Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Authors need to know more about Twitter than how to get started.

Used correctly, Twitter hashtags are one of the best ways to connect with industry experts, readers, and other authors. Used incorrectly, it’s just another way to waste your precious time.

And you dear author, do not have time to waste.

If you’ve used the social network for any length of time, you’ve seen hashtags floating around at the tail end of the 140 character tweets. Here’s what you need to know to use them well.

Hashtags are used for:

  • Indexing emotions (#Vague #OhNoHeDidnt)
  • Identifying a Brand (#Ferrari)
  • Recommending a Product (#BestRead)
  • Connecting with like-minded people (#MemoirChat)
  • Finding Experts (#AskAgent)
Some Twitter hashtags are easy to understand. #WritingTip and #WriteTips are tags that provide, you guessed it, writing tips. Others, like #FF are a little harder to understand. #FF stands for #FollowFriday. On Friday, Twitter users tag other users for their friends to follow.
Twitter Hashtag Example

If you don’t know what a certain hashtag is, you can look it up on TagDef.  The chances are, it will be there. If you’re lost by all of this, one of our social media experts can help you out.

Here’s our list of essential Twitter Hashtags. You should use them and monitor them. If you are using TweetDeck, it is easy to monitor hashtags. Just create a new column to follow the hashtag. Monitor away and jump in to the conversation.

Connect With Other Authors –

  • #AmWriting
  • #AmEditing
  • #WordCount
  • #WriterWednesday (or #WW)
  • #WritersLife
  • #YALitChat
  • #LitChat (every M/W/F)
  • #MemoirChat (every other Wednesday at 8 pm ET)
  • #BookMarket (Thursday’s at 4 pm ET)
  • #ScriptChat (Screenwriters)
  • #PoetTues
  • #ZineChat
  • #WritingParty
  • #IndieAuthors
  • #WriteChat
  • #NaNoWriMo
  • #WANA (We Are Not Alone community)
  • #PBLitChat (Picture books only)

Connect By Book Genre –

  • #RomanceWriter
  • #SciFiChat
  • #KidLitChat
  • #RWA (Romance Writers of America)
  • #ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers)
  • #MGLit (Middle Grade Lit)
  • #SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators)
  •  #MemoirChat
  • #FlashFic
  • #Romance
  • #Horror
  • #FanFic
  • #YA
  • #History
  • #Biopic

Tweetables –

Get Industry Information –

  • #WritingTip
  • #WriteTip
  • #GetPublished
  • #BookMarket
  • #BookMarketing
  • #PromoTip
  • #SelfPublishing
  • #SelfPub
  • #Publishing
  • #AskAgent
  • #AskAuthor
  • #AskEditor
  • #EBooks
  • #IndiePub (or #IndiePublishing)
  • #BookMarketing
  • #PubTip

Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

  • #WritingPrompt
  • #StoryStarter
  • #WordAThon
  • #Creativity
  • #WIP (work in progress)
  • #1K1H (write one thousand words in one hour)

Connect With Readers

  • #FridayReads
  • #BookGiveaway
  • #MustRead
  • #LitChat
  • #StoryFriday
  • #MustRead
  • #TeaserTues
  • #BookGiveaway
  • #FreeBook
  • #FreeDownload
  • #Kindle
  • #Nook

What hashtags do you follow? Which chats do you like to jump in on? Let us know in the comment section.

PS – Your book should have a hashtag of it’s own.

Liked it? Take a second to support Caitlin Muir on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!

Want more help?

Get a weekly email with tips on building a platform, selling more books, and changing the world with writing worth talking about. 

You have Successfully Subscribed!