I posted this on Twitter, but it felt like it might also be worth sharing where some of the Twitter diaspora might see it, because I’d welcome feedback from that perspective.

canongatebooks

We’re having some lively conversations about our engagement with Twitter, because of all the obvious things (the political atmosphere of the place, the lack of moderation, chaotic mismanagement etc etc).

We don't want to give up on the things we like about Twitter (being the people), and we don't want to lose a forum to engage with and support our authors.

But logging onto Twitter increasingly carries a heavy dread with it, and with the long term viability of Twitter feeling somewhat dubious, it’s not clear how much effort we should be investing there (when time spent elsewhere might be better rewarded).

I’d be really interested to hear any thoughts/personal experiences about Twitter: if you left, if you’re still there but trying Mastodon as a replacement, if you can’t see the fuss.

Particularly if you’re an author (any author, though Canongate authors – as always! – we’d especially love to hear from you), but also if you work in publishing, in bookselling, or if you’re just a reader who still uses social media for book chat. How useful is Twitter these days? Is it still worth the downside?

All comments welcome. Here’s a very reductive poll as well.

Marc A. Godin

@canongatebooks As an author I switched to mastodon pretty soon after elon musk bought twitter, and it was through @Undertow that I made my first story sale and got my first story published.

I'm aware that twitter and corporate-owned media are still dominant in the publishing world, but I do not think those models are sustainable, especially for writers like myself who want to stand against corporate ownership of everything and the "enshittification" of public spaces, art, and imagination.

I think it'll be wise for publishing houses to take back control of their online presence, by building their own fediverse presence that can withstand the whims of billionaires, but I also don't think doing this will be easy or immediately profitable.

My opinion is mastodon works best for building *community* rather than for marketing. Community has a smaller reach, but it is a stronger connection to your audience, and I think community is now harder to build on corporate-owned social media.

Stefan Bohacek

@canongatebooks

"But logging onto Twitter increasingly carries a heavy dread with it"

I haven't been active on Twitter for two years, and I am not an author myself, but if there's one relevant thing I'd like to share as a creative person, when you're not sure, it's best to follow your gut feeling.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@canongatebooks I'm not an author, but I think you've asked a good question for those who've stayed on twitter.

Thank you for posting it here.

My project (software) used to have a twitter account. We took the decision to shut it down in 2022. We knew we'd be shutting out people still on there. But with Musk and the toxic nature of the network we knew it would be limited for us anyway.

I've found interaction on here gives a better quality of engagement. Which I hope you also find here.

Esther Payne :bisexual_flag:

@canongatebooks @FediTips has published some ideas on engagement and growing your own social garden on here.

I think there's something to be said for being in control over what you share and the people that subscribe to your account can see. Which in algorithmic feeds isn't guaranteed.

It's the difference between broadcast and community, and Canongate Books has always given me the impression of a publishing house that values that. Especially in Edinburgh.

Fedi.Tips

@onepict @canongatebooks

Thanks for the mention

I run a website at https://growyourown.services which encourages even non-technical people to set up their own online sites and services. There's a list of reasons why at https://growyourown.services/why-growing-your-own-services-is-a-good-idea/

Ben Thompson 🐕

@canongatebooks This is a bit personal - I work on a programme supporting young Scots involved in / exploited by criminal or antisocial behaviour, and as we saw this summer, twitter, through creator payments, funds individuals who encourage and organise serious antisocial and violent behaviour.

But I can't persuade some of the colleagues i work with to leave - despite similar debates to yours. I think they're all waiting for big political accounts to move first.

Ben Thompson 🐕

@canongatebooks
More positively, I've found the engagement here off the scale to what I experienced on twitter. Plus I've also learned a lot - there are loads of really interesting and thoughtful people here that for whatever reason I'd not seen on twitter. There's been no downside to me at all in switching.

Good luck!

GunChleoc

@canongatebooks A big advantage that Mastodon has over Twitter is that it's not just Mastodon - you can also interact with other types of server, e.g. Pixelfed which is more Instagram-like, or PeerTube as a YouTube replacement.

As a publishing house, you should definitely look into Bookwyrm https://joinbookwyrm.com/