You can take your pick of online dictionaries on the web, but I like this definition ^[2] of “street team” best: “A Street team is a term used in marketing to describe a group of people who ‘hit the streets’ promoting an event or a product.” Today, author TRACY MARCH ^[3] dishes about a five author street team. Is it a case of “too many cooks?” Read on!

Yes, you read that right. Five (female!) authors have gotten together and created Dangerous Darlings, a joint street team for lovers of romance and suspense where we encourage enthusiastic members to read our books, share their opinions, and repeat the process until their reader hearts are content. And there’s swag to earn, fun to be had, and friendships to be made!

But I’ve gotten ahead of myself. How did five (female!) authors make this happen? There’s a lot of Paula Deen prep work that goes into cooking up a winning recipe for a successful street team. Here are some of the magic ingredients: ^[4]

Connection

Tracey Devlyn ^[5], Adrienne Giordano ^[6], Kelsey Browning ^[7], Nancy Naigle ^[8] and I serendipitously met at an RWA convention several years ago. You never know where a casual dinner might lead, but we’ve found out. At the time, we had no idea we’d ultimately end up working together so closely, and clicking so well. It’s so easy to collaborate with people virtually nowadays, but it’s always nice to actually meet in person and make extra-special connections.

Creativity

From brainstorming the basics, to designing logos, selecting colors, and envisioning a Facebook group page, each of us brought our talents to the table. As individuals, we have unique strengths so there’s always someone perfect for the job at hand. We want to keep our Darlings happy and engaged, so we’re always stirring up new ideas.

Trust

As with any good recipe, we had to trust that our ingredients were right. We also had to trust each other to be committed long term. There’s an ongoing investment of time, money, and energy, and we depend on one another to be there for our group. With five of us, there’s always someone to make sure the pie gets taken out of the oven on time, or a quick batch of brownies gets served!

Compromise

As hard as it is to believe, five women don’t always agree on everything! Sometimes we have differences, yet we stay open-minded and work toward the best decision for the group. If one of us doesn’t get our way, we don’t try to sabotage an effort. And if three out of five of us agree on chocolate chip cookies instead of oatmeal, no one pouts. We never know…minds could change and we might end up with oatmeal chocolate chip cookies a few days later!

Respect

There are some incredibly talented authors associated with the Dangerous Darlings Street Team, and I’m flattered to be included with them. The funny thing is, I think they feel the same way about me. We have five totally different personalities that would probably be a lot of fun to watch on a reality TV show. (Hmm…there’s an idea!) At different times, one of us adds a little salt, another, a dash of pepper—and Nancy always brings the sugar! But this respect thing is the flour in the cake. You just can’t bake without it.

Resourcefulness

Even with five of us, we can’t do it all. We need to write books to keep that Read. Reach Out. Repeat.  cycle going for our Darlings. So we’ve hired Danielle Gorman at Author’s Pal ^[9] to keep us all straight—and to make sure the sugar’s sugar and the salt is salt! ^[10]

Humor

Humor is the icing on the cake. While Dangerous Darlings runs smoothly on the outside, things can get pretty hectic behind the scenes with countless emails whipping through cyberspace and shared documents popping up like muffin tops. Sometimes things go wrong. What seemed like a genius idea for swag turns out to look like a yard sale special. Sometimes the cake falls…and we just have to laugh, eat the crumbled mess (with a dollop of cream cheese icing), and remember how far we’ve come.

Awesome Darlings

We’re most proud of the super-awesome Darlings we’ve recruited! It’s a diverse group of interesting folks who keep us entertained, informed and motivated to do our best work. Without them, there’d be no team!

Five (female!) authors forming a street team might seem like too many cooks in the kitchen, but not when you’ve found the right recipe. At Dangerous Darlings, we think our recipe is pretty darn tasty. We invite you to take a bite and join us!

Word Scramble/Scavenger Hunt Contest:

Want to win a $50 gift card of your choice? (Must be available for purchase online.) Read on to find out how!

Tracey Devlyn ^[5], Adrienne Giordano ^[6], Kelsey Browning ^[7], Nancy Naigle ^[8] and I have created a fun word scramble/scavenger hunt. All you have to do to enter the contest is:

• Find the letter clues on our websites.
• Unscramble the letters to make a phrase. HINT: The secret phrase can be found in today’s post!
• Sign in on the Rafflecopter contest form below and select the websites you pulled the letters from.
• Enter the secret phrase.

You won’t be able to see the clues until you sign in on the Rafflecopter. And here’s a sample of what you’ll be looking for on our websites…

^[11]

Bonus:

We’d love to keep you updated on our new releases, contests, and special appearances via our periodic e-newsletters. In addition to solving the word scramble, you could earn up to five additional chances to win the $50 gift card. All you have to do is sign up for our e-newsletters. Once you enter the secret phrase on Rafflecopter, links to all our newsletters will appear. Each sign up will get you that much closer to $50!

Go to Rafflecopter Giveaway ^[12]

Find out more about the authors behind the Dangerous Darlings Street Team at these blog stops:

Tracey Devlyn              February 11       HEA USA Today ^[13]
Kelsey Browning        February 12       Romance at Random ^[14]
Nancy Naigle               February 21       Ramblings From This Chick ^[15]
Adrienne Giordano    February 25       Just Romantic Suspense ^[16]

***

Have you ever undertaken a large project with a group of friends? How did it turn out? What would you have done differently?

Longtime RU friend, Kat Cantrell, makes a special visit tomorrow to share her publishing journey.

***

Bio:

Award-winning author Tracy March writes romantic thrillers influenced by her career in the pharmaceutical field, and her interest in science and politics. She also writes lighthearted romances inspired by her real-life happily ever after.

Always up for travel and adventure, Tracy has flown in a stunt plane, snowmobiled on the Continental Divide, ziplined in the Swiss Alps, and been chased by a bull in the mountains of St. Lucia. She loves Nationals baseball, Saturday date nights, and Dairy Queen Blizzards—and rarely goes a day without Diet Coke and Cheez-Its.

Tracy lives in Yorktown, Virginia, with her superhero husband who works for NASA. They recently spent two years living in Washington D.C., and enjoy visiting often—especially when the Nats are in town.

Look for Tracy’s contemporary romance debut, THE PRACTICE PROPOSAL, in March 2013, and her romantic thriller, GIRL THREE ^[17], in April 2013, both from Entangled Publishing.

Visit Tracy online at www.TracyMarch.com ^[18]

Similar Posts:

• Weekly Lecture Schedule, February 18-22, 2013 ^[19]
• Weekly Lecture Schedule for June 13-17: Wynter Daniels, Wendy S. Marcus & Tracy March ^[20]
• How’s Your Dialogue Working for You? by Tracy March ^[21]
• Snapping Red Flags by Tracy March ^[22]
• Powerful Settings: Finding What is Unique for Your Characters…and You by Tracy March ^[23]

16 Comments To "A Five Author Street Team = Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen? A Recipe for Success, by Tracy March"

#1 Comment By Becke Martin Davis On February 18, 2013 @ 12:31 am

#2 Comment By Tracey Devlyn On February 18, 2013 @ 5:33 am

#3 Comment By Kelsey Browning On February 18, 2013 @ 7:12 am

#4 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 8:34 am

#5 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 8:38 am

#6 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 8:40 am

#7 Comment By Adrienne Giordano On February 18, 2013 @ 8:44 am

#8 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 8:48 am

#9 Comment By Mary Jo Burke On February 18, 2013 @ 9:00 am

#10 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 9:12 am

#11 Comment By Carrie Spencer On February 18, 2013 @ 9:22 am

#12 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 9:52 am

#13 Comment By Nancy Naigle On February 18, 2013 @ 9:56 am

#14 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 10:16 am

#15 Comment By Kris Bock On February 18, 2013 @ 1:45 pm

#16 Comment By Tracy March On February 18, 2013 @ 3:57 pm

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