Book Marketing with Street Teams: Lessons from Kara Swanson
This post was adapted from Writing Off Social: The Podcast, Episode 69. You can listen in here!
If you’ve ever launched a book and thought, I cannot do all of this marketing by myself, you are in good company.
On episode 69 of Writing Off Social, we sat down with Kara Swanson—YA fantasy author and co-founder of The Author Conservatory—to talk about a grassroots, relationship-centered way to market your books: street teams, Kara’s year-round approach to building a loyal community of readers who help share her work.
Kara writes “fun, whimsical adventures” for young adults. Her award-winning Peter Pan retelling duology, Dust and Shadow, has built an animated fan base complete with fan art and midnight-reading teens. Her newest novel, Ignite, follows a young heroine across an icy planet filled with phoenixes and explores themes of mental health, finding your voice, and discerning which voices to trust.
She’s also teaching the next generation of writers to build sustainable author careers through the Author Conservatory—and she’s doing her own marketing in a way that’s deeply relational, thoughtful, and refreshingly human.
Social Media Is a Tool – Not a Home
Kara came to social media as a teenager, which gives her a slightly different lens than many of us who joined as adults. She got her first account at fifteen or sixteen, mostly to stay in touch with friends while growing up overseas.
As she began to pursue writing more seriously around sixteen or seventeen, she noticed something important: “I am not someone who enjoys having to present a version of myself that doesn’t feel authentic. But I can also understand how this can be a tool to help connect with other people!” Instead of building her identity on social media, she approached it as a marketing tool, a community-building tool, and a way to connect with readers she didn’t otherwise have access to.
Over the years, she’s shifted away from most platforms. She doesn’t use Twitter/X and rarely uses Facebook. Instagram is her primary space because of its visual nature and the community she’s intentionally curated there. She’s “culled” her feed so that she mostly sees content that’s life-giving and re-energizing.
Even so, social media is not the center of her life or business. “I don’t particularly enjoy it other than as a marketing tool. If I’m busy or traveling, social media is the first thing that drops.” She sees the value, but she’s clear-eyed: it’s one tool among many, and not the most important one.
Inside The Author Conservatory: Training Writers and Entrepreneurs
Kara was first published at seventeen with a small allegorical novel she now affectionately calls “the book of which we do not speak.” It was a learning experience more than a legacy title—but it opened the door to connections with mentors, editors, and the publishing world. She was traditionally published at twenty-one and kept going from there.
Those early mentors did more than teach her craft; they helped her navigate social media, marketing, and the industry without losing herself. Over time, she saw how rare that guidance was for young writers. So she co-founded The Author Conservatory with Brett Harris, a bestselling nonfiction author for teens. What began as a high-level coaching program quickly grew into a three-year college alternative for serious young writers.
Students in the conservatory work on multiple book projects over three years, receive full-length editorial letters of ten to fifteen pages of feedback, learn to pitch, present themselves, and market their work, participate in a group book launch, and—this is key—start and grow their own small business.
That last piece might be the most distinctive. Kara explains that they’re not just teaching how to write; they’re teaching entrepreneurship. “The goal is not to be a one-hit wonder or a flash in the pan. The goal is for this to be a marathon, not a sprint.” Students practice marketing and business skills before they ever rely on publishing income, giving them a runway to build sustainable careers.
Kara herself now oversees a staff of around thirty for the conservatory (and about fifty across multiple programs) and two hundred fifty students. She’s quick to say she’s not the most impressive author on staff. “What I do bring to the table is the ability to be humble and learn and grow… I can find people who are really, really good at what they do, give them an opportunity to step up, build connections with the students, and keep making something better over and over until we’re serving our students to the best of our capacity.”
That same humble, relational posture shows up in the way she markets her own books—especially in her street teams.
“Street Teams” vs. “Launch Teams”
You’ve probably heard of a launch team—a group of readers who rally around your book during release. A street team is similar, but Kara thinks about it differently.
Historically, a “street team” was a passionate group who hit the streets for an artist or band, boots-on-the-ground style. That grassroots, year-round energy is what Kara loves. “A street team is very similar to a launch team. But I prefer the word street team because it comes with the connotation that this happens year round. It is not just about a book launch.”
In Kara’s world, a street team is a committed group of excited readers who want behind-the-scenes access, who are willing to help spread the word, and who stay connected to you as an author, not just one book. Many of her street team members have been with her since her very first launch. They’ve become her friends. They’re invested not only in her stories but in her as a person.
How Kara Builds and Nurtures Her Street Team
Kara’s early street team lived in a Facebook group. For her first indie-published novella, she gathered about forty-five people and just… started building relationships.
She shared snippets and behind-the-scenes details, asked what they were interested in, traded book recommendations, shared prayer requests, and spent time actually getting to know them. As launch approached, she introduced monthly missions. Each mission came with a small giveaway entry like a five-dollar Barnes & Noble gift card. Missions might include sharing a post, forwarding an email, or inviting a friend. Members knew to watch for “this month’s mission,” and it became a fun rhythm.
Over time, she developed a simple but powerful framework for how she interacts with her street team: “I always have two gives before I have an ask.” That might look like email one being a personal note or story, email two being a sneak peek, early artwork, or a fun behind-the-scenes moment, and email three being a specific mission—share this, forward this, leave a review. She responds to their replies, acknowledges their effort, and treats their time as just as valuable as her own.
Moving from Facebook to Email
Kara eventually moved her street team from Facebook to email—and her engagement went up, not down.
She now runs her street team through a separate email segment with a specific sign-up form that clearly says they’re joining “Kara’s Street Team,” a welcome sequence explaining what to expect, a distinct email header and visual style, and “Street Team” noted in the subject line or opening so they know it’s just for them. Street team emails are more personal, casual, and focused on shared goals like cover reveals, launch day, or reviews than her general list emails.
Her general list gets broader author updates, news, or content and does not get every street team email (and vice versa). Her street team gets more access, more asks, but also more gives. They receive training over time: what a cover reveal is, why reviews matter, how to share effectively. They grow in confidence and skills, so by launch month, helping her doesn’t feel scary—it feels natural.
Who Are Street Teams For?
Kara firmly believes this strategy can work for any genre and any personality type—but how you run it will look different depending on who you are and who you serve.
If you’re an extrovert, empath, or people-person, you might love spending six months warming up your street team, sending frequent check-ins and fun missions, and building lots of one-on-one connections. If you’re more introverted, you might email less often but more intentionally, set clear, limited expectations like “one mission per quarter,” and keep your interaction to a level that feels sustainable.
The key is listening. “Be consistent to listen to determine what it is that blesses them the most and then do that as frequently as you’re able.” She also points out that your team will have different capacities depending on their life stage. Moms of littles will have less time than teens on summer break. Adjust your expectations accordingly, and serve them where they’re at.
Dos and Don’ts with Street Teams
If Kara had to boil it all down to one thing you must do, it would be this: “Clear expectations up front.”
Before you invite anyone in, she suggests you decide your expectations for yourself—how often you’ll show up, what you’ll provide. Decide your expectations for them—how often you’ll ask for help, what “help” looks like. Tell them clearly how often they’ll hear from you, what kinds of missions they might be asked to do, and what the “minimum” involvement is to stay on the team. And then: keep your word. If you told them you’d email monthly and then disappear for three months, they notice. Consistency builds trust.
The fastest way to kill a street team? “Not actually responding when your street team tries to connect with you.” If you say you want a relationship but treat them like a faceless marketing machine, they’ll feel that. No one wants to be used.
Kara’s cautions are clear: don’t treat your street team like they owe you something, don’t ask and ask and ask without giving and listening, and don’t be afraid to lovingly release people who aren’t engaging anymore. “No harm, no foul, but do you still want to be here?”
Overwhelmed? Here’s Where to Start.
If this all sounds wonderful but you feel daunted, Kara’s encouragement is simple and kind.
First, remember: “Everything takes time. Everything takes practice and failing and learning and trying something new.” You don’t have to build a two-hundred-person street team overnight. You can start very small.
Think of three to five people who already went out of their way to talk about your book, unprompted. Ask: What are they already good at? Sharing in person? Posting online? Emailing friends? Leaving thoughtful reviews? Invite them into a more intentional relationship built around their existing strengths.
“Start by not looking at yourself, but looking around and going, who do I have in my community that I can build and uplift? Who has already actually blessed me?” Then, build from there. Listen to them. Serve them. Honor their time. And let the team grow slowly, organically, and sustainably.
Because at the end of the day, Kara’s street team is not just a marketing strategy. It’s a picture of what happens when an author sees her readers not as numbers, but as partners—fellow image-bearers, each with their own gifts, joining her in the work she’s been called to do.
This post was reformatted from our original transcript by Claude and edited for accuracy by Mary K.
