After weighing the pros and cons of Twitter last time, maybe you’ve decided to take the leap. But you’re understandably overwhelmed, because Twitter is a strange and mysterious land to the uninitiated. Never fear! I’m here with the basics of what you need to do to start off your Twitter life with a bang. And even if this Twitter thing is old hat to you, I hope you’ll give it a quick glance, because there are tips for everyone hiding in these basics. Let’s go!

1. Use the name you publish under.

If you’re joining Twitter for the sake of building your writing platform, you should use the exact name that you publish under. This helps readers avoid confusion. So if you publish under George K. Schmidt, that’s how you should fill out your name – not George Schmidt or George Karl Schmidt.

2. Make your handle as close to that name as possible.

Your Twitter name and your Twitter handle don’t have to match, but they should. Again, you’re working toward recognition and clarity. If the handle for your exact name is taken, choose the closest thing that makes sense and seems professional. Think @GKSchmidt, not @GeorgiePorgie.

3. Upload a photo of your face, or at least yourself. (No book covers.)

I know, I know. Some authors are so resistant to headshots. I can’t force you to come out of your shell, but I can say that people on Twitter want to talk to humans, not eggs, not logos, not your pet dog, and (sorry) not your book cover. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous your cover is or how smitten you are with it; people want to follow an author, not a book. Still can’t bring yourself to use a face shot? The next best thing is humanoid alternatives (silhouettes, profiles, cartoon renderings) – not landscapes or objects. [Read more…]

In my last post here at Writer Unboxed, I mentioned that – despite what the “build a platform” drones might chant outside your bedroom window at night – writers don’t have to be on Twitter. It is not required. Believe it or not, we are all grown-up people here (or let’s pretend we are), and […]

This post probably isn’t what you’re expecting. If you’re looking for guidelines and tips on how to use and get the most out of Twitter, you can view a list of my past posts here. But before you get overwhelmed, don’t worry. This is not a crash-course on everything you could possible learn about the […]

Every once in a while, I’ll be on Twitter and start feeling glum. No one is talking to me, I think. No one new is following me. No one’s replying to my tweets. There’s a problem here, and that problem is me. It never fails that if I notice a Twitter slump, it’s my own […]

If you spend any amount of time on the internet, you’ve probably seen people using words or phrases with pound signs in front of them, #like #this. On Twitter, this is called a hashtag. Putting that symbol in front of a word turns it into a searchable link. In other words, you can then click […]

If you’re new to Twitter, you’ve likely already seen retweeting come up. If you’re about to jump on the bandwagon, this is one of the first things you’ll need to learn. And even if you’re a seasoned tweep, the intricacies of the mysterious retweet can be confusing. Don’t you worry; I’m here to help. Let’s […]

Hello Writer Unboxed readers! I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Annie Neugebauer, and I’m the new Twitter columnist around these parts. I’ll be blogging Twitter tips, theory, and practice every other month. Many thanks to Nina Badzin for recommending me, and to Therese Walsh and the whole WU crew for welcoming me with […]