We have all heard that every blogger needs an email list. I mean it is alll over the internet that if you want to make money, you must have a good size list. I have heard it too, and for years I dismissed it cause the ongoing theory is that book bloggers can’t make money from their blog and what would we ( book bloggers) ever SEND to a list? I know the feeling cause I have been there myself.

I have wondered what use it would be to be a book blogger with an email list. I mean, I know that I could set it up so that people could receive posts in their email, but other than that I had no idea. So I put off having an email list for a LOOOONG time. That was a HUGE mistake on my part. I felt that it was just one more expense and that it would not work.

After seeing people that I admire and had followed for years online make a living off of their blogs, and after I got over my mind being blown, I decided to try and see if I could make a decent living being a book blogger.

I told a few people about this, and all the people that I talked to all said that being a book blogger was not a “profitable” niche. So I kept my ghostwriting package active and continued this blog as a hobby. After a couple of years, I told myself to put energy and time into this blog to see if I  could bring in even more money.

 I ended up making a small ( so far) profit!

While making a profit WAS difficult, I am not going to lie,  one of the things that made it easier was my email list. Your email list is the people who love you and will buy your products. This is key in sending out surveys to find out what your readers WANT. There is nothing more frustrating in creating a product that no one wants. Most products take hours upon hours to make and to hear crickets when you launch is downright annoying. That is just one reason you need an email list. This is the optimal way to get feedback and to get an idea of what your “superfans” want.

I have seen recently that people are using services such as Instagram ( shameless promotion to say follow me!) to earn money. The thing about this is while it is hot at the moment. It can go away at any minute, and everything you have put into this platform is gone. Plus Instagram is always changing its damn algorithm.

Raise your hand if you are tired of Instagrams algorithms.

I know I am. It seems it changes every damn day and I am always one step behind. If you have an email list, then all that worry is not as intense because you OWN your email list forever and ever. I use and love ConvertKit, and as long as I download my subscriber list, I own that list and can always pop it in an email and BCC everyone. The data that I gained from Converitkit is mine forever.

So DO Book Bloggers need an email list?

It depends. If you are doing this as a hobby, probably not. That is not to say you CAN’T but if you are just doing this as a hobby and you are not interested in monetizing your blog then you may want to weigh the cost of doing so.

But

If you want to make some money in Book Blogging and create products and programs then yes. I have learned the hard way that in order to sell something it is important to have an email list. It does not need to be in the thousands of subscribers like some people like to say but it at least needs to be around 300 to 500 people in order to make it worth the while and to earn some money above and beyond what you will pay to make the product.

If you want to give it a try, I have a code for a free ConveritKit trial.  Just fill out the form below. If you have any questions at all, feel free to email me!