A Twitter Success Story by Beth Barany

Many authors don’t understand how to use Twitter to spread the word about their books. They think Twitter is a waste of time.

I really don’t think Twitter is a waste of time, and I’ll tell you why.

Actually Twitter is a great place to make connections with people you may otherwise never meet and to spread the word about your book in unexpected ways, and into unexpected venues.

All you need to do is be clear about the kinds of ways you’d like to promote your book, take action, and say YES to opportunities when they land in your lap.

Now I realize that my way of going about book marketing and promotions may not be yours. I tend to use the “attractor” method. That is I intend and attract what I want; I don’t go cold-calling or asking, necessarily. In fact, I model the behavior I want others to do for me.

I explain more about how to use Twitter in this attractor why in my new book, Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers.

Case in point, and my Twitter success story:

I take guest bloggers on my blog, Writer’s Fun Zone. And I’ve intended to be a guest blogger on more blogs. (For 2013, my goal is to be a guest blogger at least twice a month.)

On Twitter, I invite people to be guest bloggers at Writer’s Fun. My action.

I’ve set my intention to be a guest blogger. And I should say that I’ve made my intention specific: I want to be a guest blogger on sites that have high visibility and lots of traffic, more traffic than I get at Writer’s Fun Zone. (I get about 1,400 monthly visitors.)

My success story is that I got contacted by BookBaby.com, a company that helps authors self-publish their books, asking if I’d like to write for their blog. Of course, I said YES.

My post will be up in a few weeks.

And all because of Twitter!

What success story do you have to share because of Twitter? Share it in the comments below.

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Beth Barany is a Creativity Coach for Writers, Publishing Consultant, and Speaker. Her latest book for writers is  Twitter for Authors: Social Media Book Marketing Strategies for Shy Writers. Beth is also the award-winning novelist  of the young adult fantasy, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer. Connect with her on Twitter at @beth_barany.