Posted by Maleeha Mir on 30 September 2024, in Event reports, Events, News

Photos by Phoebe Ireland, Words by Chris Russell

You can listen to an audio recording of this event via this link.

On 24 September, Byte the Book returned to the Century Club for a panel discussion on the demise of X, asking how authors can create a social media presence in a post-Twitter world. The panel, chaired by Byte founder Justine Solomons, comprised Truda Spruyt (founder of PR agency Collective Wisdom), Lauren Gardiner (Senior Campaign and Content Manager at HarperCollins UK) and the author and humourist Drew Davies. 

Our panel from left to right: Truda Spruyt, Drew Davies, Justine Solomons, and Lauren Gardiner.

The discussion opened with some thoughts on how and why Twitter, now X, has experienced such a rapid decline, when for a long time it was a go-to marketing tool for many industries, publishing included. Truda offered two simple words in response: “Elon Musk”. She pointed out that there has always been polarisation on Twitter, but that Musk, who acquired the brand in 2022, has made outrage the platform’s primary currency. “Twitter used to be an amazing place for bookish conversations,” she lamented, “but that has changed. X may still be online, but it’s in its death throes”. Lauren agreed, reflecting that “opinions about Twitter these days are overwhelmingly negative”. She confirmed that she does still use the site, although mainly to signpost to agents and other publishing professionals that HarperCollins are continuing to promote authors’ work. Engagement has plummeted, she explained, and suggested that writers look elsewhere in their quest to find an audience. “Meta ads, for instance, are far better than Twitter ads,” she said. “They’re so much more targeted, and on X, my ads could easily be sandwiched between hate”.  

Truda Spruyt sharing her advice on the different platfoms authors should use today and her recommendations on which popular social media platforms work best for authors starting to build their community online.

So how can writers who are new to social media, and perhaps a little intimidated by it, get started? Author Drew Davies was the perfect candidate to answer this question, since as he confessed himself, he wasn’t even on socials when he secured his first Bookouture deal. He had hoped, at first, to sidestep the responsibility entirely, but after some gentle nudging from his PR rep, he took the first tentative steps into the unknown. “I started from nothing,” he explained, “and initially, got very little traction. Then, during Covid, I began a little ‘Word Of The Day’ feature and my profile grew from there”. He now creates five to six reels a week, plus stories, and his videos regularly receive hundreds of thousands of views (one clip, in which he dyed his moustache green, reeled in sixty million). “You have to take some risks,” he reflected, “but we’re just content creators, at the end of the day”.Drew is aware, of course, that many authors are uncomfortable with self-promotion, but as a reluctant convert himself, he advocated jumping in feet-first and embracing the ride. “It’s like being crawled all over by ants,” he admitted, to nervous laughter from the writers in the room. “Strange, not unpleasurable, and as soon as it stops, you want more ants”.

Lauren Gardiner detailing her experiences working with authors in-house and how larger publishing houses support their writers when building their social media platforms and author brand.

Justine then tasked the panellists with offering some tips for authors who are looking to get started in the social media arena. “Begin by asking one simple question,” said Truda. “Where is your audience?”. Spend some time on each platform, she suggested, and do your research. Decide which sites align with your brand and focus on those. On the topic of common pitfalls and mistakes, she commented: “Don’t harangue people, and don’t rant! You can be passionate, of course, but don’t try and make people feel bad”. She concluded by noting that readers love behind-the-scenes content, as many of them are aspiring writers themselves, and Lauren agreed. She added that “anything you can do within a niche” will help to attract followers, whether that’s a writing niche or an unrelated hobby. Or, as Drew put it: “If you’re going to join Instagram, be the specialist in buttons that people wore between 1890 and 1910”.

Drew Davies sharing his experiences using TikTok as an author and his top tips on how to approach social media for authors who are unsure on how to make the most of social media. 

In its simplest form, noted Lauren, social media is about communicating, so “always reply to people’s comments, and not just with likes or emojis. Meaningful responses help to build relationships”. Drew echoed this, stressing that he replies to “every single message” he receives, even now, with close to sixty thousand followers. The panel also ruminated on our shortening attention spans, and the importance of turning heads quickly and efficiently. Lauren bemoaned ‘The Millenial Pause’ – the tendency for older users to leave an unnecessary gap at the beginning of their videos – and Truda urged everyone to “get your hook in early, because the first three seconds are vital”. Drew, who specialises in snappy, sketch-like content, suggested that while Instagram reels can technically be as long as three minutes, short is sweet in the social media world: “If I can’t say it in twenty seconds, I know I’ve got a problem”.

Finally, recalling his early days on socials, Drew advised writers to “get used to the failure, because there’s a lot of it. But I’ve seen Instagram authors suddenly go stratospheric because they found that one thing. It just takes the right post, at the right time”.

Thank you to Century Club Soho for hosting our event!

You can see more photos from our fantastic photos from 'X is Dead – How to Create a Social Media Presence Post-Twitter' event here!