A free Gmail or Yahoo address might work for casual use, but serious authors need an email that reflects their brand. Discover why a custom domain email helps you look professional, reach more readers, and build a solid foundation for your author platform.
Many writers use a free email account provider (such as gmail or hotmail) to create a unique email address specifically for their author work. Often, it’s something like authorname@gmail.com or writername@yahoo.com.
While these free emails are a good place to start, I always recommend setting up a custom email address, one that uses your unique author domain (for example, hello@yourauthorname.com). Using your domain for your author email address has significant advantages, outlined below. It can make a big difference in how you’re perceived, and how your messages perform.
Here are reasons that I always recommend my author clients set up at least one custom email using their own author platform domain.
1. Professionalism and First Impressions
Agents, editors, reviewers, and readers are all forming an impression of you with every interaction.
A free email address can say “hobby.” A custom domain email says “professional.”
Your domain name is your author brand. It’s your website and it’s on your business card. When your email matches that, it reinforces your brand identity and makes you look established and credible.
It sends the message that you take your writing career seriously.
2. Deliverability and Email Marketing
If you plan to send newsletters or build an email list, (and yes, you should be planning to do this) then you need a custom email address.
Email marketing platforms like Mailchimp, MailerLite, and Kit now discourage (and sometimes simply prohibit) the use of free email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail as your “From” address.
Why? Because messages sent from free email services are frequently used by spammers, and they can’t be authenticated using your domain’s DNS. Thus your messages are more likely to be flagged as spam or junk. (Making it harder for your legitimate messages to reach inboxes of your subscribers.)
Using your own domain email (for example, newsletter@yourauthorname.com) helps protect your deliverability reputation and ensures your readers actually receive your updates.
3. Privacy and Control
Your author business is just that – a business. Having a separate, domain-based inbox helps you stay organized and manage your author communications as your career grows.
Keep your personal or day-job emails separate from your author business emails. This way you can also share access to your author inbox with a virtual assistant or publicist without exposing personal emails and correspondence.
4. Cost and Convenience
Free email accounts are, of course, free — but a custom domain email isn’t expensive. Most cost under $35 per year, and some web hosting services include email accounts with your hosting plan.
Another factor is that writers like to keep using the email tool they are used to. They think a separate email address means going somewhere else to check their messages. But in most cases, you can set up your preferred email reader to check your author inbox so you can see all your emails in one place. Once set up, when you login to your email client (Gmail, Apple Mail or Outlook, etc) you’ll see multiple folders, one for each email address.
There are also low-cost or even free options for small setups. For example, Zoho Mail offers a solid free plan for up to three custom email addresses. They also have a mobile app so you can easily check your author inbox on the go.
5. Longevity and Branding
Your domain and your author brand go hand in hand. If you ever switch internet providers or personal email services, your custom address stays with you, ensuring consistency across your website, business cards, and marketing materials.
It’s part of building a professional foundation that can grow with your writing career.
Bottom Line
A free email is fine for friends and family. But if you want to present yourself as a professional author a custom domain email is one of the simplest, smartest investments you can make.
