Using Twitter to Promote Your Book

Photo by CarrotCreative.

While I love the social aspects of Twitter, I also love the simple platform for self-promotion—especially for authors.

That’s why I’m also using the power of 140 characters or less to help promote my books, Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes and Creatively Self-Employed. Here are some tips to help you do the same for your book.

Make Nice With Your Competitors

It may sound counter-active, but teaming up with authors who have written books similar to yours is a great way to network and stay on top of what they’re doing—and what’s going on in your book niche industry that you may have missed. Many of the authors I know who have written career books take time to research statistics, for example. Because I don’t do that too much, I find their tweets (and blog posts) very valuable.

There’s no need to get competitive though—I’ve found this is a wonderful way to meet friends. Ultimately, there’s enough publicity waiting out there for everyone, so don’t get snarky or too bloodthirsty. Also, don’t be afraid to share a lead with someone in your writing field if you’re comfortable doing so. Chances are, they will let you in on their contacts too. If nothing else, you can target their press contacts just by seeing who is writing about their book. By screening another authors’ press clippings, I’ve gotten access to reporters that cover my specific field. Be careful not to walk on toes here. It’s hard to specify the rules for this, so hopefully saying “don’t overstep your bounds” and “be professional” says enough.

I’ve befriended plenty of career experts on Twitter. I not only follow them to stay on top of what they’re doing, but in turn, I learn a lot from what they have to say. For me, adding a competitor doesn’t mean I get competitive—the way I see it, we’re all out to do the same thing, which is to help people. If we can piggy-back off each other and learn from each other, that’s even better.

Find Magazine Editors and Reporters

If you’re looking to promote your book by writing articles, you’re in luck. Many magazine and newspaper reporters are on Twitter. This is a wonderful two-way street: Read up on their articles to stay on top of your industry and get the chance to tweet them. When you tweet an editor, you can draw attention to a query or just make small talk so they’ll be aware of your name when they see your query. Don’t be too forceful here—try to cultivate a Twitter relationship organically. If nothing else, get access to the reporter’s personal website and hopefully their email address for future queries.

For me, I’ve reached out to a few people covering workplace issues, since a large aspect of my book focuses on how recent college grads can get jobs. So it’s valuable to have that person’s contact information at my fingertips instead of emailing a broad address or calling a 1-800 number and following the bread crumbs.

Tweet Your Articles

Most people who want to promote themselves and keep others abreast on their industry are notorious for including links to articles they’ve written. Jeff Fisher, author of Identity Crisis and The Savvy Designer’s Guide to Success, has used Twitter to boost his sales by tweeting about blog mentions and speaking engagement.

When promoting yourself via a 140-character pitch, include a catchy headline and a link to every blog post or notable article. But don’t go overkill; make time to forge relationships on Twitter making small talk. Not every tweet should be a self-promotion.

Befriend PR People

Many professionals in the public relations arena use Twitter to get quick responses to inquiries. I love when I see a tweet requesting a career expert for a last-minute article. Chances are, I’m on Twitter in time to respond to the request and get the press placement. This is a fabulous way to promote your book and meet other creative people. It’s the basic gist of networking: You never know when that contact will be valuable to your career. In the meantime, they have great tips about how to approach and work with media outlets—something else useful for authors looking to promote their work.

Add Other Authors

I have a few Twitter pals that are authors but haven’t written about anything that I have. It’s a wonderful way to get insight into the industry and hear about the art of writing, rather than the topic of your writing niche. Plus, it’s enjoyable to read about other topics. For example, in addition to my career book author pals, I added a few authors that write about self-help and celebrity gossip topics, something I’m interested in outside of my career.

You’ve written and published a book. Hopefully you’ve got a website to promote it, too. Take it one step further and join the Twitter revolution and you can leverage the power of networking in a whole new way. And if it leads to a few more book sales, so be it!

Kristen Fischer is an author and copywriter living in New Jersey. Visit www.kristenfischer.com to learn more.