To say that success in Twitter is based on the number of followers is a fallacy. In this age of technology, most of your followers are faceless and may not really be legitimate followers. So how do you survive in this age as an author? Here are ten simple Twitter rules to guide you as you grow your following on Twitter:

Posting on Twitter is still publishing. Thus always aim for quality. This is what will separate the true writers from the scribblers.

Be human. Social networking is an exchange of ideas between persons. This is not a message board. Avoid shortened versions of words. This does not speak highly of you as a writer.

It's nice for your book to be positively mentioned in a tweet. However, don't overdo this by retweeting each and every compliment.

It is good to use #hashtags to convey information to people who might need this. However, too many hashtags are annoying and may reflect insincerity.

You are allowed to put two URLs in your Twitter bio: your business link and your site link. If you have already done this, it would be best to stop spamming.

You know who your real fans are. They are the ones whom you regularly share info with in regard to your book. You build relationships with your followers. On the other hand, there are authors who only follow you in the hope that you will reciprocate the favor. Avoid following them.

Be courteous and put up a nice head shot of yourself. You are requesting to be followed. Give due respect to your followers. This could also mean that you are not treating your followers as just another statistic.

Introduce yourself by providing a profile background and a header image for branding. Good branding will give you an edge over your competitors as your followers will already know the quality of your book/s and will go back as repeat customers because they already believe in your brand promise.

If you want to grow as a writer, share what you know. You will eventually get information that may be helpful to you in the future.

Begging your readers to buy your book/s is not only demeaning, it also questions your integrity.

An author highlights what a book can offer the reader. If you have already established a good reputation among readers, there is no need to hard sell your book. The readers will be the better judges of how a book will fare.

These are not actually Twitter rules. They are good practices authors should abide by so they can maintain their stature as good writers without necessarily being left behind by technology. In fact, with or without the added technology, these practices still hold as they reflect good business acumen. Even in the chaotic world of writing and publishing, good business practices still take precedence as they should, even in other industries as well.