Posted by Donna on February 9, 2010 under Twitter for Writers | 
I’ve been in love with MediaBistro.com for longer than any of my relationships lasted. Sorry. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so I was just thinking about that…
GalleyCat is MediaBistro.com’s publishing blog. In a post I found today, thanks to a Twitter update from @selfpubreview, blogger Jason Bloog revealed some ‘unscientific’ results on the amount of writers on Twitter.
Bloog used TweepSearch to nail down writers by a variety of classifications - and he found there are almost 100,000 of them/us. His ‘Twitter Census’ also shows there are more people that consider themselves authors (28k) than novelist (about 2k). For the full results, check out Bloog’ post, Literary Twitter Census. Keep in mind this post is from December 2009 - with the rate Twitter is going, there could be hundreds or thousands more writers on Twitter today! Are you?
The TweepSearch spiders keywords used in user profiles so these numbers, of course, only reflect those who dub themselves a writer publicly.
Posted by Donna on December 28, 2009 under Twitter for Writers |
Last week I wrote a year-end blog post for my company’s parent company’s blog, Top 5 ways Social Media Impacted my Blogging in 2009. I realized how much being active in the realm of social media has improved my blogging. I thought I would share some of that here as well because I feel it especially pertains to writers using Twitter.
My blog post on social media and blogging covered five main points:
1. Twitter Lists Have Organized My Life - this tool has maximized my Twitter usage.
2. Paying Attention is Key to Fresh Content - just as writers should always be reading books, bloggers should be keeping up with other blogs for both technique and trends.
3. Trend-Spotting is Not Done at the Mall - use social media to find out what people are talking about or are searching for.
4. Sharing is Caring - Tweet, Retweet, post, repost, or summarize and share in a new blog post. Learn from being shared with; teach from sharing what you’ve learned.
5. My iPhone is My Savior - inspiration is everywhere. Having a smart phone with a camera allows me to share something immediately, or at the least, take a quick picture and jot down notes for later.
For this post, I will focus on how creating Twitter lists can help maximize your time on Twitter. I will show you how writers can use Twitter lists, how to create a Twitter list, and how to add people to your list.
What are Twitter lists?
I liken Twitter lists to cable television: specialized viewing channels when you are in the mood for a certain type of content. You could also think of them as iPod playlists where you can hone in on a specific area rather than the global shuffle. Simply put, Twitter lists are a genius tool to organize your social media life. Once your lists are created, you can view the lists one at a time, allowing you to focus on the people and/or topics you care about. Creating and using Twitter lists can
- Consolidate your Twitter stream
- Organize your contacts (people you follow or your followers)
- Expand your base of followers
- Help you find new people to follow
- Help you to better network
How can writers use Twitter lists?
For all the above reasons, and then some! If you are a writer using Twitter, chances are that you are using Twitter for several purposes (and, if you still need help finding uses for Twitter, by searching the Twitter category here, you may find some new ideas). You may follow writers in your genre for help with craft. You may keep up with agents on Twitter to find out what is happening in the industry or for sound advice. You may follow editors and publishers on Twitter to see what books are forthcoming. You may keep up with writing resources or literary magazines on Twitter that may be announcing contests or submission deadlines. And, if you are like most people and have a day job, you may also be following people in your industry and personal friends and family. Wow. With all that, how can you keep things straight?
Enter Twitter lists. Twitter’s list feature allows you to add users to lists, even multiple lists, to keep things organized. Then, by selecting a list, you can view only tweets from people on that list. Creating lists on Twitter will allow you to more efficiently manage Twitter, especially when you begin to follow hundreds of people.
As a writer using Twitter, you may want to create lists for specific areas. maybe your genre or based on profession. Every writer is different, so to give you an idea, here are the lists that I created for the Twitter account I use most often for writing:
- Memoir Writers
- Blogs About Writing
- Writing Resources
- Magazines
- Bookstores
- Wilkes Writers (writers in my MFA program)
- Editors
- Agents
- Publishers
- Authors (these are the “famous” writers I follow for fun.)
My lists are pretty straightforward. I could probably add a general writers category and add more genres, but I wanted to keep it simple. Your lists may be more numerous than mine, or more simple. In the orange graphic above, you can see how the lists are shown on my Twitter account. I just need to click on one of those lists to see the tweets from people on each list.
How do I set up a Twitter list?
Setting up a Twitter list is pretty easy. In the right hand menu column on your main Twitter page, you will see a section for lists. Simply click on “new list.” Then, a window that looks like this will pop-in:
1. Give your list a name and, if you wish, a brief description.
2. Then, select if you wish your list to be public or private. (A public list means that people can see where they are listed and also that your followers can look at all of your lists. A private list means that it’s only viewable by you. The nature of Twitter would lend very well to making your list public because by sharing lists, you can help others form their own lists and become more connected.)
3. Repeat if you’d like more lists.
4. Add people to your list, which I will discuss next.
Adding People to Your Twitter List
Once you’ve created a list or two, you’ll need to populate those lists. This is easy to do.
1. Go to your Followers or People You Follow page. You will see three icons to the right, under the Actions column. Click on the middle one, the one that looks like a list.
2. A pop-up will appear with checkboxes for each of your lists. It will look like this:
3. Just mark each list for which you want that person to be added. You can add the same person to multiple lists. For example, a few of my classmates write memoir, so they go on my Memoir Writers list and my Wilkes Writers list. Some agents I follow, such as Nathan Bransford, also have a blog about publishing, so he goes in both.
4. You may also create a new Twitter list right from this window.
Other thoughts and considerations on Twitter Lists
- Be mindful when creating your list names. Agents Who Rejected Me or Writers Who Can’t Write probably aren’t good names for lists. Also, for my day job, I almost made a category for clients. I realized that certain people may not wish for their competitors or customers to know who does their marketing and creative work, so I found other ways to categorize them.
- Explore Twitter lists of those you follow. You can actually follow a whole list that someone else created, which is pretty neat. Or, you may just wish to check out individual members of someone’s list to find new people to follow.
- Creating Twitter lists and adding people to them can be time-consuming if you’ve already rounded up hundreds of followers. But, as you add new contacts, you can add them to a list right away. That said, it can become second nature. Once the lists are set up initially, it’s a piece of cake to keep tabs on them.
Have fun creating your lists and, if you are considering a writer’s resources category, please think about adding us, @smforwriters. Enjoy!
Finally - how are YOU using Twitter lists. Please share your ideas here.
Posted by Donna on December 16, 2009 under Chat, Twitter for Writers, literary agents |
Twitter is the worlds largest conversation. But, you can still segment this world-wide water cooler to become more intimate. Over the past year, I’ve learned about several writers chats on Twitter that happen pretty regularly.
Another active blogger and Twitterer, Inky Girl (@inkyelbows on Twitter), wrote a great blog post highlighting some of these Twitter discussions for writers, as well as a comprehensive list of their scheduled days and usual topics. If you scroll down more, you will see she also offers some tips on chatting in general. She highlights regular hashtags writers use daily while writing, like #amwriting and #writegoal, as well as more targeted chats that occur on certain days or sporadically like #writechat, #scriptchat, #yalitchat, and my two personal favorites, #askagent and #memoirchat.
AskAgent
One of the coolest Twitter chats for writers is #askagent, first started by literary agent Colleen Lindsay. There is no scheduled time for this chat, so if this is something you are interested in participating in, do a search for “#askagent” and then save it in your saved searches menu on Twitter. Then, each evening you are on Twitter (or whenever you feel like it), click on “#askagent” on your menu to see if there is anything happening. Lindsay and now a few other literary agents on Twitter graciously give their time to answer burning questions writers have about agents, queries, manuscripts, the writing process, and other publishing questions. I highly recommend looking out for this one. It’s not every day that you can ask an agent a question.
Memoirchat
My favorite writer chat on Twitter has become #memoirchat. The first #Memoirchat was organized by blogger/writer, Alexis Grant who, of course, is at work on her travel memoir. I’ve attended three or four of these and have found them incredibly helpful. The last #memoirchat on Twitter was last week, and you can read a transcript here to see just how engaging the conversation was. During this chat, we talked about our what memoirs we were reading, our current projects, obstacles we were facing, and also had some discussion about how to format a memoir- narrative vs. collection of essays. That either-or topic was very eye-opening for some. Even though it was a chat, I could see people eyes sparkle! Definitely a good place to exchange thoughts and ideas.
A few things to keep in mind when chatting in Twitter:
- Twitter is public. Anyone on Twitter can see your tweets during that chat, either live in your stream or in a search the hashtag for the chat. Additionally, many Twitter chats are archived. This means, don’t vent to your writing chat on Twitter about how horrible an experience you had with someone — they may also be following you or the chat.
- Use proper etiquette just as you would in any other professional setting. For the most part, people are going to be using Twitter chat for help, advice, inspiration, or to just talk and meet each other. But, should a disagreement arise, keep things civil. Remember that tone is often hard to tell in online communication, so remember to use emoticons.
- If you are on a chat where you have access to agents or editors, remember they are there to help; not to be pitched. Do that privately in the terms that agent or editor prefers, as outlined in their submission guidelines. This is not to say that a relationship or mutual interest cannot be spawned from a chat; just use common sense.
- Remember to always use the Twitter chat hashtag after your chat so everyone can follow along. If you are using a service like TweetChat, it does it for you, so remember not to use the hashtag there, otherwise, it shows up twice.
- You only have 140 characters, but try to address the tweet you are replying to if at all possible. Sometimes the conversation can change or there may be a few questions happening at once. I don’t just mean reply to the proper person, but also somehow mention the tweet to which you are referring.
- Use TweetChat to follow that chat in real-time, or use a desktop program called TweetDeck. TweetDeck is a must-have tool if you are a Twitter addict anyway, so organizing your Twitter writing chats is just one more bonus!
Happy chatting! And, if you don’t see a Twitter chat for writers that fits your genre or goals, why not start one?!
Posted by Donna on December 10, 2009 under Twitter for Writers, articles |
In September 2009, writer and blogger Meryl L. Evans posted a great blog post, 10 Commandments for Writers Using Social Media. And, you know what happens when you break a commandment. Okay, so perhaps the outcome may not be has harsh as violating “Thou Shall Not Kill,” but what writers do on Twitter can really determine if the writer will go to social media heaven or hell…
Evans’ post provides solid advice to writers using Twitter and sprinkles in links to other important blog posts with even more tips on how not to use Twitter. My favorite of all her tips, though, is Thou Shalt Forgo the Hard Sale. This is not just true for authors using Twitter, but for anyone in any line of work. In my day job, I have to remind clients and coworkers that blogs and social media are supposed to be more conversational in nature. Same goes for a writer on Twitter. Don’t abuse this personal tool, as I also discussed in a previous post about social media etiquette, to pitch to literary agents on Twitter or to tell your followers to buy your book now. Instead, by being engaging and friendly, you will sell yourself and your brand which in turn will help you reach your goals.
Give Evans’ post a read and see how you may measure up at those pearly social media gates.
Posted by Donna on July 9, 2009 under Twitter for Writers, articles |
Is it kosher to send a friend request to an agent on Facebook? Is it accepted to follow an editor on Twitter?
Since Chuck Sambuchino’s informative article “Protocol and Expectations When Contacting and Befriending Literary Agents on Social Networking Sites Like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter” was published on his Guide to Liteary Agents blog (Feb. 2009), social networking has become even more popular. But, writers should still heed his solid advice because the rules haven’t changed, and in fact, are probably more pertinant today as there are more people joining Facebook and Twitter every day.
Chuck interview six unnamed agents who gave their valuable insight as to what is accepted and what is not in the social networking sphere. He puts emphasis on “writers” and opposed to “authors.” The verdict seemed to be the Facebook remained private, while the nature of Twitter encourages the following of folks of social value. The key with Twitter is that agents and editors can be picky about who they follow and who they don’t. But, this is just the nutshell version. Read Chuck’s full article here.
What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment.
Posted by Donna on under Annoucements, Twitter for Writers, authors, creative writing programs, events |
Before I get into the post, wanted to share some news. There was good reason behind the lack of updates on Social Media for Writers: I was finishing my M.F.A. thesis. Of course, the memoir draft is still a work in progress, but now that the looming deadline has passed, it’s time to focus on this writer’s resource I’ve wanted to launch for sometime.
What really got me invigorated to refocus on this blog was me recent presentation at Wilkes University’s M.A. & M.F.A. in creative writing June residency. Since I work by day in social media, several months before the residency, I pitched a craft class idea to our program director and some faculty. As fate would have it, one our esteemed faculty, novelist Kaylie Jones is married to a social media expert. So, the panel was enthusiastically added to the residency schedule.
Internet marketing consultant Kevin Heisler and I led an interactive discussion on Facebook fan pages and Twitter, and how writers and authors can use these mediums to engage, promote, network, share and learn. The session was fantastic! We paired students with Twitter accounts with those who did not. As Kevin and I gave tutorials and advice, eyes were wide, hands were raised and even we began live-tweeting to one another. (Check out the #wilkes hashtag!)
We used Kaylie as an example. A few months ago she joined Twitter at her Kevin’s urging. With his guidance of industry best practices, Kaylie developed quite the following and does a fantastic job at balancing her personal stuff, her professional stuff, sharing knowledge and promoting links/works for her students and peers. Check out what she does - @kayliejones. Her Facebook fan page is also a prime example of what a published author can do; however, Kaylie has a unique spin: she promotes her students past and present, too. This session wasn’t actually the first time the Kevin/Kaylie team spoke about Twitter. The week prior to that, they spoke at the 140CharacterConference in New York , which I blogged about previously.
I was so honored to co-present with Kevin, and take off my student hat for an hour to share my knowledge and passion with a lecture hall full of M.A. and M.F.A. students, as well as alumni and faculty. While social media has been around for sometime, using it as a marketing tool is somewhat new and still being embraced by many industries who hold true to traditional methods, like publishing.
Presenting the Social Media for the Anti-Social Writer craft class was by far an extremely beneficial component the the residency, and something I feel should be a part of every M.F.A. program’s business of publishing curriculum. I’m not just saying in because I was involved in, but because so many from Wilkes have jumped on board and joined what I called, “the world’s largest literary conversation.” All aspiring and published authors should be seasoned at social media, and I think creative writing M.F.A. programs are a perfect place to introduce the practice!
So, I am sharing the success of this presentation through this post to encourage those already familiar with social media to become mentors to all our colleagues who are still saying, “What’s a Tweet?” Everyone hears about Twitter and Facebook in the news and from others, but sometimes the percieved learning curve scares them off, so by SHOWING folks how to use it- either one-on-one, through classes or whatever, let’s spread the word! First things first, I’m gonna go tweet this post. = )
Posted by Donna on June 28, 2009 under Twitter for Writers, articles |
Online magazine, Publishing Trends posted a great article back in March that I re-stumbled upon, “Twitter Isn’t Stupid- but Publishers Need to Be Smart About Using It. Here’s How.”
The three-part article discusses how writers can develop a Twitter presence, how to use Twitter to connect with your audience and finally how Twitter can increase book sales.
Overall, a very informative article and worth a read!
Posted by Donna on under Twitter for Writers, events, publishers |
Last week, New World Stages in New York City was home to the first-ever 140 Characters Conference
Says founder, Jeff Pulver on the conference:
While the original scope of the event was to explore “the effects of twitter on: Celebrity, “The Media”, Advertising and (maybe) Politics”, the scope of the event has expanded and we will be covering these topics and a lot more. #140conf will be taking a look at twitter as a platform and will be taking a look at some of the industries which have been disrupted by the advent of twitter.
In particular, one panel discussion caught our attention: Book Publishing “Lies My Twitter Never Told Me” - Twitter Rocks Publishing; Authors Crush It! which featured participants Debbie Stier (@debbiestier) - SVP, Associate Publisher, Harper Studio; Kaylie Jones (@KaylieJones) - Novelist. Her upcoming memoir is: “Lies My Mother Never Told Me.” Her bestsellig novel: “A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries” (Merchant Ivory film); Kevin Heisler (@KevinHeisler) - Literary Executor; and Ron Hogan (@RonHogan) - Curator, Beatrice.com.
Social-Media-for-Writers featured Harper Studio previously, so it was very cool to see them continuing to show the publishing world how effective Twitter can be.
There is video from most of the conference at Blip.tv, but here is a link to the very informative “Lies My Twitter Never Told Me…” panel.
Posted by Donna on May 24, 2009 under Twitter for Writers, articles |
Mashable released a list of 100+ writers using Twitter earlier this month. It was a hugely comprehensive list of writers using the social media site, but Mashable on Friday released a new list, Nonfiction Tweets: 70+ Authors to Follow on Twitter. The list is broken down by categories, ranging from creative nonfiction to science and technology to hobbies & crafts to career and business and more. Once again, it’s a great list compiled by Mashable with not just links to the @usernames, but a small paragraph, a sample tweet and link to the user profile page.
The list of writers on using Twitter to promote their works is growing everyday. Check out the list for some people you are personally interested in and see what they are tweeting about. Get some ideas on how you, as a writer, can use Twitter, too!
Posted by Donna on May 11, 2009 under Twitter for Writers, publishers |
I may not have found this article if it wasn’t for Twitter, so I guess that’s one example why…. I followed a link from user @carrieberryo to a Publisher’s Weekly article, “To Tweet or Not to Tweet: Twitter Basics for Publishers and Authors– Promoting Books 140 Characters at a Time.”
The article gives a basic overview of Twitter, and ends with a success story about publisher Chelsea Green (@chelseagreen), who has managed to use Twitter to get authors press coverage on various blogs and publications through Twitter, as well as running Twitter-exclusive contests to engage readers.
Great article from a trusted industry source!
