Email Isn’t a Guessing Game—It’s a System

Evan Swensen
September 12, 2025

Discovery does not happen by accident. Many authors assume a book on Amazon will be discovered simply because it exists. Yet crowded platforms rarely allow new titles to surface without deliberate effort. Discovery is engineered, not random.

The same principle applies to email.

Email is often treated as an afterthought—an occasional message sent when inspiration strikes or when sales decline. This approach is the equivalent of tossing a paper airplane into the wind, hoping it lands in the right hands. Sometimes it works. Most times it does not. A better mindset is to treat email as an engineered system rather than a lucky guess.

Build the System, Don’t Wing It

Engineers do not construct bridges with guesswork. They draw plans, calculate loads, and understand how every part fits. Email requires the same intention. Instead of scattered, one-off messages, authors should design a sequence.

What will readers see first? Where should they go next? Does a welcome message exist, or are new subscribers left in the dark? A planned sequence establishes a system that works long after the first email is written.

Design for Momentum

Momentum keeps a train moving long after departure. Engineers design for sustained motion, not a single push.

One email can spark attention, but a series creates an engine. The first message might welcome readers, the next might share the story behind a book, and another might invite a review or encourage sharing with friends. Each message builds on the previous one, creating steady forward movement. A single spark can fade quickly; an engine continues running.

Eliminate Friction

Friction is the enemy of efficiency. Engineers spend entire careers reducing drag and smoothing flow. Email has its own form of friction: long blocks of text, multiple calls to action, or confusing links.

The best-engineered emails are simple. One idea. One clear action. One easy click. When friction is removed, energy flows, and readers respond naturally.

Strengthen Signals

Signals carry weight. Every open and click is a signal to email services and to readers themselves. Signals accumulate, creating stronger visibility and reinforcing trust.

Inconsistent, occasional emails send weak signals. Engineered communication means showing up on schedule, sending clear and consistent messages, and reinforcing presence until engagement feels natural. Strong signals lead to reliable results.

Email as a Circuit

A useful way to understand email is as a circuit. When the design is sound, current flows smoothly, powering devices and lighting bulbs. When neglected, wires corrode, energy fades, and nothing works.

Authors already have the house—the book itself. Without a live circuit, the house remains dark. Readers never see the lights on or the invitation to enter. Email is the circuit that delivers power to the house, keeping the lights bright in readers’ minds.

Don’t Leave It to Chance

Email is not luck, and it is not noise. It is design. It is a system that can be mapped, built, and run with consistency.

A book is the product, but email is the engine that keeps it alive. Each message is another spark of energy, another opportunity to guide a reader toward action. Without it, books remain invisible in a crowded world. With it, books become visible, approachable, and memorable.

Discovery demands more than hope. It requires architecture. It requires intention. It requires authors to think like engineers. By designing the system, creating momentum, reducing friction, strengthening signals, and treating email as the circuit of visibility, authors can ensure their work is not left in the dark.

Don’t treat email as an afterthought. Engineer it.

The lesson is simple: stop guessing. Treat email with the same conviction brought to a manuscript. Write with clarity, intention, and respect. Email isn’t a guessing game—it’s part of an author’s witness.

Clarity in email mirrors the larger calling of authorship itself. The same discipline that guides a writer to honor a reader’s time in a message also guides them to honor a reader’s heart in a book. Both demand conviction, respect, and moral purpose.

The Power of Authors: A Rallying Cry for Today’s Writers to Recognize Their Power, Rise to Their Calling, and Write with Moral Conviction, written by Evan and Lois Swensen with a foreword by Jane L. Evanson, PhD, launches this September. You’ve been reading its heartbeat in these messages — soon you can hold the book in your hands.