What good is Twitter, really? How do authors use it? How should authors use it? How can readers use it? How can readers and authors use it together? How many more questions can I type here that essentially ask the same thing? In this episode I talk about how I, as an author and reader, use Twitter. But most importantly, I address its limitations. Enjoy.

Send any writing and publishing related questions to caleb [at] calebjross.com. I will answer them in a future episode.

Show Notes and Mentions:

• Yes, again, Jane Friedman teaches at the University of Cincinnati. Twitter handle: @JaneFriedman
• Personal examples of professional success using Twitter:
• Invited to contribute a story to a Rainstorm Press horror anthology
• Live tweeting at literary events such as the reading at Czar bar in Kansas City and the social media panel at AWP in 2011.
• Many bloggers and authors have contacted me via Twitter about doing guests posts for my blog tour: The Stranger Will Tour for Strange
• Summary:

1. Chances are, nobody is listening on Twitter anyway
2. The best way to get people to listen to you is to be honest. Leave the sales pitch at the door.
3. Use Twitter as a notebook or mini-workshop
4. Cultivate your own personal PR department
5. Engage with the reading community even before you have a book deal. Read Christina Katz’s Get Known Before the Book Deal.

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