Welcome to the Writing Community!
This guide is primarily for those who are new to Twitter – a sort of quick-start manual. I hope to keep it short and simple.
First, we are the Twitter Writing Community, #writingcommunity (we have our own hashtag and you can easily find people that way). Many writers often start off with a #writerslift where you can hopefully gain followers by having others put their books in the replies. There’s also #5amwritersclub (for the brave) and #amwriting for when you just feel like chatting about your writing process, #WIP (work in progress), etc.
There is also #amquerying for those who are pursuing trad publishing (I am self-published, or a #selfpub #indieauthor). I can’t speak to that as much, but plenty of advice out there if you need it.
Genre tags include #SFF (sci-fi and fantasy) and others. I have SFF in my bio.
Some quick Dos and Don’ts:
DO
-Introduce yourself!
-Engage! I often forget to post because I’m replying to other people’s tweets (oops). Make sure to post on your own timeline as well. But interact with others!
-RT/QT (retweet or quote tweet) things that interest you. This falls under engagement as well.
-Check out #booktwt (readers/book bloggers)
-Make yourself a useful pinned tweet. Mine has a link to my book as well as cover pics + reviews.
-Tweet pet photos. They are often well-received.
My pinned tweet (as of October 15, 2022):
DON’T
-DM people with your book link or asking for reviews without getting to know them first. Easy way to get blocked or unfollowed.
-Forget that everything you tweet can be seen by your followers. It doesn’t have to be something specific to your timeline. Same with your likes.
-Worry too much about follower count. Engagement with a small group of people can be better in the long run.
-Harass people or otherwise be obnoxious.
That’s it for now – super short guide. For a much longer marketing guide, see my On Marketing post!
Join me on Twitter! @szattwellauthor I’m also on two instances on Mastodon: writing.exchange and wandering.shop