As a writer with a Twitter account, who spends quite a bit of time on Twitter, and who follows and is followed by a number of other writers, I can never really escape the never-ending discourse on topics that seem to matter most to writers on Twitter.
I left Twitter for many reasons but one was that I published two books recently, one with a tour at stores, convention appearances, ads from the publisher, and another during the pandemic with social media and zoom. The first book sold thousands, the second sold hundreds. I was staying on Twitter for book promoting after it got very ugly, but it didn't sell any books. It works for some, but not when your followers are mostly other writers.
Hit that nail on the head, Zev. The only support that matters is: buy the book, read the book. If you really like it, talk to your friends about it. Lots of people never review what they read. I review new writers, the ones that need the shout-out (S. King doesn't need my reviews...). Twitter made me discover some very talented people, and yes, my TBR is huge but I'm hacking at it. Do I hope these people will read my stuff? Of course I do. Will they? Ha, who knows...
This was a good one, Zev. Definitely captured a lot of thoughts similar to what I think about. I try to be the true kind of supportive, and when I post about a book, I’m truly looking forward to it and intend to buy and read it. I’m still working my way through the stack of Writing Twitter books I bought at the end of 2021, but I’m doing it. It’s tough to not see a ton of reciprocation but I also try to remind myself that the community I’m ingrained in is very much more into fantasy, romance, and really anything besides general/literary fiction, which is what I write. I’m always grateful for the encouragement I get, but you’re right that it’s very different from support. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts!
I left Twitter for many reasons but one was that I published two books recently, one with a tour at stores, convention appearances, ads from the publisher, and another during the pandemic with social media and zoom. The first book sold thousands, the second sold hundreds. I was staying on Twitter for book promoting after it got very ugly, but it didn't sell any books. It works for some, but not when your followers are mostly other writers.
And, as I stated in the essay, they mostly just read whatever genre they write, which further stifles a writer's ability to find readers.
Hit that nail on the head, Zev. The only support that matters is: buy the book, read the book. If you really like it, talk to your friends about it. Lots of people never review what they read. I review new writers, the ones that need the shout-out (S. King doesn't need my reviews...). Twitter made me discover some very talented people, and yes, my TBR is huge but I'm hacking at it. Do I hope these people will read my stuff? Of course I do. Will they? Ha, who knows...
Thank you. And, yes—who knows? But once they buy the book, they owe us nothing.
This was a good one, Zev. Definitely captured a lot of thoughts similar to what I think about. I try to be the true kind of supportive, and when I post about a book, I’m truly looking forward to it and intend to buy and read it. I’m still working my way through the stack of Writing Twitter books I bought at the end of 2021, but I’m doing it. It’s tough to not see a ton of reciprocation but I also try to remind myself that the community I’m ingrained in is very much more into fantasy, romance, and really anything besides general/literary fiction, which is what I write. I’m always grateful for the encouragement I get, but you’re right that it’s very different from support. Appreciate you sharing your thoughts!