Twitter scares me.
But first, what is Twitter and Book Twitter?
Book Twitter is an expansive micro-community within Twitter composed of book junkies—from authors, publishers, book-related media companies to formal and casual readers like librarians, bloggers, booktubers, and instagrammers.
If you’re anything like me, you may have your reasons for not joining Book Twitter.
Truthfully, I’m not new to Twitter as a whole. In the past, I had a personal account to keep up with friends and to share what I thought were hilarious tweets 😅, but I’ve long since deleted it for reasons I touch upon later.
But, if you’re also like me, those reasons probably don’t stop you from being endlessly curious about what you’re missing.
In an impulsive turn of events, last month I finally bit the bullet and created my own Book Twitter account. As a result, I have some tentative pros and cons of the community based on first impressions, and I thought it may be helpful for me to share for anyone who’s on the fence about joining. For those of you who have Twitter already, maybe you can agree or disagree with my points? Onward 💃!
pros
🌱 interacting with authors
Like with many social media sites, Twitter effectively erases the air of mystery between content creators and their audience by giving seemingly untouchable creators a casual channel to communicate to their adorers that I’m just like you. In respect to Book Twitter, readers can reach out to their favorite authors and receive fun, plainly human responses.
These interactions are not only beneficial to readers, but authors too. Contrary to what one may think, authors are not robotic introverts who only live to purpose us with their impressive stories. One author on Book Riot described what Book Twitter means to him:
Book Twitter is a vibrant, incredibly positive and uplifting galaxy of the social media universe where many of your favorite writers actively engage with other writers and readers of their work.
#AuthorsNeedHumanInteractionToo.
See: Some authors with, in my fetus Tweeter opinion, a top-class Twitter presence: Angie Thomas, Sabaa Tahir, Samira Ahmed, Neil Gaiman.
🌱 behind the scenes scoops and all the book news
One advantage of possessing access to authors and their publishers on Book Twitter is receiving updates about an author’s work in progress. It’s neat being privy to a process that is traditionally locked behind a toiling author’s bedroom door for years.
On top of that, there’s so much book news on Book Twitter that readers can learn immediately: debut authors, upcoming releases, changes in publication dates, book cover reveals, giveaways, etc. There are announcements every day!
🌱 the diverse and massive community
If loving to read is lame and nerdy, then Book Twitter is brimming with the coolest nerds I’ve ever seen.
There are a plethora of people, from all walks of life, who can find their voices and scream about books on the site. Book Twitter helps people feel comfortable by being a generally liberal community committed to championing diversity in what they read (#ownvoices). Some Twitter accounts exist to host readathons highlighting marginalized experiences, while others like WeNeedDiverseBooks promote hard-hitting discussions that consider minority readers.
🌱 the word vomit
Ah yes, the most self-serving and arguably most important pro of Book Twitter: I can unleash my most irrelevant passing thoughts, and I can see yours too.
When I created my new Twitter account, I fully intended to make it a place where I share thoughts on books I’m currently reading. Unfortunately, that has not happened. While I have been staying true to my brand as a book account by sharing fantastic blog posts I come across, my Book Twitter is steadily morphing into a trash chute that hosts thoughts like:
and I love it.
Sometimes all I want is to share, in the barest of tweets, the inconsequential fact that I remembered an inimitable 2011 meme.
And the other times, I want to know all my fellow book nerds’ thoughts too, book-related or not. Everyone’s a comedian on Twitter.
Similar with authors, Book Twitter offers a unique avenue for me to get to know internet friends and what is affecting them real time.
There’s a level of personability on Twitter that can’t be captured in blog posts, pictures, or videos, and for that, I salute it.
cons
🌱 it can be distracting
Like, big time.
Twitter is a social media giant for a reason: it’s addicting. I have to stop my fingers from mindlessly opening the Twitter app because I get lost in all the book news and latest developments in debates. There’s no reason for me to be scrolling on it at every little chance I get, but my brain is hooked on refreshing my feed and opening my notifications.
🌱 it can be distressing
Being constantly in the loop and fed information is draining. I think many people can agree that Twitter is not the site to go to when you need a break from the world—it’s the site you avoid.
🌱 the diverse and massive community
Yes, you read that right. Book Twitter’s huge and accepting community is both a pro and a con. As an old research partner of mine would say, “the duality of it…” 😬.
My biggest hesitation in having a Twitter account is that Twitter scares me.
For starters, when I make a statement here on my little WordPress blog, I do so fully aware that it probably won’t reach many people and that any reach will be slow. I find comfort in that fact. Some people may see it as unfortunate, but I’ve built a micro-micro-community here that I know to be always civil and kind.
Over here, I feel less like I’m screaming into a fast-paced, digital void than on Twitter, and more like I’m forging relationships with readers. It’s a different type of personability. (To be fair, I may be able to feel the same connection with others on Book Twitter with more time 🙂.)
There’s always something about books to discuss and debate over, but the discourse on Twitter gets heated and almost hostile fast.
See: Marie from Drizzle and Hurricane Books touched upon the dark side of Twitter and Jen from Nen & Jen chatted about how to be a considerate blogger on Twitter.
I get this feeling from Twitter that every statement you make is a statement for something bigger—and if it isn’t, people will take it that way.
To be specific, one adverse effect of Book Twitter being immeasurably devoted to diversity is that I feel like I’m not doing enough to elevate diverse stories. Perhaps, that’s the whole point, to rally people to seek change in the publishing world. But when I’ve been reading more Asian-authored books this year simply because I’m genuinely interested in their relatable and engaging stories, and not explicitly because I’m #ownvoices, it feels like I’ve missed the mark on something important, like I’m not taking a proper stand. Tweeting about the Nyan Cat isn’t exactly dismantling the system.
See: Divine from R E A (D) I V I N E wrote a fantastic discussion about the pressures of promoting diverse books.
to recap
Twitter is an enormous, rapid, and frankly scary site—and Book Twitter does not exist in a completely isolated realm free from what Twitter breeds. But between the booming debates and righteous witch hunts, there’s a space where a widely friendly and diverse book community can celebrate books.
now, with all this being said, and considering your personal reasons,
do you want to join book twitter?
Belle Can Read 
You managed to capture twitter perfectly in this post!! I absolutely love getting to talk to authors (okay I done it twice because the anxiety was real) but it is so fun and it makes you feel like part of this community in a whole other way as you get to talk to the creators. And when I’m imagining what it would be like if I was an author (as you do), I imagine it would be amazing to talk to readers and book lovers!!
And yes it is great to see the latest news as I am always behind. (like seriously always)
It is so true that you can literally say anything and everything on twitter and you don’t need a reason because it is twitter and that is it’s magic.
In all honestly I’ve removed twitter off my phone (I still occasionally visit to check notifications) and try to avoid but all your pros are reminding me why I liked in in the first place. But lately the cons were winning because like you said it is distracting and I’m trying to write and not be a mess in general so removing twitter was supposed to help and it kind of has. And it can be slightly stressful and overwhelming so I kind of ran away from it!! lol!!
I loved this discussion so much!! ❤ ❤
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Ahh, yess!! I was worried that my judgements were premature 😅, but this makes me so happy to hear 😄!
Honestly, even though Twitter does have a certain magic, I think I might get to the point where I need to run away from it too HAHA. I’ve already deleted my Instagram and Facebook apps (and my Twitter app back when I had my first account) ages ago because they were distracting 😅. That’s great that deleting Twitter has helped you focus more! Best of luck on your writing 🙂!
Thank you so much, Sophie 😄❤️❤️! Stay safe!
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Thanks so much for making this post!! I totally agree with your points. I have a blog and bookstagram that I use far more than my book twitter account–something about Twitter just seems way too fast-paced and all-consuming than the other platforms. Too much drama for me most of the time!
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Ahh, I’m so glad you agree, Holly 😄! I can understand why you wouldn’t want to use Twitter much 😕. The drama is especially off-putting!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts 🙂💕!
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This is a great post! I’ve been scrolling through book Twitter a lot the past few days because it really is addicting (and what else am I going to do while I’m stuck at this computer for eight hours a day), but it’s also terrifying! I hardly ever post anything to Twitter other than automatic links to my blog posts because you can be attacked for the tiniest thing over there. But it is something that I want to get better about using because I know it’s a great platform to build an audience.
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Thank you so much, Sara 😄💕!
Hahaha, that’s a good point! All this extra time doesn’t exactly make avoiding Twitter easy 😅. And I feel you about linking to blog posts! I don’t have automatic links for my blog set up, but sharing other people’s posts feels safe, like no one can attack me for spreading some love haha. I hope you can feel more comfortable with Twitter 🙂!
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Great post belle! Ah I would love to have book Twitter but I keep myself away from any social media as its well.. distracting as you said. Maybe some day when I am free from school I will join Book Twitter lol.
Btw I too blog @ The Confessions Of A Music And Book Addict and would appreciate some support!
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Thank you, Prutha 🙂! Hahaha, school is definitely something to consider. One of the reasons I made my Twitter account is because I’m finally out of it. At least there’s no exams to worry about 😅. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I’ll definitely check out your blog 😄!
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Great post, Belle! 😊 I agree with you that Twitter can be scary, and it has uneccessary drama most times, but I usually just ignore it and don’t check the app as often. I also don’t get much of the central point of the drama, I like to think I’m careful when following people. 😅 But Twitter has very advantages that for me are worth it 😊
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Thank you so much, Marta 😄💕! Hahaha, being careful of who you follow is a good idea! Last week, I actually reassessed the people I was following, and I feel much better after unfollowing some of them 😅. I’m glad you can find Twitter useful 😄!
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This is such a great post! I’ve been on bookish twitter for…oof, about two years now? While it definitely has its downsides (unnecessary drama, a big source of distraction and occasional stress), I still enjoy it. And I think it’s a lot more supportive than a lot of other parts of the internet haha! One of my favorite aspects is, as you said, being able to interact with authors that I love and keeping up with all the news in the book and publishing world 😀
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Thank you, Margaret 😄💕! Two years is a long time 😮! You’re definitely right that Book Twitter is still a more supportive part of the internet 😂❤️.
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Great discussion as always, Belle! I started my book twitter account at the same time that I started my blog, and for me, there a lot of pros and cons to it! Personally, I find it super fun to read the tweets on my feed every morning. I used to spend so much time on twitter that it seriously affected my productivity, but I’ve found that deleting the app from my phone and only using the web version helps. I also love the fact that book deals and other bookish announcements are so easy to find there!! However, I’ve had a weird relationship with twitter for some time, and until now, I can’t bring myself to check my mentions and notifications 🙃 I hate how fast-paced book twitter is, how it’s super filled with drama, and how much of a toxic space it is for PoC
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Thank you so much, Caitlin 🙂💛! I’m sorry that you have such a weird relationship with Twitter, but you’re completely right about the drama and how it can be so toxic for PoC 😕. It’s seriously disheartening to see PoC users be pushed off the site. That’s a really good idea to just limit yourself to the browser though! I do that with Facebook and Instagram, and I haven’t checked them in so long 😅. Idk, Twitter is best in doses, and even then it’s still tiring 😕
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I love this! I’m super intimidated by Twitter in general, so this is exactly what I needed! 😀
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Thank you, Charis! I hope this helped make Twitter a little less intimidating 😄
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Definitely! Thanks, Belle 😀
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i love how you listed pros and cons! i do have a twitter account that i hardly ever use, because i simply hate the environment of twitter, lol. i think it can get pretty toxic pretty fast, and i can not even imagine how it must be now with the pandemic.
i do agree with some of your pros, though. (even if not enough to return to twitter lol). i think it’s a really cool way to get book news. i’m probably behind in MOST releases because i do not keep up with twitter, so i tend to only hear about certain books after they’re already out or close to being out. (for example, i just recently found out we already had a cover and release date for 10 things i hate about pinky by sandhya menon and i was completely unaware!!!!)
i think the biggest pro would probably interacting with people in the community, though. as much as i love blog hopping and such, i do feel like i’m not as close to people as i would be if i was more active on twitter.
but thennn, there are all the cons.
like you pointed out, in wordpress, you can build a community, but on twitter, every thing you post can blow up to *outside* that community and you’ll never know what to expect from that. i absolutely hate the idea of going viral. i also think expressing yourself in such a limited space can lead to *a lot* of misinterpretations.
my biggest issue, though, is that i feel like on twitter you’re constantly being shamed my something. at least in my experience with the platform, i always feel like there will be an issue: whether it is because you’re promoting diverse books, or because you’re not; if you like a certain fictional couple or if you don’t; if you support a certain author or if you don’t. you really can not win, which i think it’s true for everything in life – you’ll never please everyone – but the negativity on twitter is just too much to bare most of the time.
i am really not a fan of the platform, but i do think it can be a great space for certain people. it’s just not one for me, sadly.
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Thank you so much, Lais 😄!
Oh it’s definitely toxic still lol I think I chose the worst time to make a Twitter 😅. I had to mute a lot of words related to the pandemic because I get enough news about it away from Twitter 😕.
Hahaha it really is great for book news! Although, I think if someone is following blogs or people on Goodreads, that’s honestly a good enough way to get info—it’s just definitely not as fast 😅. (I didn’t even know that Sandhya Menon had a new book hahahaha!) I’m glad that you agree that Twitter is super fun for interacting with people and feeling like you’re part of a bigger community too 😄.
But yes!! You said it perfectly! There’s always that fear of something being blown up outside of the book community and being misinterpreted and shamed! People misinterpret tweets all the time, and I think it’s a combination of tweets being limited by character counts, them just being text on a screen, the anonymity of the internet, and people searching for faults 😕. You’re completely right that there seems to be no way to win on Twitter. Whether or not you take a stand for something, someone will find something wrong about it 🤷🏻♀️.
For now, I can mostly enjoy the pros of Twitter, so I’ll continue to use it—but, I’m so sorry that the environment is too toxic for you ☹️💕.
Thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts, Lais 🙂💖!
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I definitely agree with all of these points.
The toxicity is scary, but the communities can also be nice? I’m not sure!
I’m not on twitter but I know that if I ever make one I have a twitter friend in you, Belle!
– Emma 🙂
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Haha, I’m glad you can agree, Emma 😄. And yes!! You already have a friend in me 🥰!
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I love this post! As always your discussions are so easy to read despite unpacking a lot of issues. I agree though that in WordPress you have a *micro-micro* community plus we ain’t got time to be hostile here HAHAHHA. I’ve had my book twitter acc last April 2019 and it was very beneficial bc it’s like being “let in” w/ the book community’s conversation but it could aso be an echochamber where every issue can be regurgitated *sigh*
Thanks for boosting my non-existent discussion post yet AHHAHAH I’ll link back to you once I finish it :>
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Thanks so much, Divine 🥺💕! I truly love your validation HAHA 😂. That’s so true, everyone’s too tired here to be angry lolol. Book Twitter really feels like a right of passage though! But there’s definitely a different type of fatigue that comes with keeping up with that community 😓.
HAHA no problem, Divine! I was second guessing including it here because it’s not out yet 😅 but at least everyone who read this can wait with me for your post 😂❤️.
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I love this post, Belle! It’s interesting to see book twitter from someone’s perspective who’ve recently joined, and I loved reading your pros and cons. I think, for me, the biggest con is that I’m just SO SHY on twitter, haha. There are a lot of times when I want to reply to someone, but won’t because I find them intimidating. 😅 And, of course, I also struggle with tweeting things, “am I being dumb?” “are people laughing at me because of it?” and things like that *always* go through my head. Even with this outfits as books trend – I did it, and called it a challenge accidentally, and I’m STILL stressing over that. 😅
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Thank you so much, Veronika 😄! Oh I definitely feel you about being shy 😅 Even though the point of my Book Twitter account is to connect with more people, people are intimidating and I always feel like I would be annoying by reaching out 😅. And yes! Second guessing tweets to death 😓 my drafts are already so full hahaha. BUT, your outfits as books post was so cute 💖!! Hahaha honestly, I thought it was a challenge too 😅.
(I did a really /really/ dumb version of the trend that I wasn’t sure if I should post, but here’s to being less shy 😅✊🏽.)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Veronika 😄! It’s comforting to know someone has similar trains of thought 😅💕.
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Haha, thank you!! I loved your version and it made me laugh (in a good way!) 😀
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HAHA I’m glad to hear that 😅. Thank you 😄💕!
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I feel to agree with your post but to a certain point. Definitely twitter is worth if you follow the right folks, which for me is mostly some queer and many POCs. Still, I’m terrible at communicating there I’m not exactly doing a great work at that.
I do think that some folks keep other, on twitter, up to incredible standars and the community itself can be pretty hypocrite. For example, in the last days I had to see many people cheering over an author (that I won’t name) that has been multiple times offensive to readers and mocking sensitive and triggering topics.
So, while everyone has their problematic fave, many don’t really hold to what they profess. I think that in book twitter stepping back is a good things sometimes, watching how things unfold. I usually ended up learning a lot.
So… I can’t say that is toxic, but there are definitely toxic people and some repetitive dynamics that aren’t helping very much
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These are really good points! I agree that book twitter as a whole isn’t toxic, but there are a handful of similar, recurring incidents and problematic people 😕. Stepping back and being open to learning is definitely good sometimes (I haven’t been around for long, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot that way already too 😅). No one is perfect for sure, and I personally think that’s the sort of standard(? i guess) that people should be held to. Authors and people in general shouldn’t be idolized to the point that they aren’t held accountable for mistakes 😕. I completely agree that following the right people, who care about the things you do, makes Twitter worth it in the end.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Camilla 🙂! (I hope I didn’t misinterpret anything you were saying 😅.)
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this is a great post! i’ve loved twitter because i like the ability to be more personable on there, as you said, and i love all the humor there too. i’ve also met some amazing people there, and i like getting to follow my friends and see whatever they’re up to if they talk about it! but it’s definitely become very tiring to see discourse and negativity almost constantly, like you talked about, especially when book twitter keeps recycling the same exact arguments. but i feel like i’ve disconnected myself from twitter by being a “lurker” haha — i rarely like or interact with many tweets, or even post tweets of my own, so it honestly has become just a way to pass time for me! and that way i can also avoid the distress of “making a statement” as you said :))
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Thank you, May 🙂! I’m glad Twitter can be such a positive thing for you! Partially disconnecting from the site by being a lurker is a good idea hahaha, and I can see myself doing that in the future to minimize my stress from the site 😂😅. Thank you for sharing your thoughts 😄💕!
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Such a creative post!! I made a twitter account literally two days ago, but you’re right about the feeling you’re talking into a vast empty space. Twitter is just TOO big!!😳 WordPress is much more personal and it feels like I’m making genuine friendships here ☺️ Stay Safe! 🥰
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Thank you so much, Ayesha 😄! And right?! It can really feel like you’re shouting into a digital void 😅. I’m glad you could agree with my points!
Stay safe and healthy as well 😄💕!
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Ah this is such a fantastic post, Belle, you perfectly summed up how I conflicted I feel about twitter sometimes. I’ve had an account and have been part of the bookish community on there for years now, but… sometimes I need to step back, because it quickly gets overwhelming. The drama and every little thing and anxiety it can cause me, can be, well, a lot. Yet, it’s sometimes also such a wonderful medium, like, when authors like your tweet or even answer to it, I feel so happy about it haha 🙂
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Thank you so much, Marie 🥺💕! I’m glad that you could relate to this post and my first impressions weren’t too off! It can be quite difficult to hold everything that happens on Twitter at a distance so that it doesn’t affect us because Twitter really has a way of reeling you in 😅. Still, it’s definitely very neat at times if the drama can be ignored, and I’m so happy that you can find things on Twitter to be happy about hahaha 💛. (I finally had my first interaction with an author, and even if it was just a like on one of my tweets, it was so special 😂💖.)
Thank you for reading, Marie ❤️!
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Oh my goodness girl, it’s like you read my mind. TWITTER scares me as well. Most of my tweets are RTs, or auto-posts from my Goodreads or WordPress. “I get this feeling from Twitter that every statement you make is a statement for something bigger—and if it isn’t, people will take it that way.”<<<exactly! So glad I'm not alone in feeling this way. I had one minor incident when one of my tweets was taken out of context and people (WHO DONT EVEN KNOW ME) said some bad things about me and I just felt so attacked. That being said, I learned a lot from the experience, I just wish people would be more mindful and to always "educate, not hate." Thanks so much for this post, dear!!!! ❤
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Hahaha I’m both happy and not so happy that you can relate to this 😂😅💕! Oh gosh, What happened to you sounds like an absolute /nightmare/, and I’m sorry that happened 🙁. But, yes!! Educate, not hate!! I think people have good intentions, but any constructive education gets all warped with how fast or loud you have to be to get noticed on Twitter and a disconnect from the people on the other side of the screen 😕. We might be strangers but we’re all just regular people lol 😅. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experience, Princess 💕! Stay safe irl and online 😅❤️.
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You took all my insecurities and loves about Book Twitter and put it together! I recently rejoined as well because of quarantine and I wanted to try to interact with other readers since I’ve been super on/off with my blog. I find myself aimlessly scrolling through my feed but it feels so challenging to write a tweet myself (I am definitely overthinking it…) but I’ve been trying to comment more. Baby steps 😀
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I’m glad you could relate so much to this post, Riv, although it definitely sucks to have so many insecurities 😅. I’ve found Twitter to be a great way to interact with people when I’m not as present in the blogging community too! Hahaha, commenting is an awesome first step, and I really hope you can write a tweet yourself when you feel ready 🙂. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, Riv 😄💕!
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Hello Belle! Recent subscriber here, but all these points you’ve raised about Book Twitter are definitely valid!
I’ve recently revamped my book twitter because I wanted to also interact with fellow bookworms but it can also be overwhelming with the barrage of happenings happening (since it’s a fast-paced, real-time platform too!). I’ve established my bookish twitter quite recently so it definitely takes a while (and lots of courage) to get to interact with other people, so I’m quite the lurker on the app–just RT-ing things and maybe doing a little bit of excited yelling about anticipated reads and all that.
Twitter is a fun place but sometimes it gets tiring to keep up with everything, haha.
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Hey there! It’s been so nice hearing how people can relate to all the points, so I really appreciate you reading this and sharing your experience 😄. Twitter really is so fast-paced, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over how many virtual thoughts/conversations/movements I can share and take part of while just sitting at home 😅. It can definitely be overwhelming and intimidating—lurking is always a safe bet 😂!
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Hi Belle, I’m so sorry your link to our Twitter post was in the spam folder and I’ve only just seen it now. Thank you so much for reading our post and linking to it. You’ve summed up the pros and cons of book twitter so well. I enjoy it most times but occasionally it can get very anxiety-inducing. Especially if you think you may have accidentally offended someone 🙈🙈 It’s a great way to connect with others in the bookish community though. Fab post Belle, I’m looking forward to reading more of yours! – Jen (from Nen and Jen)
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It’s totally fine, Jen!! Your post brought up so many great points! I completely agree with you about it being anxiety-inducing! I had to delete the app from my phone a month ago, and now I only check Twitter on my computer browser because the easy access was not the best for nerves 😅. But, for sure, the community and connections make it worth it! Thank you so much, Jen!! And thank you for taking the time to read this post and to share your thoughts 😄!
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