New eBook: A Writer’s Guide to Email Marketing

How you communicate with your readers is at the core of your platform as a writer. Again and again, I hear from successful authors that email is not only important, but actually ESSENTIAL in establishing meaningful connections to readers, and to selling more books.

This ebook will explore not only why you should consider developing an email list, but also how to do so in a way that feels good and actually converts.
A Writer's Guide To Email Marketing
In this ebook, I focus on helping you:

  • Understanding why email is at the center of reaching readers and selling books.
  • How to build your email list.
  • The steps to craft and send an engaging email campaign.

A Writer’s Guide to Email Marketing covers the topics that I have found to be most critical to authors today. Here is a look at the table of contents:

Table of Contents

GuaranteeThis 60+ page PDF ebook is guaranteed to supercharge your email marketing efforts. If you aren’t completely satisfied within 30 days, I am offering a 100% money-back guarantee. There is literally no risk.

All of this is included in the price of the ebook: $29.99. Get it today:

 

ABOUT ME:
Dan BlankMy name is Dan Blank, and I help writers build their platforms, and work with publishers to grow their online communities. I have worked with hundreds of writers to help them develop the skills they need to build and engage their audiences. I have taught courses for Writer’s Digest and Mediabistro, and spoken at many of the major publishing and writing conferences. For my full background, please check out my bio and LinkedIn profile.

Brands I have worked with:

Events I have spoken at:

At BookExpo, You Can…

This week I am attending BookExpo in New York City, a giant tradeshow for those working in publishing, held at the Javits Center.

I LOVE BookExpo. I love watching those who work in publishing grab galleys of books not out yet, with a gleeful look in their eyes. I love watching people stand on long lines to meet their favorite author. I love that you bump into authors constantly. I love that you see how the culture and commerce of the book industry tries to figure itself out, right before your eyes.

Here is my photo recap of the event so far, and I will try to illustrate some of the things you can do at BookExpo.

At BookExpo, you can… become completely overwhelmed even before you pick up your badge:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… realize that all of publishing will fall apart if the new Malcolm Gladwell book doesn’t do well:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… bump into Dr. Ruth:
BookExpo Dr Ruth

At BookExpo, you can… meet the guy who illustrated the new Harry Potter covers:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… see a completely unreasonable table for use at a tradeshow:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… feel the difference between big publishers and the rest of us (hint: an extra 2 inches of padding under the carpet):
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… see how much “BEA loves Education”
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… pay $15 to eat this:
Book Expo

At BookExpo, you can… mingle in plush booths:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… peek behind the curtain of private meetings at Random House:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… be encouraged to take a nap on the floor:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… feel bad for authors who have no line for autographs:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… see Guy Kawasaki shoved into a small booth:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… realize that you never – EVER – mess with Chuck Palahniuk:
Book Expo

At BookExpo, you can… also see Chuck Palahniuk shoved into a small glass interview booth:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… see friends give wonderful presentations (hello Ryan Chapman and Ami Greko!):
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… go to parties with amazing views:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… mingle:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… mingle some more:
BookExpo

At BookExpo, you can… get a super secret map to Smurf Village!
BookExpo

All in all, a fully enjoyable event. Thanks to everyone who has made it possible!
-Dan

Your Platform is Not a Stage You Stand On

Too often, people view the idea of “platform” as a stage for you yourself to stand on, one that positions you higher than others, from which you can publicize your message to a large, faceless audience.

When I saw author Chuck Wendig speak recently he said:

“Words such as PLATFORM don’t resonate with me because folks just want to write a good book. It’s not as if it is handed down to you from a platform, like Coke delivered it as a brand.”

While I have a deep respect for Chuck, that is not how I view what an author’s platform is, and today I want to explore why.

A platform is how you create new paths, new inspiration, new opportunities for others. And it is how your work does these things. Last week I experienced three platforms that did exactly this:

  • I saw Seth Godin speak.
  • I experienced the Creative Mornings meetup for the first time, hosted by Tina Roth Eisenberg.
  • I took a tour of The High Line in New York City.

Each illustrated different ways that your platform is what you create in others, not just what you create for yourself. That platform is the myriad of ways that your books, your craft, your work has an effect in others. It is about what happens AFTER people read something you wrote.

Seth Godin

Seth Godin
Seth is a wonderful speaker, and after years of reading his blogs, his blog, and even interviewing him myself, it was nice to see how his speaking style gelled with his larger platform.

What is Seth’s platform? Well, within it, he creates capacity in others. Sometimes he does that by inspiration, other times via practical processes to follow, creating products and services, still others by actually connecting one person to another.

In the talk, Seth described how your work is the heart of your platform. That when your work touches people, you are connected to them. He illustrated this by explaining how he came to be on the stage at that moment: he experienced the work of the event’s organizer Tina Roth Eisenberg, and through her work, felt connected to her.

He took it further and talked about the craft of platform, which is a concept core to my own work. Sharing your ideas, finding the right people that you will resonate with – that is the craft that Seth talked about. That you have to try ideas, understand who appreciates your work, and keep iterating.

You can see a video of Seth’s talk here.

Creative Mornings Meetup & Tina Roth Eisenberg

Creative Mornings
The event that Seth Spoke at is called Creative Mornings and is organized by Tina Roth Eisenberg and her team.

When you experience anything that Tina creates, you quickly realize that she connects people and empowers as the forefront of what she does. She also has a popular design blog, a shared workspace and two small startups.

The homepage for her shared workspace in Brooklyn is emblematic of this: below the header, the focus is entirely on the people working here and what they do.

Creative Mornings

What is Tina’s platform? It is how she communicates, how she connects, how she earns trust. And she offers many ways into these experiences, from her writing, to in-person events, to products & services, and so much more. Anytime someone mentions Tina to me, it is always gushing with how giving and amazing she is. How she has opened new doors and made people feel connected.

The High Line

I took a guided tour of The High Line in New York City last week from a friend who lives in the area and has watched how this elevated park has changed entire neighborhoods. The High Line is a 1.5 mile public park that was created on top of an abandoned elevated railroad line that cuts through the west side of Manhattan.

Walking the park gives you a completely unique view of New York city. You walk between buildings two stories up, through buildings, under buildings, all within what feels like a bubble of nature.

Why does this matter AT ALL in an article talking about the platform that a writer or create builds? Because The High Line’s effect was so much greater than just opening a park. Yes, The High Line is a destination in and of itself, but it has created so much growth for others:

  • Development of former industrial areas. Some of these projects are huge, almost literally building entire new neighborhoods from scratch. Others are new buildings, new museums.
  • It connects and extends already established neighborhoods.
  • As you walk through the path, you notice what seemed like dozens of gardeners. I can tell you from decades of experience in NYC, it is astounding to consider that there are all these people gardening in what was formerly an abandoned industrial train line.
  • There are the obvious other jobs created with Friends of the High Line.
  • But mostly, it is the feeling of possibility and connection that you get when you walk the High Line.

Some photos from my walk:

The High Line

The High Line

The High Line

I want to end with a quote from Aaron Dignan:

“A platform requires people are building upon it, changing it and shaping it”

While he was mostly talking about web platforms (such as Google or Twitter), the same ethos applies to the platform you craft as a writer or creator.

These are just some of the reasons why I never consider the concept of platform to include a stage – a separation or hierarchy between the creator and an audience. Instead, I view it in the ways described above – how we find ways to connect that bring us together and create new capacities.

Thanks!
-Dan

We Fail Creatively Because We Often Don’t Work When We Don’t Feel Creative

For someone doing creative work. The writer. The artist. The musician. The designer. And so many others…

We are encouraged to always be thoughtful and engaged and caring.

To be inspired and fueled.

But as someone trying to create, I find that sometimes I need to shut off the depth. To forgive myself if I don’t feel inspired every moment of the day.

That sometimes, you have to shut off the thought.

Shut off consideration.

Shut off vision.

And just do the boring hard work even when I don’t feel inspired.

Just do the boring hard work, regardless of that tugging feeling in my gut questioning if it’s the right direction.

Just do the boring hard work when no one pays any attention.

Just do the boring hard work when I have zero motivation.

Just do the boring hard work – in rote, almost mindlessly – because that is the only way to keep momentum going.

I am not one to often recommend being mindless, to work without spirit. Because I have such as respect for being present. For caring. For giving.

But I find that the habits which create the foundation for creative work require me to show up.

Everyday.

On the wonderful days when my head is screaming “Yes!” And also on the apathetic days when my head is screaming “No!”

That there are only a certain number of fueled creative hours in a day. I have heard the number as three or five of these hours, but imagine it is different for everyone. And then so many hours left over which are filled with distraction.

The hours where it becomes easier to check email, to check social media. To want to react rather than create. Because reaction removes the need for initiative.

As I speak to more and more people who are mid-life, mid-career, and fighting hard to turn creative vision into reality, I am coming to a conclusion: That oftentimes we fail creatively because we don’t work when we don’t feel creative. Because we only want to work if we are convinced of the vision at every moment. If the world validates our ideas at every moment.

And that is rarely the case.

Okay, back to work…

Free Webinar: Essential Steps To Find Your Readers And Build Your Author Platform

Are you a writer who wants to find your ideal readers, and engage them in compelling ways? What you need is an author platform – a strategic way to find the exact right audience for your writing and build a strong relationship with them.

In this FREE one-hour webinar, I will share my best advice for building your author platform based on my experience of working with HUNDREDS of writers, including bestselling authors. I review the habits you NEED to develop in order to find success.

I dig into the hard stuff, the nuts and bolts of what it means to be an author who is actively developing your audience. If you want some sounds-to-good-to-be-true snake oil, look elsewhere. If you are a writer serious about moving your career forward, this free webinar is for you.

BONUS: WIN A 5-MINUTE AUTHOR PLATFORM MAKEOVER

When you register, you can choose to submit yourself to be eligible for a 5-minute author platform makeover. If you win, I will do a quick review of your author platform and provide my feedback on the webinar. This can provide useful first steps for where your biggest opportunities lie.

Q&A

After the webinar, I will have a Q&A session where you can ask questions about anything we covered, and even things we didn’t! You can submit questions anytime during the call, and I will answer them at the end.

SPECIAL PREVIEW

During the webinar, I will also be previewing my career-shifting online course for writers: Build Your Author Platform. This is where I work WITH you to develop your author platform and find your readers in six-weeks. No matter where you are in the world, you can take this course with a web connection.

SIGN UP NOW

This is a free webinar, and there are limited spaces available. It takes place on Wednesday May 15th at 2pm ET. You only need your web browser to attend. If you can’t make the live session, I will send you a replay of it if you sign up now. This will be a video recording that you can watch at your convenience.

There are limited spaces for this webinar, to reserve your spot, click here:

Register

Thanks!
– Dan