This is a short instructional YouTube video by Julie Broad (Book Broad/Book Launchers) explaining how authors can use newsletter swaps to grow their audience. Julie defines swaps (mutual newsletter mentions with cover image, blurb, bio and CTA), recommends where to find partners (author networks, events, social media, Goodreads, Reddit, StoryOrigin, BookFunnel), and gives practical advice on what links to share (reader magnet vs. sales page), how to format materials, testing links/images, timing, and following through. She emphasizes swaps are low-cost, most effective with a few hundred subscribers but worthwhile even for small lists, and stresses professionalism and courtesy.
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Sometimes you just need a little help from your friends to get ahead in the publishing game. A newsletter swap is free, easy, and gives you a chance to simultaneously broaden your audience, author network and your subscriber list. If you're wondering how to conduct an author swap, then this video is for you. Hey there, I'm Julie the Book Broad founder of Book Launchers, the most wonderful self publishing services team on the planet. Your single most important valuable book marketing tool is an email newsletter list and well, the newsletters of other authors can be just as valuable. Swaps are a simple type of mutual marketing that can really pay off. All it takes is a newsletter and a willingness to promote other authors in exchange for them promoting you. To put it simply, you pair up with another author and agree to include the link to each other's book or reader magnet or website. And in the next newsletter you should each include the book's cover image along with blurbs and ideally a mini author bio or a really clear call to action so that readers can learn more about you and the book. Newsletter swaps are the most effective if you have at least a few hundred subscribers. The more subscribers you have, the more swapping opportunities available to you. But having a small subscriber base shouldn't scare you away from engaging with other authors to do a swap. There isn't a financial cost associated with a swap, so so really you're not risking anything by having a minimal fan base. The worst you might experience is a little bit of rejection, which might sting, but you'll go on. Now first you have to find folks to swap with. Now there's a few ways to do this. If you already have a foundation of an author network, ask those with similar books if they would be interested. Going to events like 20 books to 50k is a great place to to meet other authors, so hopefully I'll see you there in 2022. Another great place to find newsletter friends is social media, especially on professional groups like LinkedIn or Facebook. You can even check out Goodreads or Reddit to see if any similar authors would like to swap. Of course, it's key that the authors you choose for swap share the same or similar genre as your book. A fantasy lover most likely isn't going to jump at the opportunity to buy a finance book or a business. How to Guide to swap Most effectively Stick with authors that have the same readers as yourself. You can also turn to sites made specifically for this type of networking like StoryOrigin and BookFunnel. Sites like these do the hard work when it comes to connecting you with the right author for your swap, StoryOrigin offers a ton of useful features for an author looking to up their newsletter game, and it includes ability to connect with other authors to swap mentions in upcoming newsletters and group promos. This is where you team up with multiple authors to promote your books on a single landing page. Teamwork makes the dream work, right? Golden Knights? Yeah, all right. Book Funnel is similar to Story Origin. It provides a toolbox of custom landing pages, ebook and audiobook delivery, and direct email integration. The difference is that Book Funnel is a paid subscription plan, but even their most basic beginner author plan gets you one to one author swap organization author along with group promos and a ton of other pretty sweet features. Once you've found authors to swap with, simply exchange the info you'll both need. They'll provide you with a link, a picture, a reader magnet, and you should provide them with yours. When sending links to authors to promote your work in their newsletters, put consideration into what exactly you want to share. Do you want to send a link to your website directly? Or perhaps your opt in page to entice potential readers to get your lead magnet so you can build a relationship. Or maybe you want to go straight for the sale and send them to your book's product page on Amazon? Most of the time I'm a fan of Reader Magnet promotion go for that relationship. But if I'm having a 99 cent sale or doing some other promotion during this swap, I would send them straight to the book sales page to make the most of that promotional event. Be sure to include a brief blurb about your book and a short author bio too. If you have accolades like awards, be sure to include those. Or if you have a really juicy editorial review or an endorsement, you can highlight a line from that too. You know something like self publish and succeed. The no Boring books Way to Writing a Nonfiction book that sells is a complete course of DIY instructions for aspiring nonfiction authors wanting to be commercially successful in their efforts. Thank you, Midwest Book Review that's just a snippet from a larger review, but you wouldn't want to include a big long review for these kind of swaps. Most importantly, before you send your materials to your newfound swap friend, check to make sure that your links work. Let me say it again. Check to make sure the links work and your pictures are formatted correctly before you send them to the author. You have one chance to make an impression on the subscribers you're appealing to, so make it count. You also want to make it as easy as possible for your friend to promote you. Plan the timing of your newsletter swap and make sure you include everything you've agreed upon. Then send it out in the hopes that both of you reach a wider audience and gain more subscribers and readers. And of course, I think this goes without saying, but let's say it anyway just in case. Follow through on your side of the swap with enthusiasm. Don't get disheartened if you gain and lose some subscribers while participating in a swap. Sometimes potential readers don't enjoy your work like they thought they might. You won't please everyone. Continue networking and building that platform and you'll find your own version of YouTube. Besties like I have found fabulous folks like Mike Herd, Kaitlyn Duncan, Antonio Dos Santos, Linda K. Lee, and Deborah Lloyd. Thank you so much for your likes, comments and shares. You guys are the best besties a girl could ask for. You can't do an author swap if you don't have a newsletter though, so I've covered the basics for you in this video right here. And if you're a little nervous about a swap because of how new readers might respond to your book, then may I suggest this video right here on how your book will be judged out there in the big wide world? Either way, take your pick and I'll be over there waiting for you.
