I'm actively trying to understand Twitter. What got me started was hearing about #PitMad, which is a quarterly pitching contest on Twitter. In short, you can post a "pitch" for each book you're querying, and agents from all around follow the hashtag. If they want to receive a query about the book, they'll "like" the pitch. It's a great way to target your queries. Unfortunately, I struggle with micro short summaries, and I didn't receive any interest, but I'll have another shot in September.

What I have found is that the writing Twitter community is very supportive yet flooded. What I mean by that is I see a lot of "I want to build my numbers, follow me, and I'll follow you." However, engagements with other writers are minimal. So, my struggle is reaching readers and not writers. As another writer mentioned, having 5000 followers is pointless if only 50 of them interact with your posts.

The good I have seen from the #writingcommunity is everyone is quite supportive of good news. The posts that talk about receiving requests from agents or representation announcements get the most likes and comments.

Just like this website, I know it will take time to grow. For now, I am grateful I have found others with whom I can share my struggles and my successes. Now on to discover what other hashtags an up-and-coming author might use to attract followers.

#writeon