The Social Media Promotions Thread

45+ Twitter Hashtags for Writers
The list below contains hashtags that writers can use to be discovered and to find readers.

#1K1H: This hashtag communicates that you’re about to write 1,000 words in one hour.

#1LineWednesday: Share the best line from one of your books on Wednesdays and use this hashtag.

#99c: If you have a spare $0.99 to spend on a new story, use this tag in your Twitter search bar, and you’ll find a cheap eBook. You can also use this hashtag to find new readers if you’re selling an eBook for this price.

#Amazon / #GooglePlay / #Kobo / #iTunes / #Smashwords: Use these hashtags to let your readers know where your book is available for download or order.

#AmazonCart: You can encourage your readers to connect their Amazon and Twitter accounts. Then each time your readers include #AmazonCart in a tweet, Amazon will know to add the items with the corresponding Amazon link to your readers’ shopping carts.

#amwriting / #amediting: These terms are commonly used for Twitter chats you join. Johanna Harness is the creator of the term #amwriting as well as the www.amwriting.org website. Chats take place throughout the day. Some authors use #amediting to let their readers know that they are editing their next book.

#AuthorChat: This hashtag is used for ongoing conversations between authors.

#askagent / #askauthor: These are great tags for writers who don’t have an agent or editor, but have questions for them. Who knows? You just might find your next editor or agent on Twitter.

#askeditor: Similar to the above hashtag, use this one to ask an editing question.

#bestseller: Have you written a best seller? Let everyone know. Refrain from using this hashtag if you haven’t written a best seller. Are you reading a best seller? Show your readers that you read as well by including the title, a link, and this hashtag in a tweet.

#bibliophile / #bookworm / #reader: If you’re looking for a reader for your books, add one of these hashtags to a tweet about one of your books.

#bookgiveaway: Is your book listed for free during a Kindle promotion? Use this hashtag. Use it also for your Goodreads giveaways.

#bookmarket / #bookmarketing / #GetPublished: Search for this hashtag to learn more about marketing your books.

#bookworm: Looking for avid readers? Use this hashtag when tweeting about your books.

#BYNR (Book Your Next Read): Authors use this hashtag to promote their books.

#eBook: Did you release an ebook or recently convert a hard copy novel to an ebook? Use this hashtag so that iPad, Nook, Kobo, and Kindle users can download it.

#FollowFriday / #FF: This is a fun Twitter tradition for expressing gratitude to your retweeters by giving them exposure to a wider audience. On Friday mornings, write a message composed of the usernames of your most loyal retweeters. You can also use #FF to connect with writers you admire or members of your critique group or book club.

#Free / #Giveaway: This has become a popular hashtag on Twitter. Let readers know when you’re offering your next book or story giveaway.

#FreeDownload: Use this hashtag when you want to promote your book as being free.

#FreebieFriday: If you offer a book giveaway on a Friday, use this hashtag.

#FridayRead: On Fridays, you can share what you’re reading. Refrain from using this hashtag for your book. Authors use this hashtag to communicate their love of reading.

#Genre/ #Romantic / #Comedy / #Suspense /#Mystery / #Erotica / Paranormal / Poetry / #DarkThriller / Dark Fantasy, etc.: Some readers search specifically by genre when looking for a new book. Use the hashtag that corresponds to your genre.\

#Goodreads: Use this hashtag when referring to a review, book giveaway, or favorite quote on Goodreads.

#Greatreads: You can use this hashtag for promoting your friends’ books or just sharing your impressions of the last book you read.

#Holidays: #Halloween, #Christmas, #Hanukkah, and other holidays are sometimes trending on Twitter. Use them in creative ways to promote your blog and books when you feature an event or blog post related to a holiday.

#HotTitles: Have you read some books lately that are selling like wildfire? Let your Tweeps know about them. (Don’t use this hashtag for your books.)

#Instapoet: Use this hashtag to attract traffic to your Instagram account, to identify yourself as a poet who has risen through the ranks as an avid social media user, or to attract attention to similar poets.

#KidLit/#PictureBook: Authors of children’s books will want to use these hashtags.

#kindle: If you have a book on Kindle, let everyone know.

#KindleBargain: Use this hashtag when your book is listed temporarily for free.

#memoir: Connect with other memoirists and readers by using this hashtag. Also, designate your latest memoir with this hashtag.

#nanowrimo: Every November, thousands of writers take part in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), the effort to write a novel in one month. The project started in 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over time, it became a national and then international effort. By 2013, NaNoWriMo attracted 310,000 adult novelists, plus an additional 89,500 young writers. You can keep in touch with other NaNoWriMo writers all over the world by using the #nanowrimo hashtag in your tweets or by searching for this term. Use it to let your readers know that you’re writing another volume in a series you write too.

#ShortStory: Do you prefer to write short stories? Attract new admirers with this hashtag.

#ThankfulThursday: Similar to #FF, use this hashtag to thank other users in your community.

#WhatToRead: Looking for a new book to read? Use this hashtag in Twitter’s search bar.

#WLCAuthor: The World Literary Café is a promotional website for authors. Similar to the Independent Author Network (#IAN), Indie authors who join these organizations help each other in their promotions. TIP: These types of hashtags are unfamiliar to your readers so use them thoughtfully, if at all.

#wordcount: With this hashtag you can share your progress with other writers on the book or story you’re writing.

#writegoal: Users include this hashtag to announce publicly how many words they intend to write that day.

#WriterWednesday / #WW: Use this hashtag to connect with writers you admire and authors who are your colleagues.

#WritersBlock / #WriteMotivation: Do you sometimes need a little motivation in the mornings to get your writing started? Use these hashtags to find your inspiration. If you’re also an editor, use these hashtags to inspire authors.

#WritersLife: If you have a fun image or quote to share about writing or the writing process, use this hashtag to amuse your author colleagues.

#writetip / #writingtip: If you don’t have time to take a workshop, trying using these hashtags to learn more about your craft. Authors who are book coaches or editors can use these hashtags to attract new clients.

#writing / #editing: These terms are similar to #amwriting and #amediting.

#writingblitz: Use this term to let your followers know that today you are writing as fast as you can.

#writingfiction: Fiction writers use this hashtag to meet each other or to share their books, goals, or ideas on writing fiction.

#writingprompt / #writeprompt: Is it hard to get started on the next chapter of your novel? Well, worry no more. Log on to Twitter, search for this tag, and you’ll find a great prompt to get those creative juices bubbling.

socialmediajustforwriters.com/45-twitter-hashtags-for-authors/

Thanks for the hashtag list.

I don't do Facebook, because I don't like it and because it is full of family members, old classmates, former and current students and other people I don't want to interact with. If I don't friend those people they would be offended, but if they friend me and I only talk about books and writing in English, they'll probably be very puzzled or worse, get angry. It's something of a pity that I cannot use features like pages, groups, Facebook ads, etc... without having an account, but that cannot be helped.

Meanwhile, I have really come to enjoy Twitter. It's not so great for advertising, but it's great for socialising. And I have gotten interviews, guest blogging spots, a regular blogging gig, etc... out of it. And sometimes, I've even sold books via Twitter.

As for me, I am on Facebook under my own name. While I have plenty of friends I don't follow very many of them. Right now I'm there because I have friends there that aren't on any other social media. I'm also part of a couple FB groups. I do have a FB author page, but unless you have thousands of followers it's not worth doing much with one. I'm planning on getting rid of my author page at the end of the year since I don't use it anymore.

I am on Twitter. I do tweet every now and again. Mainly I follow podcasts and others that aren't on other social media. I used to be a bit more active there and on FB when episodes of "The Audio Guide to Babylon 5" were coming out. I'd post that I was re-watching an episode the Saturday before the podcast was set to come out. But since they hit the last episode of the series in August I haven't been as active.

I have an account on Tumblr. I used to be active there, but there are so many ads on it that it's become useless to me. I recently joined a Twitter-like service called Mastodon. It's still small but it has potential. I am on Google+ while it lasts (Google announced they're killing it early next yea), but I don't use it at all.

I had a Pinterest account, got rid of it, then recently rejoined. For me it's more a place to look at pictures and maybe see what those I'm following are posting. One of the podcasts I follow, "The History Chicks," has Pinterest boards for the women they feature on their podcast. There are some fun rabbit holes to go down when I get on there.

Instagram for me is more of a place to see the pics my friends and people I follow post. I do post an image of my monthly page counts in connection with my blog posts on my writing progress. I have posted other pics every now and again. There are some ways to promote if you're creative. One of the three hosts of "Radio Free Skaro," Warren Frey, used to do something on Tumblr called "Bookshelf Doctors." He collects action figures. He'd pose them and insert a funny caption. He's moved that over to Instagram and posts at least a few times a week.

A place where I have some of my writing posted is Wattpad. I used to be active there. I don't know if I'll post first chapters of new books as they come out. I had a novel featured there, but since that ended my follows have dropped to a trickle and I don't see much engagement there anymore.

Right now I'm somewhat active on Twitter and FB, and a bit more active on a few forums. I've also gotten active on Discord. I went there when a YouTuber I follow said she had a Discord channel. Then the Vaginal Fantasy book club stopped doing videos and created a Discord channel. Felicia Day has had a channel for a while, but recently opened hers up to anyone (it had been open only to those who were following her on Twitch). I sometimes enter discussions or post bits and bods in a couple of the channels I'm following.

One last thing: I am on Goodreads. I'm in a few book clubs, and if it wasn't for them I'd hardly be there at all. Mainly I post what I'm reading and keep my author account up to date.

Twitch is just like that.

Discord is a voice and text chat service. I've just looked it up on Wiki; it's only a few years old. It's mainly used by online gamers, though it is expanding. You do need an invite to get into a channel's server.

I do have a YouTube channel, actually, though I only have a couple old book trailers posted. I am following quite a few YouTube channels. Quite a few for tiny houses. Also Gail Carriger's channel (she does Facebook live videos then posts to her YouTube channel). I follow two vloggers from when Felicia Day started Geek & Sundry, Kiri Callaghan and Dael Kingsmill (MonarchsFactory). I follow the official MST3K channel, RiffTrax, and Dominic Glynn (composed for late 80s Who; met him at a local con last year).

Honestly, I'm more a lurker than an active user. I post now and again. I don't know that social media really helps sell books. I do think if are even a little active, you have more chances to have people see you. Some of them might like your work. You never know where fans of your work will come from, so it's probably helpful to at least have a presence and be active where and how often you feel comfortable.