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!
Posted by Donna on May 10, 2009 under Twitter for Writers |
A week or so ago, I used Twitter search to locate literary agents and book publishers on Twitter, which was great. I located a lot of literary people who Tweet. Had I know this comprehensive directory from HighSpot, Inc. existed though, I would have been spared all those man hours!
HighSpot, Inc. offers what they dub the “#1 Resource for Non-Fiction Authors”- a variety of services for authors. On their blog, they posted a definitive directory of people in the publishing industry that are on Twitter, and they are also actively updating that list. To be added to the list (self-publishers not included), you can send an @message via Twitter to HighSpot’s Jennifer Tribe (@jennifertribe).
The HighSpot book publishing Twitter directory includes:
- Book publisher company accounts
- Individual accounts for people who work at book publishers
- Literary agents
- Book sellers
- Libraries
- book industry services
- Author services
- Literary organizations
- Book reviewers
- Book bloggers
This list looks like it was painstaking to put together since it is so comprehensive! Kudos to HighSpot, Inc. This is such a wonderful directory to connect writers with those in the industry through Twitter. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by Donna on May 8, 2009 under Twitter for Writers |
My daily e-mail newsletter from Mashable.com (barnone the best social media blog there is) had a headline for an article that fits perfectly with Social-Media-For-Writers.com: Literary Tweets: 100+ of the Best Authors on Twitter, by Cameron Chapman.
The number of published authors using Twitter is growing every day– and, the number of authors using Twitter definitely gives validation that Twitter is a worthwhile time investment to consider as a part of both your daily routine and overall marketing strategy.
Chapman went as far to break these Twittering authors down by genre, providing a short paragraph of what they tweet about, even providing screen shots of sample Tweets. Is your favorite author on the list? Are YOU on the list?
Some notables include @ChuckPalahniuk, @HarlanCoben and @MeganCabot.
Be sure to check out this amazing list compiled by Chapman. And, judging from the 50 or so comments her post has received from Mashable readers, (at the time this blog post was published), there were several prominent writers on Twitter that were left out.
