July 13, 2015

Street Teams for Horror Writers + Contest Alert!

Before I dive in, this is just a reminder that TONIGHT is our our monthly book chat on Twitter at 7 PM CST, using hashtag #MidnightBooks. Tonight we’re talking Amy Guiffrida’s The Bleeding Heart! See you there!

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about street teams. Mainly because I have a book coming out soon. I feel like in the young adult realm, street teams are super common.

What is a street team?

A street team in the publishing world is a group of people who “hit the streets” to promote an author or a book. They may not ACTUALLY hit the streets, but they will share the book, author’s posts, teasers, interviews, etc. on their social media, spread the word, and even hold giveaways and earn prizes!

In the young adult world, the group is usually headed by the author themselves (or author’s assistant) and they unify under one name, such as Victoria Scott’s V-Mafia, Lindsay Cummings and her Booknergidans, and Kelly Hashaway’s Kelly’s Coven.

What did I realize?

What I noticed this weekend as I considered what I would name my own street team, was that most YA horror authors (or horror authors in general) do not have street teams.

Why is this?

Well, I’m not entirely sure! It could be that YA horror is still such an underrepresented category and their audience is still building.

It could be that these authors just don’t feel the need or don’t have the time to run a street team.

Or maybe it’s hard to come up with a name for your group if you write dark things.

I sat there staring at words, looking at the dictionary, and googling collective nouns and I didn’t feel as if I had found many options on the dark name front.

Why Should I Have a Street Team?

There’s nothing that says you HAVE to have one. BUT, it’s a great way to gauge interaction, meet people who are genuinely excited about your books and your writing, and communicate directly with fans and friends about book news.

If you want to start a street team and have NO CLUE where to start, check out Mina Vaughn‘s post on Pen & Muse on How to Build a Kick-Ass Street Team.