Why I Want You On My Email List But only if you want to be there.

By Shaunta Grimes

When I started Ninja Writers in 2016, I had precisely zero followers.

I read something, a blog post probably or maybe a book, that convinced me that what I really needed was an email list. If I could build an email list, I could make Ninja Writers work.

My focus was simple. I wanted to teach what I know about writing fiction and I wanted to start building an audience for my own fiction— and to do that I needed an email list full of fiction writers and readers.

Here’s why I want you on my email list, from a personal standpoint, but also as a business person.

My email list is mine.

I own it. If Medium collapses, if Wordpress goes away, if my blog is hacked and I have to start over — I can bring you with me, wherever I land, if you’re on my list.

The Internet is a wide and unruly place. Wild and largely untamed. Nothing is too big to fail here. Sites that seem so solid they’ll last forever, disappear all of a sudden when something new comes along. (I’m looking at you Myspace.)

I used to have 20,000 followers on Wattpad. One day a couple of years ago, their site glitched. I woke up to zero followers and an email that my page there was fixed. But there was no way for them to restore my fans.

My email list belongs to me. I can print it out and have an analog, hard copy in my hand if I want to. As long as there is email, I can connect with the people who want me to connect with them.

My email list represents my tribe.

Not the whole list. Out of roughly 14,000 people, maybe 20 percent regularly open my emails. Something like 3 to 5 percent click links in my posts. That’s pretty much industry standard.

A bunch of the others are people who signed up for something I offered them and accepted that thing, but never opened another email. I’m sure lots of those people have a special email address just for that.

(I actually would prefer that they took my freebie, then unsubscribed. I have to pay to maintain those special email addresses on my list. But that’s another story.)

My email list contains my tribe. That’s maybe a better way of saying it. The couple thousand people who see my name in thier inbox and want to see what I have to say — and who I’m building Ninja Writers for — are there.

My email list gives me a baseline.

On my email list are the people who are the beating heart of Ninja Writers. The true fans. The die hards. About twelve hours ago, for instance, I sent an email out letting Ninja Writers know that I’d started a Facebook Page in anticipation of a new project.

About 300 people clicked over and liked or followed that page. Within hours.

About 300 people took time to fill out this form and this form, to help me develop that new project.

I can count on about 300 people reading my blog posts, showing enthusiasm for new projects.

Because I have an email list, I don’t have to throw new things into the void and hope someone wants them. My messages aren’t in a bottle. They’re preciesly delivered.

That baseline is Ninja Writers’ top tier. My guinea pigs. You know how you can run crazy ideas in front of your family and not worry too much about falling on your face? If the idea stinks, they’ll tell you — but they’ll still love you.That baseline is my family.

My email list is social proof.

When my new book, The Astonishing Maybe, was about to be released, I got this kind of bananas idea. What if I put together a bonus for people who pre-order?

The bonus was a kind of virutal Ninja Writer conference. A series of one-on-one chats with book industry professionals, where attendees could ask questions and have them answered.

I started with my agent and editor — and they both agreed. And then the thing kind of took on a life of its own. I started messaging anyone I could think of who might be interested in getting in front of a group of fiction writers.

And because I could say that I had an email list I’d be promoting the bonus to, and it was an email list of people that my potential guests were interested in knowing and because talking about my following was an easy way to let potential guests know that Ninja Writers is a real thing — within two days I had fourteen top-level professionals lined up.

I could not have pulled that off in 2013, when my first book was published.

So, yeah. I want you on my email list. But only if you want to be there.

If I could go back, I’d be slightly less anxious to build my list fast and furious. I’d require a double opt-in, instead of turning that off to make sure I captured every single name. I would be a little more judious about things like running ads that are effective at building my list full of those special never-open emails.

I’d focus more on the health of my list, than the size of it. At least, I think I would. Maybe

Here’s a hard truth: when you use an email list to connect with your readers, you will see people unsubscriber every single time you hit send. Every time. With a list of 14,000 — I lose 5 to 10 subscribers with every post. I post usually twice a day.

Sometimes people just don’t want the number of emails I send. Sometimes they really did just want that one free thing. Sometimes they’re just not writing anymore and it’s hard for them to get constant reminders of that.

Sometimes, I’m sure, they just decide that they don’t like me. Or my style of teaching doesn’t mesh with them. Or they feel like they’re at a more advanced level then my typical readers.

I’ve learned to be grateful for the unsubscribers. I thank them in my head, when I think about it. They keep my list healthy and relevant.

If you want to be on my email list though, I’d love to have you there. Welcome to my tribe. ❤