Writer forums like the Gutsy Great Novelist and Critique Circle can be a fantastic way to make friends with fellow writers who will support you in your writing endeavors. Whether it’s feedback on new ideas or advice on publishing, if you engage in writer forums correctly it can change the entire trajectory of your writing career. 

So how should one go about getting involved in writer forums? There are a couple dos and don'ts for writer forum behavior. 

Don’t spam promotion for your book 

Picture this. 

You enter a forum designed to bring writers together to talk about craft, share experiences, and shout out helpful resources. You’re brimming with excitement for the helpful tips and lasting relationships you’ll make – but instead of helpful, friendly chatter, you find mostly a barrage of book ads and pleas from unknown writers to promote their book.

I’ve run into this way too many times. No one likes obnoxious self-promoters contributing nothing of value and yet still asking everyone to basically give them their money. This move never turns out well. 

Don’t be that person! 

Not only will you likely be kicked out of the group, but you’ll gain a putrid reputation that will make others not want to associate with you.

Respect the Rules of the Writer Forum 

Technically you’re a guest of whoever made or moderates the forum you’re in, so you should behave like a guest. 

You wouldn’t come into someone’s house and jump all over the sofa while you slap each person in the face one at a time. So don’t do the equivalent of that in a writer’s forum. 

If the moderators say members aren’t allowed to talk about politics or religion in the forum, abstain from bringing up those topics. If they say there’s no book promotion allowed, follow that rule. If you’re a moderately personable person who contributes value to the group, chances are joining the forum will lead to relationships outside the group where you can feel free to promote your book anyway. Don’t break forum rules and get nothing but negative attention. 

Make Meaningful Comments on Other People’s Posts 

Now that we’ve talked about what not to do, let’s talk about what you should do. 

Do make meaningful comments on other people’s posts. 

People love a friendly, helpful person. Whether you’re answering someone’s burning question, giving constructive criticism, or offering a compliment, meaningful comments always get the most appreciation. It positions you as a valuable person in the eyes of the group and gives you positive regard from other members. 

Want to make sure you can ask for favors later? Offer people favors first. There’s a certain level of social programming in us humans that makes us feel inclined to (and sometimes even obligated to) return favors. Even beyond the social psychology of it all though, it’s common sense that people are more likely to offer help to someone they like. So go ahead, do likable things (in a genuine manner). 

Relationship-building is key! 

Start New Conversations 

Once you’ve built relationships within the group it’ll make it easier for you to successfully start new conversations. Getting people talking gives you positive attention. 

That’s not to say you have to lurk about in the shadows until you gain some kind of tribal acceptance from the group before starting new conversations, but be aware that people tend to pay more attention to members they’re already familiar with. 

Post about something interesting, relatable, or slightly controversial to spark interesting discourse. You’ll come into contact with a lot more people that way, which will come in handy later when you want to request support from or collaborate with people. 

Learn How to Slide In Subtle Self Promotion 

I know I said not to self-promote earlier and that still stands when it comes to the garden variety “I-know-you-don’t-know-me-from-Adam-but-you-should-buy-my-book-anyway” posts. 

But if you’ve taken the time to build relationship within the forum, then you won’t have to resort to such obnoxious tactics. You’ll have gained enough of a foothold to somewhat have earned some self-promotion attention. 

You still shouldn’t make bland “Please-buy-this-book-I-just-published” asks unless the forum allows it.

However, you can slide in subtle self promotion into writer forums like so: 

-Mention what you’re working on before it’s even published so people get curious

-Ask for feedback on parts of your story so people feel involved in its creation 

-Consistently bring up the progress you’re making on this work-in-progress to keep it top-of-mind (but not too often)

-Ask whether other writers would like to collaborate with you on a marketing endeavor and then move off-forum 

-Bring up a funny fact you ran into while doing research for your book (again keeping your work top-of-mind & breeding curiosity)

-Talk about a freebie you’re giving away that leads members off platform and allows you to exchange said freebie for an email signup (you’ll be able to directly self-promote your book there later)

Activities like these will garner natural curiosity for your book so you won’t be seen as a self-promotion spammer. People in the group will become your cheerleaders by default because they see you as a helpful person who has been working hard on your craft. 

As mentioned before, if you’ve managed to make genuine relationships within the forum, self-promotion opportunities will naturally come your way as other serious writers seek to collaborate with and support you. 

It’s crucial you view joining a writing forum as an opportunity to build authentic relationships instead of just a business opportunity. You’ll be sorely disappointed if you crassly view it that way anyway, because joining a writer forum is very much a long game of learning new things and making new connections. 

Places to Find Writer Forums

So now you know how to act in a writer forum, but where can you find one to join? 

Here are a list of places with lively writer forums: 

-Absolute Write: A popular forum for writers, with sections for different genres, writing advice, and industry discussions.

-Critique Circle: A forum for writers to share their work and receive constructive feedback.

-FB Groups: There are writing groups galore on here. You’ll have to parse out which communities are most helpful and still active (consider searching by niche).

-Gutsy Great Novelist: A community where serious creative writers gather to finish their novels. 

-Scribophile: A writing community with forums, critique groups, and writing resources.

-Reddit (Ex. r/writing, r/FantasyWriters, etc.): Subreddits dedicated to writing and specific genres.

-The Writers' Cafe (KBoards): A Kindle-affiliated forum for writers, with sections for writing, publishing, and book promotion.