Does anyone out there use Twitter as a tool for promoting a book?
I'm interested in the impact of Social Media generally. Personally I rely on blogging related subjects and the odd mention on my personal Facebook page - anywhere I can get in a plug without it being too obvious or tiresome for potential readers. I don't have 'author' or 'book' pages as such.
And that's the problem. One simply can't bombard potential readers with 'BUY MY BOOK!' or everyone gets sick of it. I know I do, when other writers try the same.
So - how do you attract readers or followers without sounding like the literary version of an X-Factor contestant?
I detest it. But use it only for my book! It helps to get fans that don't know you! BUt it is a awful task. Refusetosink12 is my handle come follow me and I'll help as much as I can! Good luck!
I'm not on Twitter myself, but I do follow a few people just to see what they are saying. Two great examples in the UK are the journalist Caitlin Moran and the musician Tim Burgess.
They both have a loyal following.
Caitlin is followed (I think) because she is funny and feisty. Sure she'll promote her Times column, or her book in the odd tweet, but that is not her purpose on Twitter. It's about fun and making connections and just chatting about what's on her mind. People respond to that humour and one by-product is that they then take an interest in her books and her column.
Tim Burgess has a fantastic Twitter feed precisely because it is not at all about him. It is about music and his love of music. He promotes his own stuff, sure. But mainly he posts links to great tracks or to great videos. Or he communicates directly with fans inviting them to gigs - one time even giving out a break to some young photographers to get back stage passes and take photos of his gigs for their portfolios.
He is extremely generous in spirit and gives his time willingly and it is this that endears him to people and makes them go out and buy his records.
So use Twitter as a way to let people see who you are. Any resulting sales are a bonus.
Hi Jonathan,
I know quite a bit about using Twitter to sell as I use it at work to promote the SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap. I use Twitter to search for people tweeting about things that could benefit from the product. You could try that. Search for keywords related to the book and then follow the person and tweet them. You might search for 'read' 'book' and then the genre of your book all in the same search. You could also try a retweet contest. So people have to retweet 'win my book...' and then you pick one winner at random. This gives your Twitter page and book more visibility. Hope that helps.