Writing is a lonely process. So writers seek out company from the comfort of their own writing rooms. It’s not all gossip and chatter though. Some authors use Twitter for research and enjoys getting an insight into “what makes other authors tick.” Most authors are not on Twitter to sell books. This, beyond anything else, has ensured their success on the platform. Twitter users are savvy and intelligent, for the most part anyway.
There’s no rulebook for Twitter, no easy way of knowing the etiquette. It’s open and instant; it can be intimidating. Twitter is not a one-way marketing channel. It is also highly individual – what works for an author won’t necessary work for a publicist, bookseller or a literary agent.
There are two types of bad tweeters. Those who want to be on Twitter (but don’t really understand it) and those who feel that they should be on Twitter – that they need to be on Twitter.
How you and your tweets will fail:
- Endless, recycled press releases
- Never-ending plugs
- Buy my book, buy my book, buy my book…
- Unwilling to engage in conversation
- Stepping on people’s toes
- Failing to credit images
- Failing to re-tweet other’s contents
- Telling what you have for supper/lunch/breakfast – who cares…
However, there are some that do it very well – authors who have successfully used this new way of communicating to their advantage, publicists who are able to blend the professional with the personal.
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