Monday 23 August 2010

TWITTER FOR AUTHORS - PART 2: BEGIN TO FOLLOW

Please note that Tweet Right will be published as an ebook very soon and will cover this information much more clearly and elegantly and in much more detail. Details at the top of the blog.
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I wasn't planning to do this but so many of you joined Twitter after my earlier post today that it seemed to me that the best way to do a quick and useful follow up would be to put a list of suggested people to follow. These are either writers, keen readers, publishing people or just interested in the whole bookworld thang. They are all friendly and will make you welcome. (If you happen to notice any agents or publishers on the list DO NOT pitch to them. If they think that's what you're after, they'll run a mile. And block you.)

Please don't be offended if you're not on this list - I'm in a hurry so this is simply taken from the list of people I've most recently corresponded with on Twitter, and I can say I like what I know of them all. If there are any axe-murderers amongst them, they are hiding it well.

In no particular order and it's up to you to check out their profile to see why you would want to follow them:

@hprw  @caroleagent @Gillian_Philip @MikeJarman @MarshallBuckley @EffieMerryl @burn2write @cat_clarke @CatONineTales @rebeccaebrown @helen_kara @hmhunt  @lucycoats @marymhoffman @EdinBookshop @scottishbktrust @janjonesauthor @KatieFforde @AbsoluteWrite @agnieszkasshoes @AmandaPCraig @allanguthrie @bahtocancer @benjohncock @marisabirns @Pamreader @SCallejo @jesserowen @lovereadingx @Quillers @catdownunder @sleepycatt   @Danoosha @fidunbar @strachanlinda

 Once you are following them, some of them will follow you. You don't then have to do anything unless you are ready, though sending them a message (*not a private one) saying thank you is good idea. (Simply write a tweet that says, for example, "Thanks to @Gillian_Philip for the follow - am new to this!" And that's it, till either a) you want to play around or b) I get round to the next lesson...

And in answer to an earlier question along the lines of "Am on Tweetdeck - now what the heck do I do?" - don't panic! All will become clear.

*The reason I say NOT a private one - known as Direct Message or DM - is that it can be a tad annoying to get a DM from someone you actually don't know, when it doesn't have to be private at all. Save DMs for things that really should be discreet - though I recommend not using twitter at all for genuinely confidential stuff. Too many opportunities for disaster. Again, I will make all this much clearer as we come to it.


24 comments:

Stroppy Author said...

I think if you cd run a workshop at Edinburgh that had a big screen and live twitter feed so that you could show it all working (and prime some of us to be online at the right moment) it might be a great success :-)

This week, I'm teaching 9-12 Mon-Thurs, but cd participate at many other times.

Lucy Coats said...

Of COURSE there'd be interest. Who wouldn't want to see the Crabbit One giving Twitlessons? I'd pay good money for that (shame I'm in the Sassenach South).

fionadunbar said...

Nicola Morgan is the Queen of Twitter: listen to her! But also add *shameless self-promotion alert* @fidunbar.

Rebecca Brown said...

Hey, thank you for putting me on that list, I am very proud to be in such good company! I have to say, anyone new to Twitter will get loads out of following anyone on the list, hugely recommended.

As for Twitter lessons, I think people will take your arm off at the elbow for those, even Twitter-addicts like myself. Go for it! (then bring them to Newcastle on tour ) :)

Lucy Coats said...

Oops! Meant to say thank you for putting me on the list too--no wonder I've had an upsurge today. xx

Nicola Morgan said...

Fiona - now added! See, if it had been a list of "all the people I like on twitter", of COURSE you'd have been on it, but as time was of the essence I had to go through recent tweets and take people from there. :( Sorry excellent tweeter!

Stroppy - that would be the idea. I have a projector and I know a venue with a screen and wifi. Am working on the idea.

Lucy - you do NOT need lessons...

Jan Jones said...

Oh, you sweetheart. I like corresponding with you too. (I wondered why I suddenly had more followers)

Pressure now on to tweet something amusing...

Marshall Buckley said...

I think what Lucy meant was that she'd pay to attend to see how you coped, especially if the Twitter feed was anything like it was on Sunday morning.

I can also promise that I'm not an axe-murderer. Though, I suppose, it's unlikely I'd admit if I was, would I?

fionadunbar said...

Ooh, embarrassment! The command to 'add' was directed at readers of your blog, Nicola, and not at you: totally got that you were strapped for time & not offended at all! :-)

OSMWylie said...

Balls... I should've said thank you to folk (properly, not just replying...)

I don't know of twitter lessons on their own would appeal... maybe something extra like a twitter meet?

Old users, new users, set people up and help them add them, etc.

Basically a live online twitter workshop? It could even involve people who can't be in edinburgh, questions and discussions about twitter and writing.

Live twitter workshop/social/lark in the park?

catdownunder said...

Well whatever you are doing it is definitely working...I found three new followers in my mail this morning. I did not go looking for them. They appeared overnight.
There is an added dimension to joining in from Downunder because of the time delay. Most of you are now thinking about the end of the day, not the beginning! It means the conversations often make little sense and any responses I make are much too late - just makes it all the more interesting.

Nicola Morgan said...

Fiona - doh (to me!) Don't be embarrassed anyway - you should have been on the list.

Marshall - indeed.

OSMWylie - I think for beginners, a workshop with live access onm a screen but without people chipping in from around the world is a simpler idea, and simple is better for beginners. But, as with the workshop on general social networking that I did the other day in Edniburgh, having the conversation going on outside, for us to watch inside, works well as an example, but actually fielding questions from outside would get unmanageable and then the people who'd paid to come would be under-served. Does that make sense?

Cat - are most of your Twitter friends on the UK side of the world?

catdownunder said...

Yes, for the most part Nicola. I should explain I try to keep my creative writing world separate from my work world - in the work world I could get a tweet from anywhere at any time but I have a separate account for that. I have writing friends here - but they tend not to tweet!

Dan Holloway said...

There would most definitely be interest, but of course if you were to do it with a live feed it would need to be done carefully - twitter is a mischievous place :)

On the subject of finding people to follow, hashtags are great, but I'm sure you will cover them later - one that people really should get to grips with early on is #amwriting - if you type that into twitter's search you will find hundreds of super writers.

And thank you for putting me on the list! I will happily follow any of your readers back :)

Jesse said...

I think there would definitely be interest - I would come along if I was in Edinburgh.

Ooh and thank you for including me on the list :D

Elizabeth West said...

If I were in Edinburgh I would definitely come to that. And thanks, Nicola for the tutorial - I'm not on Twitter at the moment, but I've been thinking about it.

Kath McGurl said...

Aarrgghh I am still trying not to get sucked into Twitter but you are making it all sound very easy and interesting and worthwhile...

Lack of time has always been my excuse, but now you're saying (on the other post) it can actually save time... :-/

Stroppy Author said...

Whinge, whinge, Fiona complained and she got on the list, and I'm not on the list even though I commented, so I'd better complain. Whinge, whinge
:-)

optional said...

Wow, this is really helpful, thank you! I can sort of see the point of twitter now and feel it might develop into a bit of a hobby :)

Rebecca Woodhead said...

Twitter's fascinating. I've found it interesting to see how the experience changes as you get more followers. At the start, it's a bit daunting, and you have to change tactics later in the game or it becomes impossible, but it's such fun once you've got a few followers and are following a few people.

I think when you're following between about 100 and 1,000 and you have a similar number following you, that's a really nice place. It's a Goldilocks number - enough to make it interesting but not so many that it stops being chatter-sized. I started to struggle once I got past about 4,000 followers, because there are more expectations of you. I'm used to it now, but I'm so grateful for Lists. They mean I can scurry back into the 500-sized world again. Lovely. :)

One thing I've found useful is paper.li - I set up Books Magazine for people interested in Books on Twitter - it automatically pulls in tweets that use the #books hashtag. An easy way to see what people are talking about on any given day. Anyone can set one of these up around a hashtag or even their own account, once they're following a few people. Handy.

Rebecca

Sarah Cuthbertson said...

Thank you for the Twitter lessons! Have taken the scary plunge and am now having a Cake-Related Conversation which is cheering me up no end. Will get serious later. All the best to you.
sarah
@furiaspes

Sarah Callejo said...

I forgot to say thanks for mentioning me and even more thanks for introducing me to all these fantastic people, I've been having lots of fun this week.

Mary Hoffman said...

Well, I DID wonder why I suddenly acquired so many new followers - thank you! I missed these tweet posts altogether but my duaghter (@rhi_lassiter)mentioned it to me this weekend and then all was clear.

And this is also v. helpful as I have to write an article on social networking for authors for an Italian journal "by the end of August" (yes I know that's tomorrow or somesuch.) So can I quote you Nicola? I was going to mention your blog of course but the Twitterthing now also seems handy.

Is there no end to your usefulness?

Nicola Morgan said...

Mary - of course you can and may and I'd be honoured. Yes, there is an end to my usefulness. For example, you would not want me to knit you anything at all. I can think of many other things I'm not useful at, too.