Ninety Degrees Media

Whether you’ve published books or write a column, interacting with your fans is important and will keep them interested. Twitter is just one integral part of marketing strategies for authors. Those 140 characters can be used to hook your readers and spur them to want more. Here are some tips for using Twitter to sell your writing.

1. Choose a good Username and Account Name, they’re different, wisely. You can use your own name or the name of your book or column for the Account Name. Your Username should be catchy and short. The shorter the Username the easier it is for your tweeps to RT and @ you—remember, they only have 140 characters.
2. Your bio can only be 160 characters but search engine robots consistently check Twitter bios, so make the most out of those characters because it can help your readers find you, and not just on Twitter, but on the Web as well.
3. Don’t forget your web address because it adds credibility. When I go to a Twitter profile without a bio or a web address, I usually won’t follow the user.
4. Pimp up your profile with a customized background image. You could just go to the Design tab under Settings and upload the cover of your book, but that might not be exactly the feel you’re looking for. Browse the templates at twitterbacks.com and see if you find something you can tweak with Photoshop to create your own design with a bit of information to boot.
5. A tweet a day brings the tweeps (followers) your way. Of course you’ll tweet about what you’ve written yourself, but don’t stop there. If you find something you like on the Web, tweet about it. If somebody you follow offers a cool post, retweet (RT) it.
6. If you want a message to be forwarded, it’s ideal to keep it under120 characters so your followers can easily add RT @YourHandle in front of the tweet. The more your post is retweeted, the more readers will see it.
7. Your tweets are more likely to be found by search engines if you select your first 42 characters carefully, write keyword-rich tweets, and use # tags. Search tags on sites like tweetag.com, and watch the right-hand column on Twitter to find Trends, which are the topics a lot of people are tweeting about at the time.
8. Make a list of keywords describing what you tweet about or the people you want to attract as tweeps. Then use these keywords when you sign up for Twitter directories like Twellow, WeFollow, and Twitfind.
9. Visitors to your website are great potential followers so integrate Twitter into your website with badges and widgets. A Twitter feed on your site gives your visitors fresh content on a regular basis and search engines like that, and so do readers.
10. Many tools like Tweetdeck can help you manage your tweets. For instance, if you want to tweet about an article with a really long web address, you can use a URL shortener. I like Bit.ly because it tracks click-throughs. I also use Hootsuite to schedule tweets so I can post them all at once but have them appear on my profile throughout several days.

Oh, and don’t forget to have a Facebook fan page for you and your book as well.

Writing is a solitary activity, but if you follow the 12 Steps for Writers you’ll want to get critiqued. Bringing our work to other people experienced in the craft will build community. Creative writing courses and conferences are all well and good, but a close-knit group can provide the support we need to grow as writers.

The traditional writers group is made of people reading their material followed by the others providing feedback. Some groups form based on genre (nonfiction, novels, children’s, romance) and some include a mixture. It’s recommended that there is a balance of skill levels, from the beginner to the more knowledgeable writer. There’s no wrong way to run a group: some like to have printed copies of what’s being read, some like to have somebody besides the author read the piece.

About two and a half hours a week, or every other week, should do it. Writers should do some revision and read their writing aloud at home before coming to the group to see how long it will take. Readings should be no longer than fifteen minutes in order to sustain the attention of the group. If time becomes an issue, use a timer or stop watch. Larger groups might want to limit readings to ten minutes. Other groups might want to give each writer twenty minutes to use as they wish—twelve minutes to read and eight for critique, seven to read and thirteen for critique, or ten and ten.

Each group needs a good leader—somebody who can keep things moving and under control. Using the guidelines below helps to keep a group running smoothly.

GUIDELINES FOR GIVING FEEDBACK ON A WRITERS WORK

1. Begin with a comment on something you enjoyed in the piece–something that worked well.

2. The content of a writer’s work is not open to criticism. A writer must be judged from a knowledge of technique, rather than the critic’s personal taste. If you are unsure whether your reaction is based on technique or taste, preface your comment with, “This may just be my opinion, but . . . .”

3. If you offer a comment about something that did not work for you, try to tell the writer WHY, and possibly offer a suggestion for revision that would work for you.

4. Don’t ask the writer to explain what was intended. If you didn’t get it, the writer needs to do some revising. Don’t ask what’s going to happen next in a story. You May comment on something that seems lacking, and say you hope it’s coming up soon.

5. Don’t hesitate to comment on picky stuff.

6. Don’t repeat comments already made, but mention if you agree or disagree with it. A writer may take consensus when critiquers disagree.

7. Don’t rewrite the writer’s story.

GUIDELINES FOR WRITERS READING IN THE WORKSHOP

1. The writer is not allowed to speak until all the critiques have been given, unless asked a specific question. If the writer has questions, they should be posed before the reading or after the critique.

2. The writer must not give details about what’s going to happen next in a story. This would interfere with feedback when that portion is read at a later time.

3. The writer must not explain the piece. If it wasn’t clear to others in the group, it needs to be revised and clarified. That’s what this is all about.

4. The writer must not argue with the critique, or defend the work. The group will tell the writer, honestly, tactfully, how they perceive the work. It is the writer’s prerogative to accept or reject the opinions of the group. We are not here to change people’s minds.

Here is an Adobe PDF version of these Critique Group Guidelines so you can print them out for your group.

Once at a writers conference Sue Grafton ended her talk by saying a writer isn’t a real writer until they realize not everything they write is good. It’s true. Being a writer is like being an Alcoholic. An alcoholic can’t start on the road to recovery until they admit to having a drinking problem. But once they begin getting help and work on staying sober, they get healthier and healthier. Once a writer admits they need help and attends a writers group or conference, their writing will get better and better.

Like working the 12 steps, getting your writing critiqued regularly can lead to serenity. It’s hard being a writer. We have our own 12 steps to learn.

1. Write, write, write
2. Hook your reader
3. Show don’t tell
4. Flesh out your characters
5. Chose the right POV
6. Build the story up with tension and unanswered questions
7. Make each of your characters sound distinctive
8. Use appropriate grammar and spelling
9. Get critiqued
10. Read work by other writers
11. Give your readers a satisfying ending
12. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite

They work, if you work them! We may not be recovering, but we are rewriting.