I use Twitter and I know many of you do as well. I love it. I love its instant connectivity and quick conversations. This week I found I loved it more.
My first novel, Shallow Waters, is being read by a beta reader, Denyse Kirkby, or as she’s known on Twitter @DJKirkby. I’ve asked Denyse to read it with a specific issue in mind, as well as an overall eye on it. I was thrilled when she agreed to do this. What I didn’t expect was to see tweets coming through as she did it.
Denyse has been tweeting me her thoughts as she progresses through the book and do you know, it has been absolutely thrilling! To know someone is reading it, to be getting live feedback and to see the bits they’re picking out to mention! It has given me such a buzz. I know it’s not a real published book, but I have loved seeing Denyse’s tweets nonetheless.
So, with this in mind, I have made a decision, if the author I am currently reading is on Twitter, I shall tweet them as I read. It may just make someone smile!
Do you Tweet as you read, is it something you will now consider?
Wow, no I don’t, Rebecca, and I have edited/read books for other new authors in the past. What a great idea (with the author’s permission, of course). I will definitely consider it! how wonderful you’ve got one in the bag; I am inspired!
It will really make their day 🙂
What a lovely idea, Rebecca! I too am looking forward to start beta reading your book this week.
Ooh, it’s still a scary thought! No pressure to tweet though!
Amazing! The tweets you sent me as you read Tethers put a huge smile on my face – I shall endeavour to do the same from now on! Jack 🙂 x
It was the tweets from Denyse that made me think to do it. I’m glad it had the same smile effect for you 🙂
Not for me. My opinions about a book can change as I read it. Some aren’t great and get better (one ending I read recently forced me to re-evaluate the entire book) but some start great and peter out. I’d end up doing 5 tweets of praise and then have a dilemma of being honest and saying the ending is poor or lying / saying nothing.
I’d sooner read through the whole thing and then If I’ve really enjoyed something, I’ll seek out the author and say so and recommend the book wholeheartedly.
I understand where you’re coming from Pete. It’s not so much a review kind of tweet, or even tweeting all the way through, but for instance, Denyse tweeted: Wow, I didn’t see that coming and Aaron was great at the hospital. That told me that a twist had worked. What it didn’t do was tell me if she is enjoying the book generally. Though I am taking good thoughts from the tweets! I think as twitter is so restricted and instant, I was more on about those kind of things. Another for instance: I was actually going to tweet Harlon Coben a couple of months ago, just to say I was loving the dog, it was making the protagonist so real! One tweet, he wouldn’t have known what I thought of the rest. I just know those few tweets really made my day, by figuring out where Denyse was up to. I still don’t know what she thinks overall!
I can’t see any harm if you’re enjoying a book. I’ll make an exception to my ‘rule’ when yours comes out.
Now that makes me nervous!
Rebecca – You know, I’d not considered using Twitter to give feedback or to, say, review a novel. But it makes sense to use it that way. That’s especially true if it’s an author whose work one wants to help plug. A great idea!
Margot, it was so thrilling to read those tweets. And as I’ve just mentioned in reply to Pete, it’s not necessarily a review, but a snippet to say “oh I didn’t see that coming!” Just so the author gets live time knowledge of someone reading their book, without it actually having to be review based. It has been a wonderful experience 🙂
I don’t follow any authors in particular, but I do occasionally tweet as I’m reading if it’s a really good book. That way I can encourage someone else to read it as well.
That’s a great idea. Most books progress because of word of mouth and twitter has such a great reading community.
I’m a member of Triberr and do a lot of Tweeting from there. Retweeting on Twitter – not as much as I should.
If we did everything we should, I think we’d be owing time back!
I really under-use Twitter – not enough hours in the day! I do agree with Peter, though, in that I could start off all enthusiastic and then go very quiet if there’s nothing good to say. I’d probably read it all and then tweet about it! Well done on completing your novel, by the way – best of luck with it! 🙂 Can’t wait to read it!
Thanks Bel! I know what you mean. The tweets don’t have to be a constant running commentary though. Just an occasional moment if something genuinely makes you jump/care/cry/take notice. It was great to know where Denyse was in the book and see someone reading it in live time 🙂
What a great idea! I’d never thought of doing this before but I love it. I’m going to give it a try. And I can just imagine what a thrill it is for you to see those tweets!
I know I will look forward to reading Shallow Waters when it’s out in the world, love the title. 😀
Also glad to see you signed up for the A-Z Challenge, I’m doing it too. 🙂
Thank you Julie! It was wonderful! I doubt Denyse realised how much she was making my day.
I look forward to seeing you in crazy April….
I have on occasion tweeted to say I’ve loved a book, but now that you’ve mentioned it, I think I’ll make an effort to do it more often.
Love the title Shallow Waters 🙂 xx
Thanks Elle. It was great to see the tweets, so I imagine it would be the same for authors whose work is really out there.
That’s such a cool idea. I’ve done it once, to an author who I actually saw at a reading. And it’s so nice to think I might have raised a smile. I’m glad your beta read is going so well.
I imagine you genuinely did raise that smile Annalisa. To see someone reading it in live time was brilliant.
I am so pleased you enjoyed my tweets. I did them because I wanted to connect with you while reading, and because I didn’t have a lot to say (as in detail) I knew tweets were perfect as long as I didn’t give too much away for future readers. I was deliberately neutral most of the time as to whether I was enjoying it or not because that wasn’t what you had asked me to focus on but towards the end I think it became obvious how wonderfully well written I thought SW was. I do need to email you some proper feedback so don’t let me forget – I made notes on my Kindle as I went along – ideally I will be able to just send the doc back to you.
I loved the tweets! What was great was knowing exactly where in the story you were as you tweeted. An odd but good feeling. Thank you Denyse.
Rebecca, that sounds so great … to see comments coming live and on Twitter. What a thrill. Can I ask if you know Vikki Thompson? I think we have a mutual friend somewhere. Either way, good to meet you and read your blog 🙂
Hi! It was a thrill. It was wonderful.
I do know Vikki. I love her blog. Though I’m not sure how she keeps up!
Lovely to meet you 🙂
Yes, occassionally I have tweeted to a friend about a book I’m beta-reading for her. I also do tweet some authors that I know as I read their books too. It must be nice to see positive feedback in that way, and we all need a boost once in a while. (One day I hope I get the same back lol!)
I hope to be able to be tweeting you that way one day then Teresa! 🙂