The next topic Grok gave me advice on was setting up a basic X account and creating a simple system for putting out regular content on the platform. The goal is to gradually build an organic and active audience over time.
Here is what Grok told me to do:
The Most Important Thing to Do on X
The most important thing is to show up consistently. Share your work and progress authentically, be helpful, and commit to a long-term plan.
Can You Find Readers for Your Books on X?
There are many authors who have found a readership on the platform. For example:
- Anna Belfrage (Website / X)
- Christine Nolfi (Website / X)
- Emma Lombard (Website / apparently no X account available)
- Ian Sutherland (Website is now dead / no longer very active on X, but the account is still available: Ian Sutherland X)
How to Set Up a Good Profile as an Author on X
The Handle
Try to get your author name as your handle: @authorName. If it’s already taken, use a variation such as @theAuthorName or @writerAuthorName.
The Bio
Be honest. Start with something like “indie author” in your bio and give readers an idea of what you are working on. What do you write about? How are you building your audience? Why should people follow you?
Don’t use hashtags in your bio. They can make your profile look spammy.
Add a link to your website, ideally one where visitors can join your mailing list. Your mailing list is one of your most important assets as an author. I would also avoid Linktree if you can. Sending people directly to your own website gives you more control over the experience and the relationship with your readers.
The Header
I design specific headers for my latest book releases and update my profile every couple of months.
If you write a series, create a header design around that series. If you write exclusively in a specific genre, make that genre the main theme of your design.
The Profile Image
It doesn’t have to be a costly professional photograph right away, but I would recommend using a personal photo, even if it’s just a quick selfie. When people can see you, the connection becomes much more personal.
(I’ve been using a motorcycle as my profile image, and Grok didn’t like it. I’ll update the image later this month.)
How to Tweet on X as an Author
How Often Should You Tweet?
Be consistent with your effort. If you can tweet only once a week, go for it. It’s better to be there regularly than to tweet ten times a day for a week and then disappear for months. In the long run, aim for at least one update every day. But don’t prioritize quantity over quality. One valuable tweet a day is worth far more than ten low-quality tweets.
What Should You Tweet?
There are plenty of things you can share as an author:
- Share your writing progress.
- Offer practical tips on writing, marketing, and publishing.
- Reply to and engage with your audience.
- Share behind-the-scenes insights.
- Tweet about milestones such as words written, copies sold, or books completed.
- Recommend books you have enjoyed.
- Share screenshots of five-star Amazon reviews of your books.
- Run giveaways.
- Run polls, although these probably make more sense once you have an active community.
- Share teasers for upcoming releases.
I currently also share my Grok project publicly on X: [link to profile].
How to Post Writing Updates
I initially shared my daily word count, but it eventually became a repetitive, low-quality post that didn’t generate much engagement.
A weekly update on your writing progress might be better. You could even make it a monthly progress report, especially if you are working on a long-term project. Add some numbers to your reports, though, because they are easy to scan:
- Word count
- Hours spent writing
- Copies sold (once you have an audience)
But don’t just throw numbers at your followers. Add insights about lessons learned, key wins, problems and solutions, mistakes you made, and important milestones. Most importantly, be honest—even about your failures.
Should You Write Articles on X?
Articles are still a relatively new feature on X. Grok recommends sticking to short, useful posts in the beginning. Only publish a full article when you have something substantial to say, such as a particularly useful guide, detailed report, or original piece of research.
Pinning a Tweet
A pinned tweet always appears at the top of your profile. Use it to showcase your work and link to your mailing list. It might be the most important tweet you publish because it is the first piece of content many visitors will see when they discover your profile.
What Not to Tweet on X
Avoid constant self-promotion. Stay away from unnecessary drama and politics. Never complain about the publishing industry or attack readers because of their reviews. Don’t overshare, rant, or constantly vent. Your goal is to build a community, not turn your profile into a public diary of everything that annoys you.
How to Grow on X
Avoid Follow-for-Follow
Don’t do it. It gets you followers who may never engage with your content. In the long run, having a large number of inactive followers is far less useful than having a smaller audience that actually reads, comments, likes, and shares your posts. It can actually lead to shadow-banning and downgrading of your profile if you’ve got a decent following but no activity on your tweets.
100 organic followers who regularly engage with your content are worth more than 10,000 followers who never interact with you.
Best Time to Tweet
Tuesdays at around 9 a.m. seem to work well. Activity tends to go down on weekends and holidays. However, check your X Analytics to see when your specific audience is online and active.
Tweet Length
Short tweets—around 71–100 characters—can drive high engagement. For larger guides and reports, consider using threads instead of trying to fit everything into a single post.
Should You Use Hashtags?
Hashtags aren’t as important as they once were, but they haven’t become completely obsolete. Especially for community-related posts, you can still use relevant hashtags such as #WritingCommunity.
Don’t fill every post with hashtags, though. One or two relevant hashtags are usually enough.
Use X Analytics
Track your growth using X Analytics. Forget about expensive third-party analytics tools in the beginning. You simply don’t need them at this stage. Focus on the basics: impressions, engagement, profile visits, follower growth, and which types of posts perform best.
Get a Blue Checkmark
X Premium costs some money, but it may be worth considering once you have started making money as an author. A blue checkmark can provide some additional visibility and credibility. It certainly isn’t essential, though.
If you have made your first money as an author, I would prioritize investing in your own website and mailing list first. After that, X Premium might be worth considering.
Offer Giveaways
I’m still working on my STORY52 project, where I give away short stories for free. X is a good place to promote these giveaways. Nobody is going to be offended by getting something for free. You can potentially get likes, reposts, and, more importantly, new long-term readers.
Build a Network on X
Tag authors when you review their books. Comment on posts by other indie authors. Participate in conversations. Share other people’s work when you genuinely enjoy it. Don’t ask for help and favors before you have established a relationship. Instead, help other people without immediately expecting something in return. If you do that often enough, people may eventually return the favor without you ever having to ask.
Specific Hashtags to Use as an Author
Some hashtags worth experimenting with include:
#WritingCommunity#IndieAuthor#AmWriting#WritersOfTwitter#BookTwitter#SelfPublished#AuthorLife#WritersLife#BookRecommendation#WritingMotivation
Only test one at a time. Never add more than two hashtags to the same tweet.
Replying to Tweets
Especially in the beginning, replies may be more important than your own tweets. But don’t reply just for the sake of replying. Offer something useful. Be genuine. Be funny. Ideally, be all three.
A good way to get started is to look for book recommendation posts. Add your own recommendations and short reviews to the conversation. This gives you a way to interact with other readers and authors without constantly promoting your own books.
Resources for X
Free Tools to Check Out
- X Native Scheduler and Analytics – built directly into X.
- Buffer – useful for scheduling; there is a free tier with basic options.
- Typfeully – useful for writing and scheduling tweets and threads.
- Canva – useful for creating graphics and designs.
X Profiles to Check Out as an Author
Here are a few author-related profiles worth checking out:
To Conclude
X is currently my main social media platform for my author project. It’s a long-game platform, but you don’t need to invest more than ten minutes a day to get started. The most important thing is to be yourself, be nice, and offer something before you try to take something.
Don’t worry about building a huge audience overnight. Show up consistently. Share what you are working on. Help other people. Talk about books you enjoy. And, above all, keep doing it for long enough to give the platform a chance to work.
That is the system I’m going to try for my own author project.
