Welcome to Day 3 of The Storytellers Summit! Did you get any irresistable ideas that kept you up writing? We’d love to know what you’re working on. Remember to join us on our Facebook group and, if you’re feeling chatty, we’re also hosting a live Discord for you to connect with our guest speakers if you have questions.
We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay connected with future content and updates.
As a reminder, this session is part of a paid summit experience. Please respect our community by not sharing this page or the video link publicly. Thank you for helping us preserve the integrity of this exclusive event.
All About Community with the KIDLIT411 Team: Sylvia Liu grew up with books and daydreams in Caracas, Venezuela. Once an environmental attorney protecting the oceans, she now spins stories about nature, strong girls, and the intricacies of family and friendship. Her books include Stealing the Score (Scholastic, Feb 2026), Near and Deer (Scholastic 2024), Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation (Razorbill 2022), Manatee’s Best Friend (Scholastic 2021), and A Morning with Grandpa (Lee & Low New Voices Award winner). Sylvia co-runs the kid lit resource website Kidlit411 and lives in Virginia with her family and a fluffy cat. Elaine Kiely Kearns is a picture book and middle-grade author and the founder of the children’s writing website, KidLit411. Armed with a master’s degree in Education and working from her home office, she spends her time perusing the internet for golden nuggets of information about children’s writing and creating her own stories. Her debut picture book, Noah Noasaurus, illustrated by Colin Jack (Albert Whitman) published in April 2019. She lives in New York with her husband, daughters, and a menagerie of animals. She is represented by Jonathan Rosen of the Seymour Agency.
We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay connected with future content and updates.
As a reminder, this session is part of a paid summit experience. Please respect our community by not sharing this page or the video link publicly. Thank you for helping us preserve the integrity of this exclusive event.
Email Marketing 101 with Karen Ferreira: Karen is the founder Children’s Book Mastery and GetYourBookIllustrations. She’s helped thousands of aspiring and self-published authors complete their books, reach bestseller status, and connect with tens of thousands of readers. She also publishes The KidLit Creators Chronicle, a weekly publication offering in-depth, practical guidance to help children’s book authors write, publish and market with more confidence and success.
About GetYourBookIllustrations: GetYourBookIllustrations helps children’s book authors transform their stories into visually stunning books with professional, hand-drawn illustrations and book and cover design. Each project includes a dedicated project manager for personal support, and authors choose their illustrator from a team of experienced children’s book illustrators, making the process, from concept to print and ebook-ready files, is smooth, collaborative and stress free.
Grab a freebie here! https://childrensbookmastery.com/free-resources/
Email Marketing Resources for Authors
If you’re an author looking to grow your readership, build a launch list, and communicate consistently with your audience, email marketing is one of the most effective tools available. Below are top resources — from platforms you can use to send emails, to guides and courses that teach strategy and best practices. These cover both free and paid options so you can choose what fits your needs and budget.
Email Marketing Platforms
Mailchimp (Free & Paid Plans)
One of the most widely used email platforms with a generous free tier and intuitive tools. Good for beginners and scalable as your list grows.
https://mailchimp.com
MailerLite (Free & Paid Plans)
Highly rated for its clean interface, automation features, and generous free plan. Often recommended for creative professionals and authors.
https://www.mailerlite.com
ConvertKit (Free & Paid Plans)
Designed specifically for creators and authors. Strong automation, tagging, and segmentation tools. Free tier available for smaller lists.
https://convertkit.com
Sendinblue (Free & Paid Plans)
Offers email marketing plus SMS and chat tools. Free plan includes unlimited contacts (daily sending limits apply).
https://www.sendinblue.com
Constant Contact (Paid)
A popular choice with strong support, event marketing tools, and extensive templates. Ideal for authors who want robust customer support.
https://www.constantcontact.com
AWeber (Free & Paid Plans)
Known for reliability and solid automation. The free plan includes basic features for smaller lists.
https://www.aweber.com
GetResponse (Paid)
Includes email marketing, automation, and landing pages. Good for authors planning webinars or advanced funnels.
https://www.getresponse.com
Platforms with Built-In Newsletter Monetization
Substack (Free & Paid)
Simple platform for email newsletters that can also be monetized through paid subscriptions. Authors can build community and generate income.
https://substack.com
Beehiiv (Free & Paid)
A newsletter platform with built-in growth tools, analytics, and monetization options.
https://www.beehiiv.com
Instructional Guides & Courses
HubSpot Email Marketing Certification (Free)
A free, comprehensive certification course covering strategy, segmentation, deliverability, automation, and measurement. Great foundation for authors who want a structured learning path.
https://academy.hubspot.com/courses/email-marketing
Mailchimp Email Marketing Guide (Free)
Mailchimp’s own resource hub with articles and tutorials on email fundamentals, list management, design tips, and analytics.
https://mailchimp.com/resources/guides
MailerLite Academy (Free)
Step-by-step tutorials and video content teaching how to use MailerLite effectively, including campaigns, automations, and forms.
https://www.mailerlite.com/academy
ConvertKit Creator Courses (Free & Paid)
ConvertKit’s learning hub focused on list growth, automation, and creator-focused email strategy. Some free modules available.
https://convertkit.com/creator-courses
Email Marketing Rules by Chad S. White (Paid Book)
A well-reviewed book outlining proven email marketing principles that apply across platforms and industries. Valuable for authors wanting deeper conceptual understanding.
https://www.wiley.com
Deliverability & Best Practice Resources
Return Path / Validity Resources (Free & Paid)
Industry resources on email deliverability, spam filtering, and reputation management — useful for authors whose emails aren’t reaching inboxes.
https://www.validity.com/solutions/email/
Litmus Email Marketing Blog (Free)
Articles, best practices, and case studies on design, coding, accessibility, and optimization.
https://www.litmus.com/blog
Email on Acid Blog (Free)
Tips on testing, previewing, and troubleshooting email across clients and devices.
https://www.emailonacid.com/blog/
Tracking & Optimization Tools
Google Analytics (Free)
Use with UTM tracking to measure how email campaigns drive traffic and conversions on your author website.
https://analytics.google.com
Bitly (Free & Paid)
Link shortener and click analytics — good for tracking engagement when linking to book pages, sign-ups, or events.
https://bitly.com
Benchmarking & Trends
Campaign Monitor Email Marketing Benchmarks (Free)
Reports on industry open rates, click rates, and engagement — useful for setting realistic goals and measuring performance.
https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-benchmarks/
Author-Focused Email Marketing Advice
BookBub Partners Blog (Free)
Insights and tips on newsletter growth specifically for authors, including how to use mailing lists for book launches and promotions.
https://insights.bookbub.com
Indie Author Weekly Newsletter Tips (Free)
Curated tips and strategies for independent authors covering email, social, and direct marketing.
https://www.thecreativepenn.com
Practical Tools for Authors
Lead Magnet & Signup Form Tools
Google Forms (Free)
Simple form builder for capturing email addresses. Can integrate with many platforms using automation tools.
https://forms.google.com
Typeform (Free & Paid)
Engaging form builder with customization options for author landing pages and list growth.
https://www.typeform.com
Landing Page Builders
Carrd (Free & Paid)
Simple, affordable landing page builder perfect for author websites and email sign-up pages.
https://carrd.co
Mailerlite Landing Pages (Included with Platform)
Mailerlite includes landing page creators that work directly with your email lists.
https://www.mailerlite.com/features/landing-pages
Automation & Integration Tools
Zapier (Free & Paid)
Connects email platforms to other tools (e.g., form builders, CRM, book stores) for automated workflows.
https://zapier.com
IFTTT (Free)
Simpler automation tool that can connect email marketing to other services and apps.
https://ifttt.com