Filed under: Letters of Opinion, Misc
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Last week Pocket author Karen Tabke blogged about an old marketing concept that is just now taking root in the publishing industry. Street teams originated in the urban music market when rap labels such as Jive Records used a band of teenagers to drive interest when mainstream distribution markets froze urban labels out.
The record label would reach out to a teenager who had a voice of influence within his peer group and would use the kid to galvanize his friends into becoming a community driven marketing machine. The kids would paper their neighborhoods with posters and bumper stickers; encourage their friends to buy the music; deluge the local radio stations with requests for the artist’s song. The first such street teams appeared in the mid 70s and it is just now that it appears to be catching on in the publishing industry. I’ve heard from reliable sources that editors AND agents are urging authors to organize street teams and send these super readers forth to spread the gospel of Author X.
Ms. Tabke has started soliciting for street teams through her email list and her blog. The concept of the author-led street team is great:
Basically your Street Team is creating buzz about your work. They can go armed with paraphernalia i.e. bookmarks, fliers, promo items like pens, magnets and key chains or just a smile and a recommendation.
The following is the list of items that Tabke urges her readers do for her.
In-Person Team Spirit:
* Talk the books up and share promo materials with friends & family to spread the word.
* Buy my books the first week of release, which helps it get on the bestseller lists.
* Ask your local library to order my books. Give the librarians the title, name and publisher.
* If my books aren’t on the shelves, ask the bookseller to order it.
* Take promo materials (bookmarks, postcards, etc) to your local stores, place them with the booksellers. You can leave them with libraries and even at coffee shops.
* Take promo materials (bookmarks, postcards, excerpts, etc) to your local reader group, writer group or RWA Chapter to share with other members.
* With the stealth of a panther, take all of my books and front them on the new release table in the front of the store! (Note, if you insist on slipping one or two in a few best seller slots it won’t hurt my feelings.)Online Team Spirit:
* Feature interviews, reviews, excerpts or my video trailer via your blog, site, MySpace page, etc.
* Visit during online appearances (workshops, blog tours, chats, etc)
* Share your (honest) review of the book via Amazon and Barnes&Noble.com
I want it to be clear that the concept is not one that I am against. I have author friends and I have done things for them such as take ARCs to my local booksellers along with bookmarks (which were never put out by the way). I know that there is nothing more powerful than the word of mouth recommendation and every month we’ve started giving our recommendations here at Dear Author in an effort to promote the books we’ve enjoyed. I also started a grassroots campaign early on in the inception of Dear Author when I encouraged 100 bloggers to blog about one book (Nalini Singh’s Slave to Sensation) and be entered into a contest for $200 gift certificate from Amazon and assorted other goodies. So I do understand both the concept and the goal of a street team. What concerns me is the execution.
1. Reshelving.
Many readers do not know this but the placement of books in a store is by design and not random. Larger booksellers work with publishers to highlight certain books that will benefit both corporate entities through increased sales. Books at front of store or in new mass market table or in the featured section in Barnes and Noble are all paid for with what is called “co-op” dollars. For each book that has a placement outside the shelving area of their respective genres, the publisher pays a fee to the bookseller.
It’s one thing for a reader to decide to reshelve and it is still another to have an author actively encourage the reshelving. This concept will eventually have negative consequences for the author. First, a publisher who audits a store and finds out that the paid placement is not being honored could ask for the co-op dollars back. Second, a bookseller’s time spent in reshelving books that are misshelved can actually detract from the time it could be spending handselling. Third, bookseller may become disgruntled with the fact that a certain author’s book might be repeatedly misshelved and can take it upon themselves to strip and return a title even if it is not on the returns list. Fourth, the reader who is caught doing this might be angered to know that it is not appropriate even though the word “stealth” is used in the instructions.
2. Lack of Accountability.
By encouraging street teams, the author is endowing strangers with the right to act on the author’s behalf. They are marketing agents for the author, armed with pens, post it note pads and bookmarks, leaving them thither and yon. These individuals will become identified with the author and their interactions will reflect, both good and bad on authors. I know of at least one author who was treated poorly due to her connection to bloggers like myself and others.
There have been online disputes about authors that have been ratcheted up by the “rabid fan girl.” The street team readers are like rabid fan girls on notice. The online interaction of these Rabid Fan Girls can have a negative blowback onto the author. There could be bands of street teams dispatched to Barnes and Noble or Amazon to rid the author’s book link of any negative reviews. They could deluge a site with negative comments toward the reviewer.
The point is that authors are entrusting and directing people that the author does not know to act as the author’s emissaries. Not all interactions these street team members are likely to have will be positive unless the author is spending alot of time training and providing counsel to the members.
3. Entitlement.
As author’s encourage readers to become more personally invested in her success, the greater the reader’s sense of entitlement and ownership of the author. They will begin to feel, and rightly so, that they are part of the author’s success and begin to give suggestions on future marketing techniques or even suggestions on how to write the author’s books better. The reader will feel the right or maybe even the duty to tear down the author as the reader had helped build her up.
Author betrayal is not an uncommon feeling. You can see it reviews of popular authors whose core fan base feel like the author left them behind.
What about when one reader feels like she has done more than another reader? What if she has done more and consistently gets left out of the random drawings? What if the chance of being a character in the book or free arcs isn’t enough? Once a reader has lost that loyalty to an author, what then? Can personal attacks be justified? I.e., I did x, y, and z for this author and got bupkis and then she treated me rudely?
4. Devaluing the efficacy of the word of mouth.
We rely on recommendations regarding a particular book but street teams aren’t basing their loyalty on the book but on the author herself. There in lies the real danger. The street team further blurs the line between author and product to the point that it can be argued what is being marketed is the author herself and not the books. I have authors who I consider to be on my “auto buy list” but even within those authors, there are books that I don’t like and that I won’t recommend. I believe that recommendations should be made for the book alone and by those who love it so that readers can continue to rely on other readers based on their love of the book and not the love of the author.
Finally, the less I know about street teams and the authors who are using them, the better. I think the first rule of the street team is to never speak of the street team. It’s a peek behind the Wizard’s curtain that I’d rather not see.
Some of these things would work on a small scale.
If everyone reshelves their fave author’s books to a more prominent space, nothing will be on the appropriate shelf. Bookstores would put a stop to that fast. Entitlement would eventually get to the point of “we helped you when you were unknown, and now that you’re rich and famous, you should give us some monetary renumeration.”
I don’t really see anything wrong with taking promo items to bookstores or coffee shops. Apparently Borders doesn’t either, since there is a Starbuck’s in every Borders on my happy little island.
I sincerely doubt that there would be a bunch of teens out there pushing books at their peers; however I’m all for it if it gets kids to read. I’d suggest authors don’t ask kids to peddle their
pornromance books. Parent backlash can be a biatch to deal with. One would hope adults are past being peer pressured into reading a book because someone else said it was good. I need a whole team of someone elses before I put my cash into a book, particularly if I don’t know the author. If someone recommends a book, I ask why they liked it. If it’s some street person who obviously hasn’t read the book, are you still going to buy it?*shaking head* The potential for problems here is huge. Would people on these street teams know that not everybody wants bookmarks or other promo materials and might be offended to have them left? That depending on how it’s done, this could be considered litter? And the reshelving thing, um. If there’s space on a shelf and you face out a book, that’s one thing. Moving it to the front table? Taking somebody else’s co-op spot? Very bad idea. Also, seriously, who has time for this? I’m happy if a reader has time to buy and read my book. I can’t imagine having so much free time that you could go out and promote a book like this. What works for the music industry doesn’t necessarily translate to publishing. And what works among teens doesn’t translate to adults.
There’s two authors I don’t touch because of their rabid fan girls actions in the past. Their actions– persistent babbling about how excited they were about a certain book coming out– regardless of whether or not it was appropriate in the thread or discussion have left me with a sense of irritation every time I see the authors’ names. I assume that was not the intent.
I’m usually a very easy going person who doesn’t hold grudges, but it persists even though the actions of the rfgs are years old. Conditioned response?
I think running into this sort of thing in real life would be even more annoying.
That’s where she crosses the line from normal promotion by fans and friends to being creepy. Not to mention, dumber than dirt.
Fans and readers *do* become invested in their favourite author’s success, and it’s an important part of the marketing (not to mention an important part of what makes writing fun.) Authors rely on the generosity of their fans, especially the little authors working for the small presses. What she’s asking them to do with that particular request is an immoral perversion of that generosity.
We’ve seen rabid fan attacks on the net. Leads one to speculate about opposing fangangs in real life, squaring off in a bookstore/ talk/ at a signing.
Heck, if she released Gerard Butler to me and my tender care, I promise to gang up on old ladies here in Florida and make them buy her books. Kidding, kidding.
The idea of getting one’s readers and friends to promote one’s book isn’t anything new. It’s been going on for a long time before blogs. I used to be on newsgroup loops that had members encouraging each other not to buy the author’s newest book till streetdate or to write reviews or go to another board to defend our beloved author, etc. That was 15 years ago and they’re still doing it in Yahoogroups, I believe.
I think it’s a YMMV matter. Some of us don’t like authors telling us to work for them; others just love the interactive relationship of being part of the author’s circle. Sometimes, in a perfect universal moment, the same kind of readers (the ones that go off into other forums and chat a lot) gather together in a forum and they find joy in promoting and reviewing. Most often than not, though, a readers group is usually a group of twelve voices and 150 lurkers. It takes a LOT of hard work on the author’s part to get the 150 lurkers to come out and play along, believe me.
I do believe that an author today needs to promote more because of how many books are out there every month. I’m not sure whether Karen’s Street Team concept (without Gerard Butler) will be successful. It all depends on whether she’s lucky enough to draw a group of readers who will do this, not for a day, but for weeks and months, book after book.
In the end, it all comes down to the writing and the book. If the author has created a world with characters about which her readers are enthusiastic, they will talk to other readers and recommend the author without prompting.
But offering Gerard Butler is really the key here, Karen, if you’re reading this. :grin:
I did turn a debut author’s book face out in Books A Millions once, because I thought his/her book deserved it, but I didn’t go back to do it over and over again, and I certainly wouldn’t stick it in a best-seller slot, or on the front table. People who make the bestseller list worked hard to get there (whether or not you agree with the designation or not), and it’s dishonest to scheme to put your own books there. Honestly, this whole concept of marketing bugs me. If I publish a book and my friends and family want to carry around bookmarks or something, great, but I’m not going to ask strangers to do this for me. I am not, after all, Jesus, and what I write is not holy writ, and that is what this kind of thing reminds me of–an author sending out door-knockers, etc., to spread his/her message. It’s weird.
When you’re a Jet…
One thing that does bother me is the idea of moving books around…. I’ve had readers tell me they face my books out when they are in bookstores and I’m okay with that, as long as they didn’t ‘de’-face other people’s books to do it. I love the idea of my books facing out on the shelves but not if it requires that another person’s books be shoved to the side and not faced out.
A little bit of moving and shifting can often be done without ‘de’-facing the books next to me-and that, yep, I’ve done.
If readers really love your books, a lot of them are going to spread the word anyway. Putting together a ‘pep’ team of sorts? Well, in my opinion, it sounds like work that may well be unnecessary.
I appreciate that you’re all talking about this, and I’m sure it’ll be a valuable conversation, but please don’t take personal stabs at Karin. She did Kath and me a favor by guest blogging at WU on this subject, and I don’t want to see her slayed for her efforts. Thanks!
I have to agree that the personal stabs come across as slightly…over the top. We can discuss without degenerating the conversation, IMO.
For example, I would be concerned that they are moving all copies of her book to the New Release table. If you’ve ever asked for help locating a book at B&N (and I think they do this at Borders too), they have every book’s location catalogued in the computer. They will be able to tell you if it’s a new release or not, and what table it is on. So if you go and ask for help locating a book (I used to do this alot when paranormal was shelved anywhere from general fiction to fantasy), they will tell you the book’s location.
If you go to that aforementioned location and it’s not there, what do you do? Most of the time I just walk out of the store and assume that they’re out. You can ask them to order you a copy, of course, but I can’t imagine that they’d order more if they see 4/8/however many still unsold in the computer.
So the book-moving…I think you might end up doing a disservice to yourself in the long run. :)
Oh, don’t forget about Cyber-Launch Book Parties! Letting headless zombies and jackel-headed warriors loose in Cyberspace with Solja Boy rocking out in the background is really scary. Talk about rabid fangirls.
;)
I hope Karin doesn’t think I was taking a personal stab at her. I was just jokingly referring to her newsletter where she mentioned giving away Gerard Butler. My other thoughts about the Street Team concept were just my own general take of how it’s been done before. I apologize if the post came off sounding like I was attacking her. Not my intention.
For the record, I’m also not attacking this author personally - just saying that the advice, given by anyone, would be wrong and creepy. I don’t know this particular author from a bag of oranges. I’m sorry for making it sound personal.
Still bad, bad advice though.
I have turned books so the cover faced outward, but I’ve never taken them from their “assigned” place (be in shelves or the tables). That seems disrespectful to the store employees (who organized the entire display).
Having teams of fans involved in this sort of marketing effort is a terrible idea, because it takes the author-fan relationship to an entirely different level. It creates expectation of favorable treatment for members of the street teams. In essence, these guys are doing the author a favor. They will expect preferential treatment in return. Not all of them, sure, but some definitely will.
What if the author doesn’t deliver? What happens when the author does something in the next book that displeases someone on the street team? The potential for lash back is tremendous. And what sort of form would that lash back take?
I’m on Karin’s street team. She’s a friend and I think she’s a terrific writer. I’ve talked up and recommended other writers without being on a street team. The only difference here is that Karin sends me bookmarks to give out. :) As for the “stealth of a panther” comment, I thought that was funny. (Although I’ll probably get slammed for saying it here.) I don’t live near a bookstore, so it’s something I won’t be doing. At the end of the invitation, I believe she says to do whatever you feel comfortable doing, even just one or two things.
In regard to the “lash back,” Karin’s not worried about it, so I don’t see why anyone else is.
I agree with Shiloh: “If readers really love your books, a lot of them are going to spread the word anyway. Putting together a ‘pep’ team of sorts? Well, in my opinion, it sounds like work that may well be unnecessary.”
Yes, I definitely think that reader word-of-mouth is the best promotional tool an author has, more valuable than gold. There’s a very fine line between soliciting and earning that word-of-mouth, and it’s a hard line to tread — particularly since most authors have to do their own marketing, which can be extremely time consuming. It’s a tempting idea to hand the baton off to your readers, so to speak, by rallying a “fan posse” for promotional assistance. And hey, I’d be lying if I said if a reader or readers contacted me and asked for a bunch of bookmarks, postcards, etc. to pass out at bookstores, or had specifically requested my book(s) at their local retailer or library, I would tell them “no, thanks.” And as Jane pointed out, the meme theory of marketing works.
While I agree that the idea of prompting folks to rearrange bookstore shelves to an individual author’s benefit isn’t necessarily right, I’m not opposed to the street gang viral marketing techniques in general. However, I’m personally (probably naively) idealistic enough to think that readers do this anyway if they like the book, as Shiloh said. But if I could find a good way to combine the best of both worlds — earning reader word-of-mouth and then spreading it like wild fire to the rest of the free world — I’d definitely be all over that like a monkey on a cupcake.
Hey all, I’m on Karin’s street team, and don’t feel pressured to do anything other than what I normally do. Recommend books I love. I will be getting bookmarks, but I don’t intend stuffing them anywhere without asking first. Most of us are writers, and focused on our careers. I believe it’s a great promo tool when used in the manner Karin has in mind. We’re not crazy fan girls, just friends who enjoy great books. Bottom line, it’s all aboveboard. Like anything else, there’s bad apples in the world. These gals are not in that category.
Bernita, I can see them now, Nora Roberts fans with blue bandana’s squaring off against Danielle Steel fans in red bandana’s, all armed with razor sharp bookmarks, pens and bobble chains. It’s an all in brawl at bookstores across the world. lol.
Thanks for the visual, it’s made my day.
Author Street Teams are nothing new. MJ Rose has talked about them. I once took a stack of her postcards to my local Borders when she asked a loop I’m on who would be willing to do it. I hadn’t read that particular book (since it wasn’t out yet) but I had read her previous book and enjoyed it.
Douglas Clegg has a big street team system going. I remember reading about it on his blog, or MJs, around the time my first book came out. Many authors have such a thing going on, though perhaps they’re not as vocal about it. Is it better to be stealth about it?
I’m a good friend of Karin’s and commend her for doing something a bit different and bold in trying to gather attention for her books. It’s not easy being a new or midlist author these days. Authors are constantly pressured (often by other authors) to promote, promote, promote. Book marks, book trailers, speaking, workshops, blogs, ads, chats etc. etc. — all of which takes time and money. I often get frustrated when I hear that an author has spent her entire advance on marketing because often those books aren’t widely distributed and therefore her money is often wasted. Something like the street teams concept is far less expensive and more effective. If it helps Karin gather recognition for her books, more power to her. And knowing Karin, she’ll take full responsibility for her actions–and those of her street team–so if there’s any problems, she’ll be the first to stand up and say hey, cut it out, that’s not what I want.
Word of mouth is still the best. I promote authors whose “work” that I like on my blog and in conversation with readers. It’s not a personal relationship that I have with an author to help promote him/her’s book.
I’ve always thought that the Internet has changed the dynamics in how we view authors and treat authors. A lot of what’s behind the scenes is now out in the open for public consumption. I’m all for keeping some things in publishing “behind closed doors.” There should always be a respectful distance between readers and writers, IMO. Readers going out of their way to promote an author’s work with bookmarks and such in the reading community sounds a bit much to me.
I don’t know…you guys at Dear Author–if not the SBs and the folks at TGTU–can be pretty close to a street team when you’re giving away copies of books you’ve loved and/or allowing them to guest blog (sometimes authors you guys know). It’s a pretty fine line to walk, and it seems that the reason why Karin’s attempt to create a street team is being pointed out is because she’s an author and DA, SBTB, TGTU,etc are helmed by readers.
Angela - My issue isn’t with the concept, as I stated in the article, but the execution. I don’t feel that Karin is doing anything “wrong” except for maybe the request for reshelving. I’m suggesting that the consequences of a street team, particularly one solicited on the internet of people you don’t know can be very dangerous. The blowback has nothing to do with the author and everything to do with what feelings the reader may develop in terms of entitlement and response from author. I also think that a street team pushes that line between readers relationship with the book v author and I think, as we’ve blogged about before, that increases overpersonalization of the romance genre. I think, Angela, that you read the Holly Lisle thread at Karen Scott’s blog? One commenter wondered (and I am paraphrasing from memory here) that she couldn’t understand why an author’s personal life had anything to do with enjoying the books. This type of overpersonalization is exactly the reason why an author’s personal life can affect a reader’s purchase of an author’s books.
I don’t feel entitled to anything from authors who provide books to giveaway and frankly I prefer to get them from the publisher to even place a further wedge between the blog and the authors so we don’t feel in ANY way indebted to the author. I don’t want to feel indebted to an author and I don’t want an author to feel indebted to me. The big danger with the street team is that authors will become indebted to readers and from reading blogs and message board for years now, I know that readers who feel slighted can act in ways very detrimental to authors.
As an Admin on a Board that discusses various Author’s work, and as a former Marketing Exec and Merchandiser for various book distributors, I would like to throw in my $.02…
It is one thing to face a book, switch it in the supermarket from the #11 position to the #1 position…etc. These are small things that oftentimes an Author has no control over. I can tell you that book markers, pens, etc are already handed out to Retailers by publishing merchandisers. I also say more power to an Author who wants to promote her books, via a web site or Message Board run by a reputable promotional company, book signings and tours, events, etc.
BUT…this is where I digress:
These street teams should not be about any one particular Author…they should be about a Publisher and promotion of that Publishers books. Promotion, when taken out of the hands of a Publisher, and put into the hands of dedicated fans…can and DOES promote an intensely loyal and sometimes retaliatory fan base.
On our Board, we have had to deal with issues of repeated interference by one particular Authors fans (not referred to in this Blog). The resulting stress and angst has done nothing to promote this Author; for many of us who participate, it has damaged her reputation and credibility irreparably.
As an Author, one must step very lightly and there has to be a line drawn ‘professionally’, imo, between one’s fans and one’s promotion. The concerns that others have expressed previously in this Thread are valid and worth consideration.
Ah, this does my heart good! I work in library services for a book wholesaler and one of the duties of my department is copy cataloguing, so thank you for adding this. It would make me sick to think that I’m devoting all my time to providing my customers the best possible product - which includes labeling it for shelving - only to know that someone is going in and moving these items around.
I’m on the fence about this topic. On one hand, it’s a great marketing idea and a good way to get your name out there. On the other hand, I’ve been persuaded to waste money on books that were recommended by street teams, which I didn’t know at the time. I thought they were honest reviews, but, nope, they were strategically placed marketing material.
Exactly. I’ve been online a long time and you do have rabid readers, die hard loyalists who don’t always put the author they love in a flattering light. We’ve made fun of them. I’m all for authors going out of their way to promote their work but this not the way to do it.
I missed the re-shelving part of the article with my speed reading. I may face every once in a great while or re-alphabetize when a book has been pulled out of place but the shelving of books is out of the author’s hands.
And another thing, I’m all for promoting talented authors and again, there’s nothing personal about it.
This might come off as sort off on a tangent, but came back to read further comments on this topic and saw the new poll- one of the options read:
One of the things mentioned for Karin’s team was buying it the week of release.
I’m not sure if these things are connected… the hurt feelings/buying week of release/bestseller numbers, etc,
I know some people aren’t aware of the deal behind holding off buying until release week.
For an author, those first week sales are vital. Those are the numbers that count when it comes to hitting the lists.
It’s not really a prestige thing, or not for all authors, at least. Yeah, I’m hoping and praying I eventually hit a major list, just to see if I can.
It’s not just a prestige thing, though- or in my case, doing it just to show myself I can. Hitting those lists mean an awful lot to the publishers and to booksellers. It’s a marketing tag that author owns for life, nothing can change it.
None of that really affects readers…however, there is something about hitting the lists that can affect readers.
An author that hits the lists is much more likely to be offered another contract. Right now, with the economy the way it is, I’ve got a feeling some midlist authors are going to be feeling more of a squeeze. One way to avoid that squeeze is to be more established, and nothing says established like hitting the major lists.
So if it’s an author you really do enjoy, one way of doing what you can to ensure you keep getting books from her is to wait until the official release date.
Free bookmarks available at locations that have approved the material should not be traumatic. Karin is a very talented writer and has strong values of right and wrong. I think that it’s a wonderful idea to encourage readers. I always talk up the authors I read, and this to me, is an extension of that.
I think the porn comment was inappropriate. Romance may not be the genre you choose to read, however being insulting is not very mature. There are several genres and authors that I am not fond of. However, I will not make offensive comments about either, but then I’m an adult. Just like the invitation was designed for. Any comments I have made are my responsibility not anyone else’s.
I haven’t given any thought to the idea of publisher street teams, but I wholeheartedly agree with you about the perilous dynamics of this strategy. I blogged yesterday at RTB about the dark side of reader loyalty — what happens when a fan’s loyalty turns away from a certain author — and I have long, long expressed my concern about the overpersonalization of Romance marketing. So I have really, really strong feelings about this issue.
As Angela pointed out above, some of us bloggers do promote particular books that we’ve liked. But we are not author-centric in these promotions. Not only are we pushing a book and not an author (and, as you can see, no one here, at least, is afraid of giving a lower grade to a well-loved author), and we do so of our own accord, outside of any kind of author request or sense of obligation.
And it’s that sense of obligation I’m feeling in this street team concept. Not that an author would ever feel they were fostering this in their team, and not that the team member minds at the time. Which is what, IMO, makes the whole thing so problematic. The line, IMO, between personal and professional in this paradigm is very unstable, and even though no one is paying attention to where it is at the beginning, when everyone is all pristine motivation and glowing camaraderie, the line will become an issue precisely at the point where the power shifts too far onto one side or the other. Which inevitably, IMO, it will.
If I have a friend who is also an author, I’m sure I’d feel motivated to help that friend *out of friendship* — out of a sense of personal loyalty as much as professional respect. And I see all this marketing that’s based on building personal loyalty in readers directed at specific authors as replicating these personal connections, even though they are not authentically personal. Because in a friendship situation, the back and forth of helping friends is something you do simply because that’s what friends do for one another.
But in an author-reader situation, is that what authors and readers are supposed to do? And if this is a professional relationship, what’s the pay off for the reader? Because as lovely as it is to see authors you admire sell lots of books and reach the appreciation of other readers, who does that benefit more? And at what point does the reader realize that, and what happens when she does?
I just don’t think readers should ever feel obligated to do anything for an author (even if they believe they are obligating themselves freely). Because obligation can so easily turn to entitlement, and when a reader realizes that they are not really benefiting from this sort of one-way obligation arrangement (what’s the author’s set of obligations here — are there any??), they may readily and understandably feel let down. And even if they don’t, I’ll ask again, what is the reader getting out of this arrangement, and what obligations does the author have to her team members?
It’s so ironic, because a couple of years ago there was a lot of online flap over a letter Pamela Clare circulated to her own newsletter readers, a letter from Dorchester indicating that she needed to do something more by way of promotion. And so Clare was passing that on to her readers. Boy did people get upset about that, feeling that Clare was totally over the line. Comparatively, though, what she was doing was mild, IMO, if street teams are the new trend. Obviously authors want to promote and they are always trying to come up with creative ways of doing so. And of course they are going to tap into their core readership to do so. But IMO the Romance community, especially, is based on a paradigm of personal loyalty that creates all the appearances of personal relationships without the real life benefits and obligations intrinsic to personal relationships. And while that may benefit authors and readers in the short term, it also creates a lot of potential for discord and for the kinds of blow ups we’re seeing more frequently in our online communities.
re the first post by Emmy and the crossed out porn word…
Is it possible she’s simply saying that she feels it inappropriate to ask teams of kids to promo romance books for authors? That’s the impression I got.
And I’d have to say as a mother, I agree.
I have been a long-time lover and squee-er of romance books. I’ll whore those puppies out to anyone that looks interested and love to discuss them. I heart them and authors in general. But as a parent, I would not want a teenage child of mine approached by an author and asked to peddle the stuff I read. I feel what I read is appropriate largely for the adult masses. If I saw a child of mine promoing a romance I would immediately question the wisdom behind that. I think a lot of parents would. Perhaps some wouldn’t, anything is possible. But yes, this parent would. So I took the crossed out porn and following statement of possible parental backlash as a smart look at potential consequences. It was not offensive to me. Regardless of the original poster’s intent, it made me stop and think.
As far as this blog post and reshelving, it sounds unethical, but I would also wonder if the author knew about the possibility of their usurping paid spots in the store? I could see the annoyance though if it was a consistent act from one author.
I think that authors are not out of line when they educated their readers on what the sales numbers on that critical first week mean–for the author and for the readers.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll proclaim it again: I’m selfish. I want my favorite authors to be able to keep writing and publishing, because I want to keep on reading their stuff.
Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll adore their next book as much as I’ve adored other books by them (unless I’ve read an ARC, obviously) but if I have enjoyed most of their books up to now, it’s only to my benefit to understand how my waiting three days to buy their book vs grabbing it ahead of release week will affect their future output and my reading addiction.
And I certainly am happy to spread this knowledge around to other fans–whether they give a fig or not, at least now they know it has a direct effect on the writer’s pocket and career. No, they don’t owe jackshit to the writer, but out of self interest, they may help that author along.
Self interest, readers’ choice = all good, IMO.
From that to street teams… I dunno, it makes me uneasy to have the author herself organize (or direct or whatever you wanna call it) this.
And the re shelving issues just… ugh. ack. ugh.
For the full context of the crossed out word in Emmy’s comment, you can read this thread here and this one at Karen’s
Robin, Emmy is basically messing with people with the porn comment. She’s actually a huge romance reader. ;) i’ve learned to take everything she says with several truck loads of salt.
IMO there are definitely places where an author and a reader’s interests converge. Take reviews, for example. An author may submit a book to a blog for review, and the blogger may review the book. The author gets some promotion and the blogger gets to recommend a book they really liked. That’s a wonderful thing, IMO, because it serves both authors and readers without either side sacrificing anything or feeling obligated. No problem. But when authors feel like submittal should guarantee them a good review, or when readers feel like authors should write only certain types of books, things aren’t so great. Because there are disappointed expectations and entitlements, and all of a sudden things are personal in a bad way.
Same with the street date issue, IMO. If an author wants to let readers know why that date is important to the author, no problem, IMO. But readers should never, IMO, feel obligated to a particular author to buy a book at a certain time or be made to feel bad if they don’t. Because while it’s true that a successful author is a boon to that author’s fans, that success should not be purchased at the expense of reader autonomy, IMO.
The real difficulty is that you often don’t know when that line has been crossed until someone decides it has been. Because I don’t think authors are trying to exploit readers, nor do I think readers are waiting for authors to disappoint them. It’s just something that is a byproduct of a culture based on personal loyalty rather than on professional respect or other less personal values.
Shiloh, it was actually HollyD who made that comment, I think. I didn’t even notice Emmy’s comment, lol.
Ahhh…. oops??? Sorry!
*G*
Holly…
Emmy is basically messing with people with the porn comment. She’s actually a huge romance reader. ;) i’ve learned to take everything she says with several truck loads of salt.
:) Sorry, Robin!
Not to be too stupid, but do pre-orders count towards best-seller lists, or should one wait until the release date and buy from a bricks and mortar store, period?
Sorry, but no professional writer should suggest her fans put her books on the tables in place of someone else’s. No matter how nice she may be, that’s wrong and she knows it. I don’t mean to be harsh and the rest of the comments are fine–although I share everyone else’s misgivings re author/reader relationships–but really, that is not an appropriate siggestion to make.
Leah, pre-orders do count toward best-sellers lists, because they are not actually released until after the street date.
The whole what counts vs what doesn’t count is confusing. From what I understand (and my understanding is limited), purchases from places like grocery stores, some online stores, and outside of the U.S. sales don’t count towards the bestsellers lists. So basically it is a small amount of buyers that actually add to best-sellers lists: Buyers that live in the U.S., wait until the release date to purchase, and only buy from stores that count. *And if I’m wrong, someone please correct me.
Personally, if I’m a fan of an author, I read their books, blog about them, and pick up their new releases when they come in. If I’m completely enamored with a book, I will write the author a little letter telling them so. That’s as far as my fan-ship goes.
I’m not the type to not pick up a book before it’s release date just to help an author place on a list. Nothing against authors and their goal, but I buy based on what I have in my purse at the time, not thinking about best-sellers lists. If I see it, and I want it, I will get it. I understand those who do wait and adhere to the “rules” I’m just not one of them.
Oy vey! Not going to get into another romance vs porn debate.
The teen thing was in reference to the beginning of the blog, which states that teens were used to promote materials to their peers. Was just saying that I *know* what kinda smut I read, and I really, really wouldn’t want my child out promoting that stuff, and I’d be very pissed at the author who asked the kids to do it. I’d be ok with some other more age appropriate genres, as I said, because it would be great to see teens excited about reading.
I ♥ you, Shiloh! Would luv you more if you actually showed cover art instead of teasing, lolz.
The only “street team” action that I have an issue with is the re-shelving. The correct term for that is actually stealing. The author is expecting to get, through guerilla fan tactics, something that others have paid for.
Certainly, Ms. Tabke isn’t the first author I’ve seen suggest this action to her fans. I did see her latest facing out on the new books display at B&N the last time I was there, and now I wonder if that was a legitimate placing or not.
How would these authors feel if some other author’s fangang played these tactics on them?
but… where is the fun in that?
;)
I wonder if this is a reference to my relationship with Sherry Thomas and Meredith Duran? If so, I’d like to address this.
First, I recognize that readers rely on me to give honest opinions of books. I could have given The Duke of Shadows and Private Arrangments both postive and honest reviews — I thought highly of both books, though I don’t think either book was perfect. But I chose not to formally review them, as well as to disclose my friendship and CP relationship with both authors (something that wasn’t so comfortable to me at the time since it involved blogging about being an aspiring author as well as a reviewer, and not everyone was supportive of that choice) because I wanted readers to know the facts and be able to weigh my comments on these books accordingly.
I actually feel constrained from posting as much as I’d like to about my affection for Sherry and Meredith’s books, precisely because I am their friend and critique partner, and I don’t want my love of their writing to reflect negatively on Dear Author’s credibility.
Neither Meredith nor Sherry ever asked me to do anything to promote their books here at Dear Author.
Re. Sherry and Meredith’s “My First Sale” pieces, I did solicit those, but keep in mind that I knew they had interesting first sale stories. Private Arrangments had sold in a pre-empt and The Duke of Shadows won publication in the Gather first chapters contest. If I hadn’t thought these stories would be of interest to DA’s readership, I would not have solicited them.
With regard to the Private Arrangements giveaway, I had absolutley nothing to do with that. I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong) that giveaways are always done at Jane’s impetus. She contacts the publishers when she is excited about a book and wants to do a giveaway.
Jane was enthusiastic about Private Arrangements and decided on her own to promote the book by having a giveaway. She was not a friend of Sherry’s so her decision was not based on a personal relationship with the author. You’ll notice there was no giveaway for The Duke of Shadows. As she was a lot less enthusiastic about The Duke of Shadows, she gave that book a C grade in her review of it.
Probably the biggest author promotion I’ve been directly involved with here at DA was back in the fall of 2006, when we posted a review of a Sharon Shinn book each day for an entire week, as well as a lengthy interview I conducted with Sharon Shinn. None of us knew Sharon Shinn from Adam when we decided to do that promotion — it was based on the fact that we loved several of Shinn’s books and wanted to bring them to the attention of our readership.
I sometimes move a copy of an African-American or Multicultural romance from the AA section to Romance when I’m at Borders because they have that screwed-up segregation policy, but other than that, I don’t believe in reshelving. I’m not comfortable doing it, not even to boost a favorite author’s visibility, and I wouldn’t want anyone doing stuff like that on my behalf, either. It just feels off, to me. Of course, everyone else’s mileage may vary. :-)
Janine, I think the comments were more generally aimed at the pimpage we sometimes engage in (like how I try to get everyone to read Jo Goodman, and how Jane and I were gaga over the recent Bourne and Chase releases, etc.), but I think your own experience of how you negotiate these sometimes difficult issues is very relevant to the discussion, because it highlights the way in which that personal professional line is consciously addressed by all of us, in different ways, depending on the situation.
A bit of an aside, but I can’t help myself: in regard to the pron debate, check this Washington Post story out. And in case you think I’m spending my time reading serious journalism pieces, this was my original source. OTOH, I’m glad we’re not the only one fighting this battle, but OTOH, I’m amazed we haven’t, as a society, gotten over the whole nekkid thing yet.
Facing and re shelving books reminds me of the whole Amazon brouhaha. What is the difference between clicking the “not helpful” option on an Amazon review because it puts the author at a disadvantage, and facing/ re-shelving books to put an author at an advantage? They are one in the same to me.
If an author is going to become a best-seller, let them become one on their own merits, not because they are playing the system in their favor. Isn’t the reward sweeter that way?
Hopefully there will come a time when all romance, no matter what the ethnicity of the characters, will be shelved in the same section.
“You don’t have nude art on your front porch,”
~chortle~
Well, actually, I do…
Well, yeah. Because of this:
Reader sites pimp what they like, and I would have no problem with street-team members who share honest enthusiasm about a book. But I don’t want to be inundated with blanket “joy, joy” about an author. After all, that’s the problem with cover blurbs and with most Amazon reviews - no specifics.
It just strikes me that if fans smuggle all the books to the front, customers looking for them in the correct place might not find them!
What?–good grief. I think I’ll get off the net for awhile.
In reference to the Washington Post story, how is it that a man with 14 kids has such a problem with boobies? Just saying…
Cuz kids dont come out of bewbeez, lol
Ah…I see what you mean Jane.
Janine–it wasn’t a dig at you, because I’ve noticed that many of the big-time reader bloggers are friends with authors they regularly feature. When I reference that many bloggers know authors personally, outside of their work, when promoting their novels, one does have a stake in them because of friendship. One always wants ones friend to succeed. Like I said, it’s a really tight line to walk. I’m not implying a bias or that there is a concerted effort to push the personal with the professional, but this whole post rubbed me wrong.
While I agree that things are unhealthy and detrimental to the industry, it appears that authors are getting the push and stress over numbers, promotion, etcetera from the people at the top–the people who determine whether that author is going to get that next contract, or a smaller or larger print run, or that great cover, etc. A book is a piece of entertainment, and the entertainment industry thrives on the bond between the “star” and the audience. Sure, the contact is much closer between an author and a reader, but it’s the same as when a studio pushes that Next It actress in all of the magazines, on late-night TV, etc for a large group of people to feel affection for and thereby create a built-in audience for that actor who will see any movie/TV show/appearance in which they are featured.
The personal will always be entwined with the professional because it keeps people coming back. If that wasn’t the case, why is there such a fuss over author behavior online? If no one took authors on a personal level, they could run haywire all over the internet and no one would say “I’m never buying their books again.”
But isn’t that the best reason of all not to exploit one to further the other?
Janie Harrison — I wasn’t trying to say that other writers should feel similarly constrained, or even that I know whether or not it’s right for me to feel that way. And I don’t always let that feeling stop me from posting about Sherry and Meredith’s books. I do post about them from time to time.
I just think that if I wasn’t conscious of wearing my reviewer hat and my friend/CP hat at the same time — if I was just a reader of their books and nothing more — I would feel more free to spread the w