The Book Review Part:
Sara Humphreys‘ Street Team Smarts is a wonderful guide to expansive promotion. Leveraging connections in far off places to get the word out about your book.
In this book, Sara talks about how to put out the call to your supporters and give them focused promotional tasks that spread the word about your book without imposing too much on them.
She talks about the importance of creating a cohesive group and making sure to give them a unique and thoughtful reward for their support.
The book is written in a conversational, workshop style that immediately imparts her knowledge to the reader.
It was a quick, easy read and I walked away feeling a little more prepared for my book launch. Thanks Sara!
The Personal Request Part:
I wanted to reach out to my awesome blogger friends and see if anyone is interested in becoming part of my street team. What I’m looking for is 10-15 people in different locations throughout the U.S. and Canada who can spare 2-3 hours of their time around the book launch (5/28/13-6/30/13) to:
- Put out my bookmarks in 1-3 venues in your area (libraries, bookstores, spas, salons, gyms, etc.)
- Request your local library carry my book
- Email me the names of 3-5 possible associations or organizations in your area that I can contact to see if they might be interested in hosting an author event
In return, I will:
- Give you the inside scoop on me and my book before I post it anywhere
- Send you a free author swag bag
- Show you three of the covers that didn’t make it onto my book
- Be forever in your debt
I’ll happily create a Facebook group or an email group for my street team to interact. Or if you’d rather just interact with me one-on-one, we can do that. Totally your call.
If you’re interested in being part of my street team, please let me know in the comments or email me and I’ll follow up with you. And if you don’t have time to be part of my street team, I really appreciate all your online support. 🙂
Brilliant and good luck with this. It’s something all of us should be doing to promote.
Thanks Patricia! My hope to to get to more cities as the year progresses, but it certainly helps to have someone local put the word out. 🙂
I’m thrilled that you found this guide helpful for you! Thank you for the lovely review and best of luck with your endeavors!
It came to me via a FB recommendation from Jennifer Fusco. 🙂 So glad I listen to her. Very helpful and super useful! Thanks for creating it!
You already know you can count me in. 🙂
Thanks JM! You went above and beyond with the local venues list–I’ve got so many terrific places to contact. I know I’ll get something in the DC area! 🙂
I forgot to say—either email or a Facebook group works for me. 😉
Cool! 🙂
Wow. Interesting! I’ll have to check this book out. Good luck formulating and running your street team! I suspect all great things for you. 🙂
It’s funny, I had the idea to ask good friends in far off cities to put out bookmarks and request my book from their library, but this book takes a more centralized approach. Hope you enjoy the book! Thanks. I’ll see what the team wants in terms of organization and go from there. 🙂
I will be in the process of integrating myself into a new community and will be doing all these steps for my own novels. So, I’d be happy to carry yours around with me too! Best way to contact me is through email ( Michel_Lee_King (at) yahoo (dot) com ) or on Facebook ( King.Michel.Lee ).
Oh! I guess it would be helpful to say where I am moving to. LOL I’ll be in the Kent, Washington area and plan on focussing my efforts in Maple Valley, Kent, and Des Moines, Washington (south of Seattle, but north of Tacoma).
Thanks so much Michel! Congrats on the move! Awesome to have someone in Washington spreading the word about my book! I’ll be in touch soon via email. 🙂 And if you need someone to spread the word here in CT this summer, I’m happy to put out some of your bookmarks and request one of your novels at my local library too.
That would be fabulous! Thank you SO much!
Happy to help out! 🙂
Yikes, I haven’t even done these things for my own book. See what a bad face-to-face marketer I am? But I am still looking at writing something up about your book in June on my blog. I’m trying to think of how I can incorporate Grandma H into it…
I’m so glad Jennifer Fusco recommended this book to me. I didn’t even think about how to go national on a shoe string budget. 😉 Aw thanks! I could tell you snippets of her reactions to this whole process. It’s been pretty hilarious.
I may email you as the date gets closer if I need some more inside info on her reaction to your publication. I’m thinking between her and the premise of your book, I can do something pretty fun. Grandma H is the best. And of course, any poking fun is only done at myself.
Awesome. It was quite funny and so Grandma H. Sure go for it! I love your posts. They are always fun. 🙂
🙂
I would love to do this. Of course, I’m selfishly letting you do all the hard work so I can copy/steal/borrow your great ideas for my next book! Feel free to contact me by e-mail or let me know about any groups you set up.
Thanks Audrey! 🙂 Happy to share my marketing ideas with such a great writer! And if you want to send bookmarks this way, I am happy to reciprocate in CT or NY this summer. Will shoot you an email soon!
I wish I’d be ready by this summer… most likely fall or winter. You’ll have to put your snowboots on!
LOL. I meant for Dance of Souls. For your next one take your time and enlist me when needed. 🙂 NYC is only 2.5 hrs away.
Well, that would mean actually putting together some kind of marketing plan for Dance of Souls 🙂 but I will keep it in mind.
LOL. I suppose. But it could be a really informal one like ask 5 people to put out bookmarks. 😉
Bookmarks to the library and requests to carry book – no problem at all. Will email you some possible local contacts. great idea!
Thank you so much, Karen! I’ll email you later with more info and to request your mailing address. 🙂
Great idea – I’m not in a position, mainly logicistically to participate, but once you are published, I will read and review post on WP and FB, and email the library 🙂
Thanks! I wish I was where you are logistically–the pictures of your home are amazing–http://elladeeimages.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/sweet-retreat/
Aw thank you so very much! I really appreciate the online support and contacting your library–that’s huge! My hope is that someday I can come to Australia on a book tour. 🙂
I wish at was at that home too but I can’t complain about Sydney right now – the weather is fantastic. Let me know when your Aussie book tour happens and I’ll see what can do… not my area of expertise but we can outsource 🙂
LOL. Sydney is also on my must see list. 🙂 Sigh. Jealous! Will do! I’m a firm believer in outsourcing expertise. ;P
I am happy to lend a hand out this way….message me on Facebook?
Thanks so much! I will message you on FB with more details and to get your mailing address soon!
This is a great idea. If I were US based I’d be able to help more. If you can think of anything else you need me to do online, let me know. I will happily help with my blog or Twitter 🙂
Thanks Pete. That means so much. 🙂 Once I get my Goodreads page and Amazon page up, liking them would be super helpful. Online support is really important too. Thank you thank you thank you! 🙂
Consider them done 🙂
Aw thank you! And when your book is released, you can count on my support! 🙂
Set a date for your diary. 2033 is my current release plan 🙂
LOL. It certainly feels like that with every book! 😛 But I’m sure it will be in the next few years depending on if you go the indie or traditional route. 🙂 Either way my calendar will always be open to you. 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
🙂