If you spend time on Twitter, TikTok. or Instagram, you know what a hashtag is, and you probably use them already. But did you also know you can use hashtags on Snapchat, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Facebook, too.
But in case you don’t spend a lot of time on social media (and hey, we READ, not all of us are sitting around on social media all day, so don’t judge!), a hashtag is:
On Twitter, the pound sign (or hash) turns any word or group of words that directly follow it into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. So, if you wanted to post about the Breaking Bad finale, you would include#BreakingBad in your tweet to join the conversation. Click on a hashtag to see all the posts that mention the subject in real time. (Mashable)
In short, as explained in the video below, a hashtag allows us to “filter down the overflow of online content and find people who share the same interest as you.”
Is there any book hashtag etiquette you need to know about?
When hashtagging, it’s best to just use common sense. In other words, don’t be freakin’ annoying. Instagram allows you to put up to 30 hashtags per post! But do you need to use them all? Maybe not… OK. Probably not. Definitely not.
Twitter discourages “abuse” of hashtags, and while there are no limits that we could find for hashtagging on the other platforms, it’s safe to assume that most people like a targeted approach rather than hashtag spamming. So use prudently and read up on hashtag etiquette.
Now that you know how awesomely useful hashtags are, here are the best ones out there for readers and book lovers.
- #AmReading — Duh! Of course we’ll put this one first! #AmReading is “this is what I’m reading.”
- #BookLovers – Used by authors, publishers, and anyone who wants to discuss or sell a book.
- #Bibliophile — Just dive into everything books.
- #FreeBooks – Free. Books. That is all. (it changes from day to day)
- #BookAddict — Exactly what it says.
- #EBooks – Looking for something to download? This hashtag is for you! It’s kind of a mixed bag, however, and you may need to wade through a bit of spammy stuff to get to the good stuff.
- #Books – Self explanatory. Books, books, books.
- #Bookshelves or #Bookshelf — Want bookshelf porn? We’ve got it.
- #BookPhotography — Just photos of books. Good photos of books.
- #BookstoreBingo – Amusing hashtag featuring anecdotes from bookstores.
- #KindleBargains or #KindleBargain – Featuring Kindle book deals.
- #BookChat – Book discussion hashtag.
- #LitFict – Discussion and sharing of literary fiction books.
- #GoodReads — Connect with others in the Good Reads community, the most active group of book lovers online.
- #IReadEverywhere — For we who read in weird places. Bathtub, in a tree, at a basketball game? Take a photo and upload it with the tweet.
- #Fiction and #Nonfiction – Discusses and shares books.
- #WomensFiction – Featuring fiction choices for women.
- #GreatReads – People sharing great reads on Twitter.
- #Kindle – Items of interest to Kindle users and lovers of Kindle books. (can sometimes be polluted with too many ads from Amazon, though…)
- #WhatToRead – Book recommendations from other book lovers on Twitter (or Instagram, same hashtag)
- #Suspense – Featuring discussion and recommendations for Thrillers, Action Adventure, and Suspense titles.
- #BookWorld — Other book obsessed people.
- #ChickLit – Discussion and recommendations of ChickLit topics.
- #PopBooks — Popular books.
Instagram hashtags for book lovers:
- #bookstagram — Bookshelf porn, screenshots of what people are reading, photos of cool books, and reading/book memes.
- #EpicReads — This is mostly jphotos of beautiful books and book culture.
- #Books — Exactly what you’d think it is.
- #BookAddict — More of the same.
- #BookClub — Still more, but tends toward intellectualism.
- #BookNerd — One of the more eclectic Instagram book tags.
- #BookPorn — Warm and fuzzy pics of books and people reading.
BONUS: Special Interest
You can find people who love the same writers, authors, and topics you love. A great way to learn about new books, clubs you can join, and more. Here are just a few examples and ideas to get the wheels rolling, but the list is endless.
#Sherlock
#percyjacksonandtheolympians
#AnneRice
#StephenKing
Get the idea? If you’ve thought of it, others probably have, too!
BONUS: Specific genre hashtags for book lovers
You can plug any genre into a hashtag search and find people who are reading what you love to read.
#Crime
#Comedy
#DarkFantasy
#Dystopian
#Erotica
#HistFic
#Historical
#FaithLitChat
#KidLitChat
#Literature
#LitFic
#MemoirChat
#MGLit (middle grades literature)
#Mystery
#NonFiction
#Paranormal
#Poetry
#PoetryMonth (Each April in the USA)
#Romantic
#RomanticSuspense
#TrueStories
#ScienceFiction
#SciFiChat
#ShortStory
#SteamPunk
#Suspense
#UrbanFantasy
#WomensFiction
#YA
#YALit
#YABook
For even more hashtags, check out this article from Aerogramme Writers’ Studio and at Top-Hashtags.com. You can dig even deeper into the world of writer chats with these hashtags from Author Media. And there’s this definitive list.
Dive in. 🙂
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