Best email marketing for authors
Put a signup link in the back of every book. Give away the first chapter or a short story. Keep ARC readers on their own list. Email readers every two weeks so they remember you on launch day. SendFox is free up to 1,000 contacts, then $29 once for 5,000.
Free up to 1,000 contacts. No card.
SendFox is the best email tool for most authors: a signup page for the back of your book, a welcome series for new readers, and launch emails, free for 1,000 contacts and $29 once for 5,000. Pick Kit if you grow through other writers' recommendations, Substack if you publish serial writing and want app discovery, and Ghost if you want a full author website with memberships.
Amazon knows who bought your book. You don't. Your email list is the only way to tell those readers the sequel exists, and it's the one channel no algorithm can take away.
Below is the setup for a made-up cozy mystery author, Hollis Grey, who has a new book out in November. Hollis isn't real. The emails, the screenshots and the schedule are real and you can copy them.
The reader magnet: chapter one plus something exclusive
A free chapter works because it's a taste of the thing they already want. Hollis adds a short story nobody can get anywhere else, which is the part that actually gets people to type their email.
Put the signup link on the last page of every book, right after "The End", while they still care. Add it to your author bio and the front matter too. A link on the last page will bring you more readers than your Instagram bio.
Best email tools for authors
I make SendFox, so it's listed first. Each tool below says what it does better than us. Prices are at 5,000 subscribers. How we checked.
| # | Tool | Best for | At 5,000 subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SendFoxBest value | Authors building a reader list on a budget | $29 once |
| 2 | Kit | Growing through other writers' recommendations | $89/mo |
| 3 | Substack | Serial writing with app discovery | $0 + 10% of paid |
| 4 | Ghost(Pro) | A full author website with memberships | $75/mo |
| 5 | MailerLite | A website and email in one tool | $49/mo |
01 SendFox Best value
- Price
- Free to 1,000 contacts. $29 once for 5,000. Pro from $19/month.
- Moves
- Imports from Mailchimp, Kit, Google Contacts or a CSV
Good
- Free for 1,000 contacts and 3,000 sends a month
- $29 once for 5,000 contacts and 300,000 total sends
- Smart Pages and subscriber referrals on every plan, RSS-to-email from the $29 plan
Not so good
- The $29 plan has a send pool. Weekly to 5,000 people uses it in about 13 months, then you move to Pro
- No CRM or sales pipeline
- Paid newsletters and removing branding need Pro
02
- Price
- $89/month at 5,000 (Creator). Free to 10,000 without automations.
Good
- Recommendations network and newsletter sponsorships
- Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers
- Store for digital products built in
Not so good
- The first welcome sequence needs a paid plan
- Takes 3.5% plus 30 cents per sale
- Bills for subscribers who stopped opening
03
Substack
- Price
- Free to send. Keeps 10% of paid subscriptions.
Good
- Discovery through the app and recommendations
- Free if you never charge
- Podcasts, video and a reader app included
Not so good
- 10% of paid subs plus card fees, for as long as you publish
- Email tools are thin next to the rest of this list
04
Ghost(Pro)
- Price
- $75/month at 5,000 (Publisher).
Good
- Full website and CMS
- 0% fees on paid memberships
- Posts on the open web through ActivityPub
Not so good
- Starter stops at 1,000 members
- You pay for hosting you might barely use
05
- Price
- $49/month at 5,000 (Comfort).
Good
- Website and landing page builder included
- Preference center and 100+ integrations
- Sells digital products and bookings
Not so good
- Free plan is now 250 subscribers
- Comfort caps you at 10 emails per subscriber a month
- Jumps to $89 at 10,000
What the form asks for
- Fields: First name and email. Every extra field costs signups.
- Button: "Send me chapter one"
- What they get: Chapter one of Murder at the Marmalade Fair, plus "The Scone Incident", a short story you can't get anywhere else.
- Where signups go: the Readers list, which starts the welcome automation.
Use it as a hosted link (your bio, a QR code, the back of a book) or paste one line of code to put it on your site.
First automation: deliver the chapter
This runs every time someone joins the Readers list. The third email is how the ARC team fills up without Hollis ever asking twice.
- Right away"Chapter one of Marmalade Fair (as promised)"Delivers the chapter and the bonus short story with a friendly hello.
- 3 days later"Where the series starts (and the cheapest way in)"Lists the books in order and links the first one.
- 7 days later"Want to read my next book before anyone else?"Invites the reader to join the ARC team, which is a separate list.
Free includes 1 automation, and this is the one to spend it on.
The lists and tags to set up
Create these on day one, with these exact names, so every email has an obvious place to go.
ReaderslistEveryone who signs up from your back matter. The welcome automation runs off it.
ARC teamlistAdvance readers only. Launch logistics go here and nowhere else.
preorderedtagTag readers who reply "preordered" so you can send them the bonus epilogue.
Running an ARC team without a spreadsheet nightmare
- Make a separate list called "ARC team". The welcome email's third message links to a form for it.
- Four weeks out: email the ARC team the download link and the review date.
- Launch day: one email with the store links. Keep it short. They know what to do.
- One week after: thank them, and ask the people who haven't reviewed yet. Once.
Keep ARC emails off your main list. Your 900 readers don't need to see "reminder: reviews due Friday".
The cover reveal email
Cover reveals get opened more than almost anything else an author sends. This one is 120 words and does one job: get preorders at the lower price.
The reply ask at the end is doing real work. Replies tell you who your superfans are, and they're who you invite to the ARC team next time.
Copy the text of this email
Hi there,
Here it is. The cover for Murder at the Marmalade Fair.
Yes, that's a goat. No, I won't say why. You'll find out on page 41.
The book comes out Tuesday, November 17. Until then the ebook is $2.99 on preorder. On launch day it goes to $4.99, so if you want it, now is cheaper.
[Button: Preorder for $2.99]
One favor. If you preorder, hit reply and tell me. I'm keeping a list of everyone who does, and I'm sending those readers a bonus epilogue after launch.
Back to the edits,
Hollis
Your reader magnet should be something only your readers get. A chapter they can already read in the store preview isn't much of a gift.
From the SendFox teamSay you have 900 readers. If 50% open the cover reveal, 450 people see the preorder link.
If 5% of the whole list preorder, that's 45 preorders before launch day, all from one email.
Rough math, not a promise. Round numbers for illustration; they aren't SendFox data, and your list will do its own thing.
Launch month, with dates
- Tue Oct 13
Cover reveal (the email above) with the $2.99 preorder link.
- Tue Oct 20
ARC team only: download link and review date.
- Tue Oct 27
A deleted scene. No ask. Just a good read.
- Tue Nov 10
"One week left at $2.99."
- Tue Nov 17
Launch day. Store links, nothing else.
Between books, email every two weeks. Readers forget you in about a month, and then launch day is you introducing yourself to strangers.
Three subject lines Hollis would use
The SendFox features an author uses
Smart Page
The back-matter signup page. No website required.
Free: 1 · Lifetime & Pro: unlimitedWelcome automation
Chapter one goes out the second someone signs up.
Free: 1 · Lifetime & Pro: unlimitedSeparate lists
Readers and ARC team never get each other's emails.
Free: 3 lists · Lifetime & Pro: unlimitedScheduling
Line up the whole launch sequence in one sitting.
Every planReader referrals
Each reader gets a share link. You pick the reward, like a bonus scene.
Every planImport
Bring your list from Mailchimp, Kit or a CSV.
Every planSettings for an author list
| Setting | What to set | Why |
|---|---|---|
| From name | Hollis Grey | Readers follow the author, not the imprint. |
| From email | An address you actually read | Replies go to your from address. Replies are the best signal you'll get. |
| Send time | Tuesday, 9am | New books traditionally come out on Tuesdays, so readers get used to hearing from you that day. Campaigns schedule in your time zone. |
| Double opt-in | Leave it on to start | Confirmed subscribers mean fewer typos and fake signups. Single opt-in is available on Pro, or on Lifetime after a one-time domain setup. |
| Lists and tags | Readers, ARC team, preordered | So each email goes only to the people it's for. What each one is for is spelled out in the lists and tags section. |
| Engaged only | On for promos, off for must-read news | It sends only to people who opened in the last 90 days or joined recently. |
| Footer | Nothing to add | SendFox adds your mailing address and an unsubscribe link to every campaign. You'll need to enter your address before your first send. |
What it costs an author
Free
1,000 contacts, 3,000 sends a month. 1 Smart Page, 1 form, 1 automation.
Lifetime
5,000 contacts and 300,000 total sends. Unlimited automations, Smart Pages and forms.
Pro
From 5,000 contacts and 100,000 sends a month. Paid newsletters, teammates, no SendFox branding.
| Plan | Price | Contacts | Sends | Smart Pages, forms, automations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 | 3,000 / month | 1 of each |
| Lifetime | $29, once | 5,000 | 300,000 total | Unlimited |
| Pro | From $19 / month | 5,000 to 250,000 | From 100,000 / month | Unlimited |
Free and Lifetime emails carry a small SendFox footer; Pro removes it. Pro also adds paid newsletters on your own Stripe account and teammates. Lifetime and Pro get the full API and MCP server; Free gets a limited set. Current plans: sendfox.com/pricing.
A 5,000-reader list costs $29, once. That's one preorder campaign paying for your email for years. Above that, Pro starts at $19/month. Moving from Mailchimp or Kit? Connect it and import directly, or upload a CSV from anywhere else.
How that compares to 12 other tools at 5,000 to 100,000 subscribers: email marketing pricing compared.
How we checked
Every price comes from the vendor's own pricing page, read on October 14, 2026, at monthly billing unless noted. We priced each tool at 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000 and 100,000 subscribers on the plan named in the table. The ranking is for authors who email one list regularly. Nobody paid to be on this list. SendFox prices come straight from our billing system, so they match what you will pay.
FAQ
What is the best email marketing platform for authors?
One that sends your reader magnet automatically, keeps ARC readers on a separate list, and lets you schedule a launch, without a monthly bill before your list is big. SendFox does that. It is free for 1,000 contacts, then $29 once for 5,000.
How do I run an ARC team with SendFox?
Make an ARC list with its own signup form. Email that list the advance copy link, then schedule review reminders around launch day. Your main list never sees those emails.
How big should my list be before a launch?
There is no magic number. A few hundred readers who open your emails will do more for a launch than thousands who don't. Start collecting emails a book before you think you need to.
Can I move my list from Mailchimp or Kit?
Yes. Connect Mailchimp or Kit and import directly, or upload a CSV exported from any other tool.
Copy this setup this afternoon
Free for 1,000 contacts. $29 once for 5,000. Import from Mailchimp, Kit or a CSV.
Free up to 1,000 contacts. No card.
Keep reading
The example senders on this page are made up. The screenshots are from a SendFox demo account set up to match them, before any emails were sent.