It caught my attention because although I was on his list, I didn’t subscribe to his newsletter. He added me without my permission.

I wasn’t interested in his newsletter topic so I deleted his messages without reading them.

Maybe unsubscribing isn’t as easy as we think

I could have unsubscribed, right? It was certainly easy enough — all I had to do was use that option at the bottom of any newsletter.

But I didn’t unsubscribe because I was certain he would confront me if I did. (Remember, I know him.)

Who needs the drama? Certainly not me.

Was it my get out of jail free card?

This time, though, I thought that his newsletter’s “I’m cleaning up my list” subject line was my get out of jail free card.

“I don’t like spam any more than you do, so I’m cleaning up my contact list,” the message began.

It felt like he was giving me permission to unsubscribe. So…I scrolled down to the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom, only to discover this warning just above it: “Feel free to opt out, but remember that unsubscribing works both ways: I have no desire to get email from people who don’t want to receive it from me.”

Whoa.

That is all kinds of wrong.

And it made me wonder if other authors shared the misperception that this was an okay thing to do.

Here’s why it isn’t, and here are two other author email marketing truths that will help you move forward, not hold you back.

Email marketing truth #1: Reciprocity isn’t the goal.

You want the right people as subscribers.

The “right” people are those in your book’s target audience. They’re the people who read the types of books you write.

And they’re probably not the people whose newsletters you subscribe to.

Take me. I don’t read science fiction, so you don’t want me on your email list. I will never buy and read your book.

And I won’t recommend your book simply because I learned about it in your newsletter because I’m not qualified to recommend it.

So don’t add me to your list.

It doesn’t matter that you receive my newsletter. You subscribed because you’re interested in what I write about — book marketing. You never want to presume that someone who writes about a topic you’re interested in will automatically be interested in what you write about.

Focusing on the right subscribers saves you money

Here’s another reason you don’t want to add people to your list just because you’re on theirs: Adding the wrong people will eventually start costing you money.

Some email marketing services give you a free account until you reach a specified number of subscribers. After that, you start paying.

In addition, even when you’ve got a paid account, your monthly fee increases as your list grows.

Don’t pay for people who aren’t your ideal readers.

Email marketing truth #2: This isn’t a loyalty test.

I took the plunge with the author who invited people to unsubscribe because I am constantly, constantly trying to decrease the amount of email I receive.

But after I unsubscribed, I watched my inbox for his response, because I knew there would be one.

It came pretty quickly.

The author told me that because I wasn’t willing to demonstrate my loyalty to him by remaining on his email list, he had unsubscribed from my Build Book Buzz newsletter and disconnected from me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

via GIPHY

He showed me, right?

Who pays the price?

Will I miss seeing what he shares about a topic I’m not interested in?

I will not.

Will he suffer because he won’t see the information I share that could help him sell more copies of his book or build a bigger platform for the next one?

I don’t know. Maybe he never looked at anything I wrote or shared after he subscribed.

But I don’t care. And I won’t suffer because of his actions.

People can support you in other ways

Please remember that the people in your life can support you in many ways that don’t involve receiving your newsletter.

They can announce your book to their social networks, introduce you to people who might be able to help you in a bigger way, or just listen to you talk about the joys and frustrations of publishing — and that’s just for starters.

Email marketing truth #3: You can create a newsletter your readers will look forward to.

When I ask authors why they aren’t using email marketing, most say it’s because they don’t want to be “spammy.”

Then I ask if they subscribe to any newsletters. When they answer “yes” — and they usually do say “yes” — I ask why. More often than not, it’s because the newsletters are interesting, informative, helpful, or entertaining.

Well, then, if that marketer can send a newsletter that’s interesting, why can’t you?

So let go of this idea that all email marketing is spammy. Because it isn’t. When you create content that serves your reader rather than yourself, your subscribers will look forward to your messages.

When you focus on what the reader wants from you, you’ll attract more of the right subscribers. Your list and fan base will grow — without adding people who don’t want to be on it.

Avoid an uphill battle

But back to the author who invited people to unsubscribe from his list, then punished them for doing so: It’s a mean-spirited approach to book promotion.

When your marketing decisions are grounded in a “you-do-for-me-and-I’ll-do-for-you” approach, it will be an uphill battle. (Consider that another email marketing truth.)

It doesn’t matter how beautifully you write or how much you know about your  topic. If you make people uncomfortable by approaching your tasks with an “And what will you do for me in return?” attitude, you’re going to find yourself with far fewer opportunities than your competitors.

You are who you are, but if you’re someone who…

• Subscribes to an author friend’s newsletter and gets angry if she doesn’t add herself to your list (or removes herself after you make the mistake of adding her) or
• Unfollows people on Twitter for no other reason than they don’t follow you back or
• Sulk because your college roommate hasn’t reviewed your book yet

…it will be slow going for you.

When you’re always looking for trouble, you’ll find it. Why not look for opportunities, instead?

Each email marketing truth will serve you well. Embrace all of them.

And if you haven’t started building an email list yet, what are you waiting for? Get started now!

Learn more about author email marketing attitudes, content, and mechanics in Tammy Labrecque’s book, Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert.

What have you seen in email marketing that you liked? What works for you? 

(Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2015. It has been updated and expanded.)