Hello, readers.  I've decided to kick my career up a notch, and I can't do it without you.  Here's where the rubber meets the road.  Where we get a little win-win action going on.  Where I give you cool free stuff, invite you into my super secret inner sanctum, and treat you to all kinds of fabulous members-only treats … all in exchange for something you may already be giving me right now.  Your soul assistance.

Street Team: Elle Casey's Inner Sanctum of Awesome

See, as an indie author, the only way we sell books and push our careers out of the dark depths of obscurity and into the bright light of best seller stardom is through the help of our readers.  Readers who will talk about our books with their reader friends or the people sitting next to them in the waiting room or the fellow book store shopper browsing the aisles searching for a good book to read, or pretty much anyone else who will listen.

“Do you like YA post-apocalyptic novels?  Oh, do I have a suggestion for you, then.  Elle Casey's Apocalypsis series.  I promise, you'll love it.”

Several authors I know have put together “Street Teams” of super fans who will go out and tell the world about their favorite author's work.  You can be a member of more than one street team at a time, as long as you have the time and the inclination.

Consider this your formal invitation to join my Street Team!

Anyone who joins my Street Team will get:

• membership in a private online meeting place where I will hang out with you and you can hang out with each other,
• swag (aka: free books, book marks, jewelry, t-shirts, mugs, trading cards, and other cool stuff),
• members-only benefits (pre-publish copies of books for pre-review and promotion, called “ARCs”, first look at any new releases and covers, input on future stories, character naming privileges)
• private face-to-face meetings at book signing locations when they happen,
• invitations to cool events, online and otherwise,
• prizes of things I will think up as I go along, but they will be cool I can promise you that
• the undying gratitude of me as your author buddy, as you help send my career to new levels.

Obviously this takes some time on a weekly basis.  You'd have to be a big fan of my work so you can confidently and happily recommend it to other readers.  You'd need to be comfortable telling others online and in person about my books.  I don't expect anyone to go overboard – just to do what's comfortable for them when they have time.  An hour a week would be a great minimum commitment from my perspective.  There is no age limit.  You just have to be old enough to read. 🙂

So if you want to join, or you're interested in learning more, just email me using the contact form here!  Once I have you all on an email list, I'll have you vote on a name for our group.  Then I'll form a secret members-only group on Facebook and invite you all in, and we can get started on the awesome!

I am so friggin excited about this!  I hope to see you there!