Twitter is a must-have for every author and one of the quickest platforms to launch and use to build a following. Unless you have a compelling reason to choose a username on Twitter that is specific to the book or series you have written, your Twitter account should be your name or pen name for long-term branding purposes. (Stephen King doesn’t have a Twitter account for every book; he has one Twitter account as a horror writer).
Twitter is the one platform where you can’t really run the risk of overposting. Each Tweet is only visible for about 5 seconds, and while you’re literary career will be over in a heartbeat if you just tweet “buy my eBook + link” every five minutes, the more active you are on Twitter (authentically and with personality), the better.
Share quotes you love. Share links to books you’re reading. Share links to news articles. Retweet stuff you love from the people you follow. And yes, absolutely tweet about your eBooks, your blogs posts, your newsletter, your upcoming events, and your other platforms (just don’t make your feed all about you).
Twitter is easy to use anywhere, but the challenge is in communicating what you need in less that 140 characters. Our rule: Keep it short and sweet, leaving room for followers to mention you in their retweets.
Next up: We’ll be talking about Tumblr and why it can make everything easier for authors.
Read the previous posts in our social media for indie authors series:
Why Every Indie Author Needs GoodReads
Why Every Indie Author Needs a Facebook Author Page
