On Marketing & Building an Author Platform

(Sorry I've been silent; I've been transitioning into several things in my life and spending a lot of time job hunting.)

My agent asked me to make a marketing plan so she could include it in her submission package to editors. I've done some research on marketing (because I don't do much of anything without researching first LOL), and what I've found may not be new to you--but it sort of is to me. The articles I've read have emphasized very strongly that an email list is our strongest marketing tool. This is sort of comforting to me. Honestly. I do not actually like social media as the means of building my platform. For me, I don't go on social media to simply interact with others--kind of like how I hate small talk in real life. Also, I don't always have anything to say...

These reasons are also why I blog so irregularly...but I am going to become even better (read: more regular) from now on.

According to what I've read (and the webinars I've listened to today), an email list will drive more consistent sales than any of the social media sites. In order to get someone to sign up for your email newsletter, the articles/webinars have recommended offer a gift of some sort. Have you done this? What do you offer your subscribers to get them to join your list?

Novellas and short stories seem to be the most common gift offered to entice people to subscribe. That method doesn't seem like it will work well for my style of writing, so I am once again researching artists to commission. I am thinking about giving out concept art and character designs as gifts for joining my newsletter lists. In the future, I might have more material to offer subscribers, but right now it seems like this is the best option for me.

What do you write about in your blog? (Yes, I can and will just check out your blogs. Now that I am making a schedule and being more intentional about building a platform and connecting with other authors, I likely will do so in the near future.) I really need to work on finding a topic to write about--some way to keep readers interested.