Runebinder is a dark post-apocalyptic young adult thriller that follows eighteen-year-old water and earth user Tenn, as he is torn between two opposition sides of a deadly fight for survival.
The discovery of magic caused the old world to disappear forever, leaving a reality where to live is a daily struggle of simply surviving another day. Monsters named Howls roam the world searching for survivors to feast on, but they are nothing compared to the powerful Kin that are waging a violent war against what remains of humanity.
During a food scouting mission, Tenn and his companions become surrounded by Howls. Under orders to not use magic to keep the location of their army secret from the approaching army of necromancers, Tenn’s Water sphere unexpectedly unleashes an unprecedented amount of power, destroying every Howl in the surrounded area instantly. Tenn is confused by how his magic could act on his own, and Tenn is soon sought by the opposing sides in the endless war for survival who both believe Tenn is the key to their success.
The opening installment to The Runebinder Chronicles, Runebinder is a fast-paced action-packed novel that will keep readers wanting to know what happens next.
The world-building descriptions are reminiscent of the quick and drastically changed world of a zombie apocalypse. It has only been a few years since magic reached the point of no return after the creation of the Howls. The decay seems too advanced for the few short years since everything changed, but is believable when considering the power magic has.
Runebinder makes use of the “Chosen One” literary trope, which is arguably an overused plot structure, especially in young adult literature. Perhaps, as the series progresses, Kahler will create a unique take on the “Chosen One” storyline, but in Runebinder alone, it is not. The characters are developed well and quite complex once far enough into the story. The style and tone flow easily, which makes for a quick page-turning experience.
It’s hard not to view Runebinder, which was first published in 2018, differently after living through a global pandemic, but reading it now makes it more accessible and engrossing.
Tenn’s world changed forever in an instant. Magic emerged and grew slowly, but the world Tenn knew died suddenly once it reached a critical point. There’s a theme in Runebinder of the feeling of never feeling safe after losing normalcy. How does one keep going when everything seems hopeless and there is nothing left to fight for? Yet, Tenn keeps fighting to survive and life another day in the smallest hope that a better world will one day be possible.
Runebinder by Alex R. Kahler is a post-apocalyptic young adult story about the power of hope in a world where no hope should exist, yet does despite all odds.
The Chatelaine Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Romantic Fiction. The Chatelaine Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best new books featuring romantic themes and adventures of the heart, historical love affairs, perhaps a little steamy romance, and stories that appeal especially to fans of affairs of the heart to compete in the Chatelaine Book Awards (the CIBAs). We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Chatelaine Romantic Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2021 Chatelaine Book Awards Finalist Positions.
All Finalists will be recognized at CAC22.
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA division Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25h, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
Valerie Taylor– What’s Not Said — A Novel
Anna Gomez and Kristoffer Polaha –Moments Like This
Lindy Miller –Aloha With Love
Alex Sirotkin –The Long Desert Road
Evie Alexander –Highland Games
A.D. Brazeau –Love Between the Lines
Bobbi Groover –Inside the Grey
Elizabeth St. Michel –Surrender the Storm
Kana Wu –No Secrets Allowed
Chris Karlsen –The Ack Ack Girl
John W. Feist – The Color of Rain
Edie Cay –The Boxer and the Blacksmith
Emily A. Myers –The Truth About Unspeakable Things
Deborah Swenson –Till My Last Breath, Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy
Phillip Vega –Searching for Sarah
Emma Lombard –Discerning Grace
F. E. Greene –In the Sweet Midwinter
These titles are in the running for the FIRST PLACE and GRAND PRZIE WINNERS of the 2021 Chatelaine Book Awards novel competition for Romantic Fiction!
Good Luck to All!
All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Dante Rossetti Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Young Adult Fiction. The Dante Rossetti Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Named in honor of the British poet & painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti who founded the Pre-Ralphaelite Brotherhood in 1848.
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring stories of all shapes and sizes written to an audience between the ages of about twelve to eighteen (imaginary or real). Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopian, Mystery, Paranormal, Historical, Romance, Literary, we will put them to the test and choose the best Young Adult Books among them for the winners of the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction. Looking for middle grade contests? Check out our Gertrude Warner Awards.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Dante Rossetti Young Adult Fiction Semi-Finalists to the 2021 Dante Rossetti Book Awards Finalists! All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
P.H.C. Marchesi –Florissant
Angela Yeh –A Phoenix Rises
Shadow Bleak –Riot Shield
M.J. Evans –The Sand Pounder: Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII
Dan Rice –Dragons Walk Among Us
Blue Spruell –TARO: Legendary Boy Hero of Japan
E.A. Allen –Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets
Mark Wakely –A Friend Like Filby
Glen Dahlgren – The Game of War: The Trials of Dantess, Warrior Priest
Jon Robinson –Sunshine and the Full Moon
Rektok Ross –Ski Weekend
Nancy Thorne –The Somewhere I See You Again
Dennis D. Skirvin –The Treasure of Nonsense Woods
Kourtney Spadoni –In The Underwood
Rebecca Danzenbaker –The Color of My Soul
L. A. Thompson –Isle of Dragons
Shay Siegel –Fractured
These titles are in the running for the First Place and Grand Prize Winners of the 2021 Dante Rossetti Book Awards novel competition for Young Adult Fiction!
Good Luck to ALL!
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Laramie Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in the Americana and Westerns fiction genre. The Laramie Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer Book Reviews is looking for the best books featuring Americana themes, First Nation stories, early North American History, cowboys & cowgirls in the Wild West, pioneering, and Civil War, and we will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Laramie Americana Semi-Finalists to the 2021 Laramie Book Awards FINALISTS. All FINALISTS will be announced and then recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
These titles are in the running for the FIRST PLACE and GRAND PRIZE WINNERS of the 2021 Laramie Book Awards novel competition for Americana Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works!
Chase Pletts –The Loving Wrath of Eldon Quint
E.E. Burke –Tom Sawyer Returns
Kimberly Burns –The Mrs. Tabor
Leah Angstman –The Only Way to Cheat a Hangman
E. Alan Fleischauer –Tommies
Michael Eisenhut –Brothers of War, The Iron Brigade at Gettysburg
Samantha Specks –Dovetails in Tall Grass
Kenneth Arbogast –Sorrow Ledge
Deborah Swenson –Till My Last Breath, Book One in the Desert Hills Trilogy
Pamela Nowak –Never Let Go
T.K. Conklin –Outlaw’s Redemption
Glen Craney –The Cotillion Brigade: A Novel of the Civil War and the Most Famous Female Militia in American History
David Fitz-Gerald –The Curse of Conchobar: A Prequel to the Adirondack Spirit Series
George T. Arnold –Wyandotte Bound
Chris Bennett –Road to the Breaking
Daniel Greene –Northern Hunt(Northern Wolf Series Book 2)
Bryan Ney –Absaroka War Chief
Good luck to all as your works move on to compete for the First Place and Grand Prize positions!
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Goethe Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in post-1750s Historical Fiction. The Goethe Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
The Goethe Book Awards competition is named for Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who was born at the dawn of the new era of enlightenment on August 28, 1749.
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring Late Period Historical Fiction. Regency, Victorian, 18th Century, 19th Century, 20th Century, World and other wars before the 20th century, history of non-western cultures, set after the 1750s, we will put them to the test and choose the best among them. For 20th century Wartime Fiction, see our new Hemingway Awards here.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from all 2021 Goethe Late Historical Fiction Short List to the 2021 Goethe Book Awards Semi-Finalists. Finalists will be selected from the Semi-Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference.
These titles are the Semi-Finalists of the 2021 Goethe Book Awards novel competition for Post-1750s Historical Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
J.G. Schwartz –The Curious Spell of Madam Genova
Andrew Schafer, M.D. –Unclean Hands
Leah Angstman –Falcon in the Dive
Margaret Rodenberg –Finding Napoleon: A Novel
Margaret Porter –The Limits of Limelight
Paula Butterfield –The Goddesses of Tenth Street
Adele Holmes, M.D. –Winter’s Reckoning
Tammy Pasterick –Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash
Ron Singerton –The Refused
Alice McVeigh –Susan: A Jane Austen Prequel
Jodi Lea Stewart –Triumph, a Novel of the Human Spirit
S. Lee Fisher –Becoming Olive W. – The Women of Campbell County: Family Saga: Book 1
Drema Drudge –Victorine
Lorelei Brush –Chasing the American Dream
Lee Hutch –Molly’s Song
Orna Ross –After the Rising
Glen Craney –The Cotillion Brigade: A Novel of the Civil War and the Most Famous Female Militia in American History
Pamela Hamilton –Lady Be Good
Lori McMullen –Among the Beautiful Beasts
Mike Jordan –The Freedom Song
Florence Reiss Kraut –How to Make a Life: a novel
Kathleen Williams Renk –Vindicated: A Novel of Mary Shelley
Michelle Rene –Maud’s Circus
Judith Berlowitz –Home So Far Away
Jenni L. Walsh– A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache
Good Luck to All in the next rounds that will determine the which titles advance to the FINALISTS Level.
A few entries have been moved to the 2021 Laramie Book Awards as per judges recommendations for Americana, Prairie,
MORE PROMOTION!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Goethe Book Awards for Post-1750s Historical Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
From his earliest days, author Benjamin Plumb understood he was an introvert, someone who, described in a classic definition, feels more comfortable with their inner thoughts and ideas rather than what is happening externally.
In his well-written memoir, The Satisfied Introvert, he tells us his life story through the lens of his introversion. He explains how he coped, often poorly, with his solitary nature in both his personal and business life, applying a variety of processing mechanisms that he describes as “recipes.” He explains that those processes didn’t apply to every life situation and sometimes kept him from seeing the possibility of making better decisions that would have made much of his life more gratifying.
The purpose of his book, he explains, is to help fellow introverts find safety in an extroverted world and gain more satisfaction in life. “The recipe,” he explains, “is a coping mechanism that works in some situations, but you can’t stay dependent on it. To feel truly safe, you must move beyond your winning recipe and take off on your own.”
The book takes the reader on his journey, from being the introvert in a show business family through his early romances, his education at Stanford and Harvard Business School and various entrepreneurial attempts around the world.
He describes in detail how he found both success and failure in the business world, due, in his view, to applying and mistakenly depending on the defensive processes he acquired to protect himself as an introvert in an extroverted world.
How he finally found peace and the success he hoped for in his professional and personal life is one of the achievements of this detailed personal memoir.
People who identify as introverts will find this an excellent read because the writer is unafraid to expose the details of his life focusing on how he coped with his introverted nature.
It is more of a cautionary tale, not a how-to manual. Whether it’s setting up businesses in South American jungles or revealing the dynamics of a marriage gone sour, The Satisfied Introvert is a series of life lessons learned along the way.
For non-introverts, it’s a cogent description of a personality bent that may be misinterpreted or misunderstood in friends, colleagues or even family members. It may help you to see someone in a different light you may have thought to be stand-offish. unlikeable. Rather than a tell-all confession, it’s written by someone who hopes the sharing of his life will be of help to others.
Overall, it offers a clear insight to a personality trait that is often misunderstood and little discussed. A read we are happy to recommend.
The Hemingway Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works for 20th Century Wartime Fiction. The Hemingway Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
The Hemingway Book Awards competition is named for Ernest Hemingway who was born July 21, 1899
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring 20th Century Wartime Fiction in Historical Fiction; Romance and Romantic Fiction; Mysteries, Thrillers, and Suspense Fiction of the time; Literary works and Satire and anything else that author imaginations can dream up for the HEMINGWAY Book Awards division. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them. For Post-1750s Historical Fiction, see our Goethe Awards here.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Hemingway 20th Century Wartime Fiction Short List to the 2021 Hemingway Book Awards Finalists. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 17 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference–whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person.
These titles are in the running for the FIRST PLACE WINNERS of the 2021 Hemingway Book Awards novel competition for 20th Century Wartime Fiction!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
Judith Berlowitz –Home So Far Away
Lorelei Brush –Chasing the American Dream
Murray Pura & Patrick E. Craig –The Scepter And The Isle
Murray Pura & Patrick E. Craig –Far On The Ringing Plains
Marian Exall –Daughters of War
Carrie Kwiatkowski –Out of The Woods
W. Hock Hochheim –The China Alamo
Marina Osipova –Too Many Wolves in the Local Woods
Scott A. Porter –Here They Come
Kathryn Gauci –The Secret of the Grand Hotel du Lac
Kathryn Gauci –The Blue Dolphin – A WWII Novel
Dave Mason –EO-N
Richard Alan Schwartz –The Soldier: A Novel of the Vietnam War Era
Jerena Tobiasen –The Emerald, Book II of The Prophecy
Good luck to all in the next rounds for the 2021 Hemingway Book Awards First Place Positions and Grand Prize.
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
The Mark Twain Book Awards recognize emerging new talent and outstanding works in Humor and Satire. The Mark Twain Book Awards is a division of the Chanticleer International Book Awards (The CIBAs).
Chanticleer International Book Awards is looking for the best books featuring satire, humor, political ideology, parody, fantasy, and allegory or fable. These books have advanced to the next judging rounds. We will put them to the test and choose the best among them.
These titles have moved forward in the judging rounds from the 2021 Mark Twain Humor and Satire Fiction Short List to the 2021 Mark Twain Book Awards FINALIST. All FINALISTS will be announced and recognized at the Chanticleer Authors Conference (CAC22).
The First Place Category Winners, along with the CIBA Division Grand Prize winners, will be selected from the 24 CIBA divisions’ Finalists.
We will announce the 1st Place Category winners and Grand Prize Division Winners at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Wash. sponsored by the 2022 Chanticleer Authors Conference–which will be VIRTUAL and IN-person.
These titles are in the running for the FIRST PLACE WINNERS of the 2021 Mark Twain Book Awards novel competition for Humor and Satire!
Join us in cheering on the following authors and their works in the 2021 CIBAs.
Linda Stewart Henley –Waterbury Winter
Anne Pfeffer –Binge
Chief John J. Mandeville –The Admiral of Bolivia
Charlie Suisman –Hot Air
Roger Wilson-Crane –Certified
Barry Robbins –Oh Daddy Chronicles
Pamela Hamilton –Lady Be Good: The Life and Times of Dorothy Hale
Andy Becker –The Kissing Rabbi: Lust, Betrayal, and a Community Turned Inside Out
Elizabeth Crowens –Babs and Basil, and the Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles
Lou Dischler –My Only Sunshine: Getting Straight with the Bomb
David Perlmutter –Orthicon
John Prather– The Jesus Nut
PROMOTING OUR AUTHORS!
This post has been posted on the Chanticleer Facebook Page. We try to tag all authors listed here in the FB post. However, for FB to allow us to tag an author, that author must LIKE our page and Follow Chanticleer Reviews. FB rules — not ours.
We are now accepting submissions into the 2022 Mark Twain Book Awards for Humor and Satire Fiction. The 2022 CIBA winners will be announced at CAC 2023.
FLEXIBLE REGISTRATIONS ARE AVAILABLE for these challenging times.
Seating is Limited. The esteemed WRITER Magazine (founded in 1887) has repeatedly recognized the Chanticleer Authors Conference as one of the best conferences to attend and participate in for North America.
Sometimes, when the world feels like it’s closing in and life doesn’t make sense, the best thing to do is take a road trip.
Just get in the car and drive, letting the scenery pass by, allowing thoughts, memories and reflections to flow freely. In Western Skies by singer and writer Darden Smith, he invites us on just such a trip through his home state of Texas, and treats us to a glimpse of his time on the road in prose. Western Skies is a companion book for Smith’s album of the same name and features Polaroids (taken with an old Polaroid from Smith’s garage and tossed in a box on the front seat of his car while driving), along with his original prose and lyrics from that album.
The pictures seem like glimpses of a time past, captured in sepia tones, and are haunting, dusty, and sometimes blurry-like the view out the window of a car. Collectively, they show us a different side of Texas: the wide-open skies, stands of oaks and yuccas, and long stretches of road dotted by radio towers, stucco houses, abandoned Quonset huts and diesel fuel pumps. They complement the descriptions, from the vast expanses of Texas highways: “The road rises steady from the Pecos Past the truck stop visions of Fort Stockton, The northern reaches of the Davis Mountains And the gatherings of Van Horn” (Sierra Blanca), to the uniqueness of its cities: “Juárez is the girl your instinct tells you to walk, no, run from But whose memory wakes you in the night” (Juarez) and the challenges of its climate. Anyone who has ever been in a monsoon will understand the warning in “Rain” when he starts out with “The smell of cloud catches the heart of the most jaded. For even they know the promise of what may follow” and contains the warning that “Torrents are longed for and dreaded in equal measure. Their quantity dreamed of, Speed and destruction often remembered too late as the flood runs wild over road and arroyo.”
Western Skies is an intimate and personal book.
Listening to Darden Smith’s album while reading it, one might wonder who caused the heartbreak and hope in his lyrics (and possibly sent him on his road trip) when he says, “Well I keep holding on even though it’s wrong ’Cause your memory makes me smile”(Perfect for a Little While) and “No matter how far you run, how fast you’ve sinned I’d forgive what you done, where you’ve been” (The High Road).
For those just finding Darden Smith, Western Skies is the opportunity to get to know this artist on a much deeper level than through only his songs. For fans who already have found Darden Smith, this companion book will be a joy to share his vision of Texas and get a more personal glimpse of this talented singer-songwriter/photographer and writer.
We definitely recommend listening to the accompanying music for this story. You can find that on Darden’s bandcamp here.
You will not look like this by the end of this artilce…probably
While everyone has questions about social media, one of the big ones for writers is often Twitter. Founded in March of 2006, Twitter is now one of the go-to places for hot takes, cold takes, pitching agents, and generally trying to go viral on just about anything.
Plus, what on earth is Elon Musk doing on there, and what’s our number one piece of advice for social media?
One of the first things agents and publishers will do while researching an author is check to see if they have any sort of social media presence. Author platform comes first in the majority of cases, rather than an author being discovered and then being set up with an incredible platform by people who believe in their book. And a digital presence is work.
So, how do you establish a following on Twitter?
Set yourself up for success
To begin with, you’ll want a profile picture and cover photo that fits with your author brand. Your author brand should be in line with the genre of your books. This means it puts your readers in mind of what you write when they visit your site. If you’re a Non-Fiction author who focuses on social justice and journalism, you want readers interested in social justice to think of you when they think about your genre.
Of course, we’re thinking of someone specific. Check out the homepage for Dr. Janice Ellis’s Twitter profile.
We’ve added some letters to the image to help us better understand and discuss what she’s doing here.
A. Ellis is a professional journalist with a PhD, and her picture reflects that level of expertise.
B. Here we have Dr. Ellis standing next to covers of her book. The background color we can see was drawn in part from the color of her Chanticleer Nellie Bly Grand Prize winner From Liberty to Magnolia. This helps tie the whole image together. She even includes a personal mission statement: “Experience and Knowledge Fuel the Mission to Promote the Good”
C. You can search everywhere for Janice S. Ellis, PhD, and find that her name is consistent across platforms.
D. This is her Twitter handle. You can see that it clearly links to her name that appears, which is good because you want to be as easy to find as possible.
E. Here Dr. Ellis has been clever by including a website where she is frequently published and a hashtag that attaches to what she’s known for. We’ll talk more about hashtags later on.
F. Here the key is that Dr. Ellis has included her own website. Having your own personal site independent from social media is always an important component of any author platform.
Sell yourself, not your book
While this might seem counter-intuitive, it makes sense when you realize people want to follow a human being, not an inanimate object. On Twitter, you can do the following things:
Follow: Like many social media platforms, you should follow who you want to follow. Ideally, keep in mind your brand and author platform as you do this.
Tweet: Regular posting at least once a day is ideal. Mix it up with pictures, videos, whatever strikes your fancy.
Retweet: This reposts someone else’s Tweet to your timeline
Quote Tweet: This reposts someone else’s Tweet to your timeline, and you can comment on it. This is a great way to start a conversation or answer a fun question
Comment: This is simply commenting and responding to people who have either created their own post, responded to a post, or responded to your post.
Direct Message (DM): This one should only be done with explicit permission. You can ask to DM someone, or they may say “DMs open” – otherwise you should always leave a public comment.
You have a lot of choices on how to handle Twitter
The big questions that come up here are how to interact with agents and publishers on Twitter. Follow the ones who you think might be interested in your work, but as mentioned above, don’t DM them unless you have permission to do so. Interact with them like a human being, and keep an eye out for when they’re open to submissions.
One thing agents and small presses talk about on Twitter is that they appreciate it when someone continues to submit to them. This is confirmed in Jane Friedman’s The Business of Being a Writer:
“‘Getting rejected by a magazine repeatedly and then, finally, getting work accepted is, actually, fairly normal. It’s a little frustrating for an editor,’ she said, ‘when a writer submits to us five times and then just stops, and we never get a chance to read the writer’s work again.’” (78)
Persistence pays off in more ways than one.
So When can I sell my Book?
Generally posting once a week about your book is plenty. During releases, or if you’re participating in Book Awards like the CIBAs or receiving a Review, then you can post more. Just make sure there’s a reason you’re posting about it beyond “buy my book!”
Hashtags and Pitch Wars
One thing to keep in mind anytime you read something (this included) about social media is that what you’re reading is already out of date. For example, while the idea of #PitchWars is still going, #PitMad, the original founding idea, appears to be defunct as of this year. What are these programs?
You can get a thorough rundown with hashtag suggestions for #PitchWars from The Writing Cooperative here, but the short version is they’re opportunities to promote your work on Twitter directly to agents who are interested in what you have to sell. Usually the rules are you post hashtags appropriate to the pitch day, and then you go and support your friends by Retweeting their posts. Be careful not to Like any posts, because that is an action reserved for Agents, and indicates they are open to being contacted about reviewing their work. If you do Like one of these Tweets by mistake, you’re likely to receive a polite DM asking you to Retweet instead, which isn’t a tragedy, but it can feel a little embarrassing to make a faux pas like that.
What about more commonly used hashtags outside of special events?
Well, the following are pretty common:
#WritingCommunity
#AmWriting
#AmQuerying
#WritersLift
Note: Physical lifting is uncommon in a #WritersLift
All of those can be used in fairly self-explanatory ways, except for #WritersLift. A #WritersLift comes with an invitation for authors to put links to their work on your post, and then there is the expectation that you will follow them on Twitter, and they will follow you back. Making a #WritersLift post can be a quick and easy way to boost your Twitter following and maybe make new friends!
Other hashtags that are genre specific can be used fairly easily, such as #Fantasy or #Journalism. If you have a hashtag based on your book such as #TFioS (The Fault in our Stars by John Green, pronounces “tif-ee-oh-s”) those are great to use, but always pair them with more popular hashtags.
Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters snuggling up in the movie “The Fault in Our Stars”
Another great time to use Hashtags is anytime your book wins an award or receives a review. Big milestones like that can make a huge difference when it comes to getting noticed, so if your book because a finalist in the CIBAs or receives a Chanticleer Book Review, tell your friends and followers all about it!
Note: Conferences and Writing Events often have a specific tag like #CAC and #CIBAs (for Chanticleer Authors Conference and Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards). Using those specific tags can be a great way to have the organization notice you.
Blocking
It’s always good to talk about blocking people on any social media platform. On Twitter, blocking someone is often an act of self-love. Rather than getting into a fight with a stranger on the internet, just click that block button and don’t worry about talking to them ever again. Your mental health isn’t worth trying to reach someone who just wants to be mean.
So what’s Elon Musk got to do with all of this?
Billionaire and would-be-Twitter-Owner Elon Musk
Recently it came out that Musk has invested enough to own 9.2% of Twitter. If you really want to dive into this, you can check out this article from CNET here, but these are the highlights. In addition to owning a substantial share of Twitter, Musk has now offered to buy the company. If Twitter says no, he could divest his stock and drive the price of Twitter down, harming the platform. If they say yes, he’s sure to transform the platform into something quite different from what it is now. Should we be worried?
Well, probably not.
There might be a bit of an upset, but it’s more likely things will continue as they have for Twitter, and Musk might just try to make his own social media website. However, this brings us back to the importance of having your own author website. Companies like Twitter and Meta (that’s Facebook and Instagram) are eventually going to go the way of MySpace, and then we’ll all have to collectively jump onto a new social network. If all our eggs are in the basket that ends up losing popularity or shutting down, then we lose our entire author platform at one go. So, keeping your website as a hub that tells people who you are, and directs folks to your social media makes your position much more stable.
Our best advice for social media?
This might seem obvious, but always be polite. Being rude on social media is a great way to get blocked. As we tell kids, the internet is forever. When a person explodes or swears at someone online, that sort of thing has a way of making it onto Watch Dog sites like Writer Beware, ALLi, or Absolute Write. These spaces can mean the difference between someone deciding to work with an author or not, which can have huge consequences when it comes to sales.
A few words from Kiffer.
Be kind. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t post anything at all.
And be sure not to hi-jack someone else’s post. This is just plain rude. IF someone tries to hi-jack your post, you can choose 1) not to respond – at all 2) delete the comment if it is egregious or 3) if someone is trying to sell their book on your social platform — well, that is just plain out tacky! If the person doing this persists (we all make blunders – and I would like to think most of the time unintentionally), then you may have to block that particular person. Facebook and Twitter do NOT notify the person that they have been blocked. You just won’t have to see their comments on your posts anymore. On Twitter, this is called “thread-jacking” — someone interjecting in a discussion in order to divert it in a different direction.
My advice for social media is Be kind. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t post anything at all.
What is posted on the internet is there forever and for everyone. – Kiffer
Post note: Keep in mind, that the publishing world is a small one.
Thank you for joining us for this Writer’s Toolbox Article, and good luck out there on the web!
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Runebinder is a dark post-apocalyptic young adult thriller that follows eighteen-year-old water and earth user Tenn, as he is torn between two opposition sides of a deadly fight for survival.
