To: You, both my readers
From: Me, technologically ennui-filled ambitious and conflicted author
Date: July 13, 2012
Subject: Dare I tweet? Does it Help?
Team Grass Oil:
I am at a point where I have written a first draft of a novel. I have much more to write. I know this. I accept this as my mission and I am prepared to do whatever I can to
See, that’s where it stops.
I guess I’m not ready yet. I have a best friend who is a published author. Tracy Kiely. She writes mystery novels and they’re great. Funny, sharp, whimsical and like Tracy, elegant. She has wanted to be a writer since before she was born and she is a writer. To me, whether she is published or not, she is a Writer. But she is published and now she is a busy writer: traveling, promoting, writing more, interviews, book clubs, author readings, book signings and all that. She is my hero. I have known her for a long time. She won’t let me say how long any more. She has been a champion of mine as long as I’ve known her. She and I have a shorthand that spares hours (even though we are on the phone for hours when we manage to carve out a weekend to “chat”). I don’t know if I’ve ever told her she’s my hero (or maybe I have, but I swear I’ve never sung it to her). I want her to know that I love her and think she’s just that cat’s pajamas. OK, enough emotional stuff, I need to get to the point.
Tracy tweets. She’s not on Facebook too often which is fine because she’s writing, but she does have an author page. I haven’t asked her about the tweeting; I will. So stop rolling your eyes …
Other authors tweet. I’ve been asked if I’m on twitter twice.
That was funny. Let me try that in an alliterative style: two tweeters talked of tweeting twice. Now three times. Now faster!
People who are not authors tweet. Snookie tweets, what the what is that all about?
- ouch. lycra and spandex have limits #inexplicablyfamous
I think teenagers tweet. About what?
- Stuckonhighway #needgas
- thisfrappucinosucks #needgas
- mommadetunacasseroleagain #needgas
- can’tstandmyexbestfriend #needgas
Or the butcher:
- nystriponsale13 per lb bring your own bags. #freshmeat
Or maybe Superman tweets:
- need SPF 3000 or better lead shield #sunisstrongerthankryptonite
The thing is: if I write and finish this book that I started last month and farm it out to an agent who then shops it to a publisher … (quick, get me the smelling salts, i’m about to get the vapors) and let’s say people buy it and then they tell friends and all of a sudden I’m eating fois gras at the Plaza and Ashton Kutcher asks me for my autograph and then Steven Spielberg tells me he wants ME to star as Miriam in my soon-to-be directed film adaptation about Miriam where she gets abducted by hip abductor muscles and she can only walk laterally… too late, i passed out.
Anyway, the point is: should I tweet? People say it’s more effective than Facebook and the point of writing the book is to get people to read it … so? I dunno… I guess I could always quit it. Yeah. ‘Cause that’s what I do… I quit things. I’m laughing. My kids are laughing at that. The dog, he just started laughing. No, I don’t quit. I just dial back. When I quit something, it’s forever.
I would LOVE to hear from you about this. I have no clue. Really. I feel it’s sorta tapping into that “don’t garner attention” gene of mine. Gah! What a conflict! I HATE ATTENTION! but then why do i do this?! Really? I just checked my stats: no one is reading this. Like three people are reading this post. So … once again this is a problem in my own brain.
Here’s one: Grass Oil tweets! #conflicted about attention
Thank you.
UPDATE: well, that ennui lasted all of 48 hours. i ended up opening a Twitter account. you can follow me if thou wishest: @mollyfieldtweet – lucky you! 🙂
Grass Oil by Molly Field 
Yes! By all means, Tweet! 😉 I was skeptical for a lomg time, but now find Twitter invaluable now.
Check out the hash tag #mywana to connect with awesome writers. Start conversations and take interest (respond to) others. Share your links and others’ you find compelling. It’s worth it and fun once you get the hang of it.
Thanks August! I did open an acct and I’ve already made an erroneous tag. It was ok though. I am going to spend to more than one hour today to learn how to do it properly. My “handle” is mollyfieldtweet. Sassy, eh?
I have tons of advice about this and, like all things in life, the answer is, of course, it depends. It’s free to set up a Twitter account and takes one second, so you can always set it up and see if you like it. Your publisher will probably expect you to set up an account anyway (fingers crossed for you!) so you may as well do it now and start getting used to it. Using Twitter casually/just for fun vs. using it to promote a book are different, but the being used to it and knowing how it works/having some followers/people you follow already started would probably be better than just starting with the sole goal of promoting something. So start the account, when you do new posts here, Tweet links to those. Connect with other writers, look for Twitter chats about writing stuff, and then see how you feel. I will say there is a lot of noise on Twitter so results may vary, but it can’t hurt.
And start checking out Pinterest, if you’re not already using it, because you’ll probably have to use that too for book promotion!!
I’m happy to chat about this–am working on the social media part of a book promotion campaign now, and all my friends who write business books (because every social media guru has to write a book!) is expected by the publisher to self-promote like crazy, which has pros and cons. The cons, of course, being what you’ve mentioned–comfort level with self-promotion, the time suck that is social media, etc.
Thanks, Mags. I will definitely contact you. I did open an account today mollyfieldtweet…haven’t done anything yet, but I heard you before you commented. Good planning.
I’m having this exact same dilemma. I’m leaning towards… Tweeting? Twittering? I’m in my twenties and don’t know the correct terminology! But yes, I have also heard that it is in a writer’s best interest. Good luck to you!
Staci, thank you so much for your visit and for following! I’ll check out your page shortly. I did decide to tweet. I should put an update at the end of the post. I have to say this: it is easy, it keeps me largely offline because it shares to FB automatically and that’s good for me. It’s fairly intuitive and I also see how if you have followers it enables you to “stay in touch” while on the go. The fact that we are all limited to 140 characters does make it an antidote to the longer-paced FB experience which is favorable for me because there’s no “like” to become obsessive about (if you check out my post called “balancing act” you will see what I mean). If you want to be “found” and published, you’re gonna need it anyway. I prefer it to actively going on Facebook, now, as it allows me more creativity and freedom.
I was wondering about the experience–if it would be “worth it” or not. I will check out your balancing act post. Thanks again, great advice!
Also, thanks for the correct spelling of my name. It’s kind of silly, but I do tend to be a little obsessive about that. But, then again, doesn’t everyone?
Oh, and sorry about misspelling your name. I should have double checked. Good luck to you as well!