Street Teaming

by Brenda Remmes

During the weekend of October  19-21, five members from Book Pregnant will be participating in the South Carolina Writer’s Workshop in Myrtle Beach. Book Pregnant (http://bookpregnant.blogspot.com/) is a group of thirty on-line authors who came together to support one another as their first book publications become a reality.   Each author already has a contract signed for publication. Fifteen of their books are in publication already. They are pregnant, so to speak, with the anticipation and challenges of the editing, the launching and the marketing of their first book.

       

A street team (as defined in Wikipedia) is a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who 'hit the streets' promoting an event or a product.  Most debut authors are finding that regardless of whether they are published by a small or large publishing company or self-published, the industry is passing on most of the marketing requirements to them.  Whether or not you have a “platform” developed that can highlight your book, often determines whether or not your book sells the needed number to merit a second contract.  Street teaming is not just about Facebook and the internet.  It’s about how do you build supportive teams for both marketing and your own mental health.  David, Lydia, Barbara, and Anne will discuss what they have learned about book promotions in advance of and after their debut novels hit the market in 2012: what has worked and what remains to be done.  Information  includes insight, not only with on-line connections, but also  making connections for blog tours, book signings, media events, and how to get the most bang for your buck.  During the next three months you will see blogs from each of the  authors as they give you a bit more detail about their part of the program.  They all plan to remain through the three day conference and are willing to discuss individually or during meals their personal experiences. 

For more on-line information about each of the panel members search: Lydia Netzer (www.lydianetzer.com)  author of Shine, Shine, Shine, published by St. Martin’s Press, July 2012;  Anne Barnhill (www.anneclinardbarnhill.com) author of At the Mercy of the Queen published by St. Martin’s press, February 2012,  Barbara Claypole White (www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com)  author of The Unfinished Garden published by Harlequin MIRA, August 2012, David Abrams, (www.davidabramsbooks.com)  author of FOBBIT, published by Grove/Atlantic, September 2012, and Brenda Remmes, (www.brendaremmes.com) author of The Quaker Café, (publish date 2013 by Viking/Penguin).

For more information about the workshop in October, go to www.myscww.org.  The conference provides, not only  workshops, but agents and editors who are available to critique small pieces of work submitted by attendees.  Anne Barnhill found her agent at a SCWW conference.  Barbara Claypole White was a winner of the SCWW Carrie McCray Awards, and Brenda Remmes has been a former board member of SCWW and credits her success at finding an agent to what she learned at SCWW conferences and critiquing groups.  The price of the conference is well worth the time and money spent.We hope to meet some of you there.