Swap settings: make your list available for swaps

Swap settings are where a mailing list becomes something other authors can book. Each list has its own settings page, and a list appears in swap search only once its settings are saved. This article walks through the page from top to bottom.

Open the settings

On the Mailing Lists page, choose Activate Swaps on a list that has no settings yet, or Swap Settings on one that does. Right after connecting a provider, Go to Activation brings you here as well. The page is for one list at a time; other lists keep their own settings.

Name and describe your list

• Public Display Name is what other authors see in swap search instead of your provider's list name. Leave it blank to keep the list name.
• Short Description gives a couple of lines about the list and its readers. Other authors see it when they browse and when they open a booking request for your list.

Both are optional.

Set your list preferences

• Languages: one or more languages you can support in a swap. At least one is required.
• Accept Lead Magnets? has no default, and you cannot save until you answer. Lead magnets are free short content, such as novellas or samplers, written to win subscribers.
• Hide from public Book Swaps directory: choose Yes to keep the list out of search. You can still offer it in your own outgoing swap requests and use it for group promos.

Choose target categories

Target categories say which books fit your readers. Other authors can only request swaps for books that match them, and they also decide when your list appears in search. At least one is required whenever any day of the week is switched on.

Tick Allow swap requests for books with any genre if you accept requests from every genre. Your categories are then used for search visibility only, so keep them set.

Set your weekly schedule

The schedule is a grid of the seven weekdays by the three swap types. Tick what you can send on each day.

• Solo is a newsletter dedicated to one book. It blocks the whole day: Feature and Mentions are grayed out on a Solo day.
• Feature is a featured book section. One per day.
• Mention is a brief book mention. Up to 10 per day, and they can share the day with a Feature.

Any availability on a day, of any type, also lets you schedule a group promo share on that day. Clear Weekly Schedule empties the grid; nothing changes until you save the page.

Choose how long you accept bookings

Protect against repeats

Duplicate Protection is optional. Same Book Cooldown stops the same book from being promoted to this list again within 3 to 90 days; Same Author Cooldown does the same for the author. Requests that would break a cooldown are blocked.

Offer paid swaps

Booking Options sets, per swap type, whether you exchange promotions for free (Swap Only, the default), sell them (Paid Only), or accept both. For paid types you set a price in USD; buyers pay it, the money lands in your Stripe account, and BookSparker keeps a 10 percent fee per paid swap, plus VAT on that fee where it applies to you. Paid swaps have their own article.

Save

Save All Settings stays disabled until the page has what it needs, and its tooltip tells you what is missing: at least one category, at least one day and swap type, or a booking end date or duration. Reset All Settings takes every field back to what was last saved, not to empty. If you save with no days switched on, the list is saved as paused and leaves swap search. After a successful save you are taken back to the Mailing Lists page.

Common questions

Why is my list still not in swap search?

Check four things on the Mailing Lists page and here: the list's toggle is on, at least one day is enabled, Hide from public Book Swaps directory is set to No, and the booking window has not ended.

Can I change availability for one specific date?

Yes. The weekly schedule is your default; the Outgoing Calendar lets you adjust or block individual dates without changing the week.

Do I still need categories if I accept any genre?

Yes. Allowing any genre changes which requests you accept; your categories still decide when the list appears in search.

Do these settings apply to my other lists?

No. Every list has its own settings page, so set each one up separately.