Lauren's Invitation

Dear Reader,

I would like to invite you to join the Lauren Royal Street Team, a very special group of readers who help promote my books. I know through your e-mails to me that many of you are already doing this by telling friends about my books, posting about my books on message boards, and asking for my books in stores. Thank you for your efforts! I'm thrilled by your support, and I'd love to encourage you to continue to spread the word about my books.

Street Team membership is open to all of my readers. There are many different things you can do—some of them are very simple, while others require a little stealth action (like rearranging my books on store shelves!). I don't want you to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. No one is going to keep tabs on you or judge your participation level…I'll be grateful for whatever you can do.

And there are benefits! As a member of the Lauren Royal Street Team, you'll…

• …have your name listed on this website as an official Lauren Royal Street Team member.
• …receive special Street Team e-newsletters with insider news that won't be in my regular newsletter (though I hope you'll subscribe to the regular newsletter, too!).
• …have a chance to win autographed books in a special drawing every month for Street Team members only. No contest answer or entry necessary—if you're a member, you're automatically entered.
• …have access to a password-protected Street Team Message Board where you can chat with each other (and me!) about anything and everything, share your Street Team adventures, read excerpts before they're put in my newsletters, and ask me questions that I will be happy to pop in and answer.

Interested? If you'd like to join the Lauren Royal Street Team, here are some of the things you can do for me (but you only have to do one to qualify for membership):

• Word of Mouth is a very powerful tool and much appreciated. So be sure to tell all your friends and colleagues about Lauren Royal's books! You might also encourage them to buy new books instead of used ones. (Why?)
  While used books are great, sales of used books do not count toward an author's sales record, and it can be difficult to get contracts unless enough new books are sold to warrant the publisher's investment in printing them. In other words, not enough new book sales = no new books! Close
• If you're planning to purchase one of my books, it would be great if you could buy it during the first month of its release—the first week if possible! (Why?)
  While of course I very much appreciate every sale, stores will quickly order extra copies if they see a new book is selling well early in the game. This can have a snowball effect that ultimately results in many more sales. And bestseller list status is also dependent on a lot of people buying the book right when it comes out. Close
• If you've read one of my books and enjoyed it, post (good, please! <grin>) reviews at online bookstore sites like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Chapters.ca, Booksamillion.com, etc. (Hints)
  Your reviews don't have to be long—something as simple as I loved it! is better than nothing. If you do give details, try not to reveal any surprise developments or endings. Feel free to post reviews anonymously if you'd like (or have fun and use a creative name!). Close
• The Street part of Street Team involves going out to bookstores—especially when a new book is just released. The most important thing here is to make sure my books are out on the shelves! (Huh?)
  The sad truth is, while bookstores anticipate new books by big authors like J.K. Rowling and Tom Clancy, and make sure they are prominently displayed on the sales floor the minute the stores open on the first day of release, books by lesser known authors (like me!) will often sit in cartons in the storeroom for days or even weeks before someone gets around to unpacking them and putting them on the shelves. Close
  It would be a GREAT help if you could go into even one store the first week of a new book's release and check to see that my books are there for people to find and buy...and if you can't find my books on the sales floor, ask for them to be brought out from where they're hiding in the storeroom. Sales professionals will generally be happy to go find books if someone asks.
• Face my books cover-out on the shelves in stores. You may have to rearrange other authors' books to do this. <grin> (Why?)
  Books that are shelved with their covers facing out sell much more quickly than books with just their spines showing. Close
• If a store isn't stocking my books, ask if they can order them.

Remember, you only have to do one of these things to join the Street Team (though I'll love you forever if you do them all <grin>). Sound easy? Joining is easy, too! Just use one or more of the above ideas to help promote my books, then fill out the Street Team Enrollment Form to report your success story. I'll add you to the official Street Team list, post your name on the site, and set up your Street Team Message Board account. It's that simple!

Thank you for your interest! Whether you decide to join the team or not, I appreciate your support!

Always,

A printable (shortened!) list of these strategies is available here, along with a list of my books.

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