If you’re like every indie author on my Twitter timeline, you’re trying to sell your book. I have my own opinion on the success of just screaming out to everyone and anyone to buy your book, but I’ll let @Gavrusik do it for me this time.
Dear God, we've just met, never spoken and now you're sending me DMs asking me to buy your book.
Ever heard of foreplay?#amwriting
— Gary Rutherford (@Gavrusik) February 23, 2016
Get the picture? As I’ve said before, you’re not going to walk into a coffee shop and scream out to everyone there to buy your book. Why do you do it online?
However, you have a twitter account to meet other authors and readers with similar interests. That’s great. There are simple #hashtags that every indie author should know to help their tweets be seen. This list is not exhaustive, but it is some of the most important ones.
The Core #Hashtags:
These are about as basic as it gets, but you should know these:
- #AmWriting
- #AmReading
- #WritersLife
- #IndieAuthors
Reach Readers:
There are times when you want to reach readers–any and all of them. These hashtags will help you shout into the void with just a little bit more purpose.
- #BookGiveaway
- #FridayReads
- #MustRead
- #GoodRead
Reach Specific Readers:
Sometimes, you want to find those readers that have the highest likelihood of having interest in your book, not just anyone who’s ever read something in their life. Try sending tweets with targeted hashtags. These are some of the top genre-targeted #hashtags:
- #SciFiChat
- #YALitChat
- #YA
- #FlashFic
- #Romance
- #Horror
- #FanFic
- #History
- #Biopic
- #RWA (Romance Writers of America)
- #MemoirChat
- #RomanceWriter
- #KidLitChat
- #PoetTues
- #ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers)
- #MGLit (Middle Grade Lit)
- #SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators)
Connect With Authors:
Maybe you’ve learned a thing or two from me and you’re not just trying to sell your book. That’s great. Congrats on making your social media profile not completely psychotic and one-track-minded. (Minded? This guy’s an author?)
Here’s some great #hashtags to connect with authors:
- #IndiePub
- #SelfPub
- #WriterWednesday or #WW
- #SelfPublishing
- #ScriptChat (for Screenwriters)
- #WordCount
- #LitChat
- #BookMarket
- #ZineChat
- #WritingParty
- #NaNoWriMo
Get Writing Help:
Sometimes you just want specific advice on writing. Try these #hashtags on for size:
- #Grammar
- #AmEditing
- #WritingTips or #WritingTip
- #Writing
- #WritingPrompt
- #WriteChat
Industry Tags:
Finally, let’s bring this full circle–from the broad general #hashtags getting more and more specific by the middle, and now back to some brand general industry tags.
- #Ebooks
- #Publishing
- #GetPublished
- #BookMarketing
- #Digital
- #AskEditor
- #AskAgent
There you go. 48 #hashtags for you to consider when you tweet about how amazing your book is and how you will drink gasoline if I buy your book. (How did this become a thing? How is the “I will do X crazy-ass thing if you buy my book” a real thing?)
Fine, I’ll give you an even 50 #hashtags because you’re neurotic and OCD. If you need two other tags when trying to sell your book, consider #DoesAnybodyHearMe or #IKnowSomethingYouDontKnow. You’re welcome.
Find more writing and publishing tips at Nothing Any Good.
