Adding Emails to Your Contributors

Safely add and manage contributor email addresses without sending automatic invitations

Safe to Add Emails Anytime

You can add or update contributor email addresses at any time without worrying about sending unwanted notifications. Familiar will NOT automatically send emails to contributors when you add their email address.

Contributors only receive communication from Familiar when you explicitly generate and send them a royalty statement.

How to Add an Email to a Contributor

There are two ways to add an email address to a contributor:

Method 1: When Adding a New Contributor

1.Navigate to Royalties > Contributors
2.Click the "Add Contributor" button
3.Enter the contributor's name in the required field
4.Optionally enter their email address in the "Email (optional)" field
5.Click "Add Contributor" to save

Tip: You'll see the help text "Save this email to send royalty statements. Contributors will receive an invitation link when you send their first statement." This confirms that no email will be sent immediately.

Method 2: Adding to an Existing Contributor

1.Go to Royalties > Contributors
2.Find the contributor in the list
3.Click "View Details" to open their contributor profile
4.Click the "Edit" button in the contributor details
5.Enter or update the email address
6.Click "Save Changes"

Understanding Status Changes

After adding an email, the contributor's status badge will change:

No Email→Email on File

The status changes from "No Email" to "Email on File" as soon as you save the email address.

Email on File→Active

The status changes to "Active" only after the contributor signs up for their own account.

Learn more about what each status means in our Contributor Status Badges guide.

When Contributors Actually Receive Emails

Contributors with "Email on File" status will receive their first email from Familiar only when you:

Generate a royalty statement: You create a statement for the contributor through the Royalties dashboard
Explicitly send it: You choose to send the statement to the contributor's email address

The email will include a link to their royalty statement and an invitation to sign up for a Familiar account to view their ongoing royalty information.

Important Timing Note

Contributors will NOT receive emails when you:

• Add their email address to their profile
• Update their email address
• Add them as a contributor to a book
• Set up royalty structures for their books
• Upload royalty statements (until you explicitly send)

Email Address Restrictions

Cannot Change After Sign-Up

Once a contributor signs up and their status changes to "Active," you can no longer modify their email address. At that point, the contributor owns their account and manages their own email through their account settings.

This protects contributor privacy and ensures they maintain control over their account after signing up.

Can Update Before Sign-Up

For contributors with "Email on File" status, you can update their email address as many times as needed. Simply go to their contributor details and click "Edit" to make changes.

Best Practices

Add emails early: You can add contributor emails as soon as you create their profile. There's no need to wait until you're ready to send statements.

Verify email accuracy: Double-check email addresses before sending the first statement. After a contributor signs up, you won't be able to change the email from your end.

Use the Status filter: On the Contributors page, use the Status filter to quickly find contributors with "No Email" status who still need email addresses added.

Inform contributors: Let contributors know they'll receive an email invitation when you send their first royalty statement, so they're expecting it and won't treat it as spam.

Understanding Contributor Status Badges

Learn what each status badge means

What Can My Contributors See?

Understand what information contributors can access once they sign up