ALL authors.
  • Readers sign up to win books! NOT MONEY. This means entries are from readers, not people who just want prizes.
  • At the end of the event, AXP sends you the full entrant email list to import into your newsletter mailing list program of choice.
  • Want a Private Mailing List Builder? AXP can create CUSTOM mailing list builder giveaways for author groups, author friends, anthology groups, etc. Custom events can be huge, last a month or more, and include Facebook advertising integration... This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Why Build My Mailing List?

It makes me crazy that some authors don't realize the power of building their mailing list! Here's why I think it is important.

Because Book Promotional Sites Can Be Spotty

Very few promotional sites offer return on investment. It's just a fact. You can spend a few hundred dollars buying a BookBub newsletter slot and watch it double your money, but it isn't easy getting those coveted BookBub slots. Other book promo sites you may pay to play, but in return sell two books. You don't have to be great at math to see that isn't the fast track to riches.

Because With Your Own List, YOU Control Your Marketing

Empowering thought, isn't it? :)

After the Giveaway - Using Your List

So you participated in an AXP Mailing List Builder Giveaway Event! Yay!

Hm. Now what?

Here's some ideas and best practices!

  1. Add these emails to your current email list - or add them to a second list so you can mail these new potential fans special offers.
  2. BE OF VALUE. Make newsletters funny or interesting and share other authors' promotions.
  3. Don't feel you MUST mail constantly.
  4. Track results and watch unsubscribe patterns.

DO

  • Offer a free book
  • Promote giveaways
  • Promote deals
  • Be entertaining
  • Run contests
  • Check links
  • Make newsletters attractive

DON'T

  • Spam readers with buy-buy-buy emails
  • Mail more than once a week
  • Introduce yourself every newsletter
  • Ask readers to re-subscribe

The Problem with Mailing List Services Like MailChimp

Providing authors with thousands of potential new fans is sometimes actually a problem thanks to MailChimp, MadMimi, or other third-party mailing list systems.

1. Sheer numbers

After you have enough subscribers, you must start paying monthly.

2. Unsubscribe Issues

If unsubscribe percentages exceed limits, MailChimp flags your account.

Solutions

Add a small portion of your new list each mailing.

This keeps unsubscribe percentages low.

What if your system no longer allows importing lists?

LEAVE.

Be in charge of your own mailing lists.

How to Be Your Own Mailing List Provider

Is your site on self-hosted WordPress?

MailPoet is a great solution. $99 per year for unlimited addresses.

ACYMailing is another great solution. $34 per year with unlimited addresses.

Have an outdated HTML site?

Consider upgrading or installing one of these systems.

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Private Label Mailing List Builder Events

There are two ways to participate in PRIVATE MAILING LIST BUILDERS:

1. PRIVATE GROUP EVENT

If you have a group of writers and would like a private Mailing List Builder Giveaway event, please email:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GDPR Concerns

Regarding the collection of emails, AuthorsXP.com has been following good practices since inception. We take the privacy and security of our readers and authors seriously.

Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions:

  • No one is really GDPR compliant because they haven't REALLY made it clear in black and white what works and what doesn't.
  • GDPR is only for European Union. You can use the USA names (which are generally 90% of the list) the same as you always did.
  • DOUBLE OPT IN IS NOT REQUIRED. Even if an address is from the EU and falls under GDPR, you don't have to double opt in. In fact, it is a BAD IDEA to ask people to opt in or CONFIRM they want to be on your list. Honda got freaky about GDPR and asked their list of 300k or so to double-opt in and ended up paying thousands in fines because GDPR saw that as admitting they didn't have permission in the first place.
  • GDPR is mainly to stop LARGE mailers — big companies and spammers. As a rule, the only way someone as small as an author would show up on their radar would be if many people complained all at once, which wouldn't happen unless you really were using a bad list.
  • AXP does have country and permission saved in our databases so we can provide you with that information should it ever come up.
  • Yes, we've consulted a lawyer and we're doing everything we can without just blocking the whole EU!
  • When we provide you a list from an event, we separate out EU entrants who specifically say "Share me" so you can choose NOT to add them to your list anyway if you're worried, and the EU people who specifically say "don't share" we don't share with you at all.

What is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?

GDPR is a EU privacy law approved by the European Commission in 2016, that began enforcement on May 25, 2018.

GDPR expands the rights of individuals in the European Union whose data is used for marketing purposes. Per regulations, consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.

How Does AuthorsXP.com Comply with GDPR?

We've always followed privacy laws and will continue to in the future.

We only collect information necessary for the site to function (for example, we don't require physical addresses of authors or readers unless we need to send a physical prize). We inform readers that their emails will be shared with the authors participating in giveaways. We remove reader information from our databases upon request. We give readers the opportunity to remove themselves from collected lists before those lists are shared with authors. We maintain electronic records of subscriber consent to join email lists, should an author ever be required to produce it. We also encourage authors to only use GDPR-compliant email marketing systems and otherwise be in compliance themselves. However, please note we cannot give legal advice and do not endorse the use of any particular email program from the perspective of GDPR.

Right to be forgotten — Upon request, we will delete any subscriber information from our database. Right to object — Readers may decide not to receive emails from participating authors. Right to rectification — Subscribers can update their information upon request via email or, in most cases, update preferences from inside their accounts. Right of access — Any subscriber may contact us directly to request access to information we hold about them. Right of portability — Authors may access details of purchase history through the author user menu, and may obtain any past subscriber lists received from us by emailing us.