These types of lists are always so hard for me. There really are a lot of standouts in this industry, and when I say standouts, I mean it. So in an effort to not put this off any longer, I've decided to just finally post it knowing I've likely missed some people. And because of that I gladly welcome mentions and nominations in the comments - the really great people are rarely thanked enough for their hard work.
Here's my list of the sixteen best people to follow on Twitter in 2016 (in no particular order):
1) Peg Fitzpatrick @PegFitzpatrick
I got to know Peg through her work with Guy Kawasaki. Peg is a social media goddess and never ceases to amaze me with her mega-creative, super insightful posts. I really love her stuff. If you want to stay current on all things social media, and get some great ideas in the process, Peg is your gal. Find her on the web at pegfitzpatrick.com
2) KM Weiland @KMWeiland
KM's website, helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com, is aptly named. She's the award-winning author of the bestselling Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel. She's an invaluable mentor for writers who want to become authors - follow her for rock solid tips to improve your writing skills.
3) John Kremer @JohnKremer
John's been around self-publishing for a long time and knows his stuff. He wrote the book 1001 Ways To Market Your Book and shares his insight both on his blog, bookmarketingbestsellers.com, and via his Twitter feed. His book has been an invaluable resource to a great many authors!
4) Joel Friedlander @JFbookman
Joel's passion for his topic is unmistakable, he shares great information via his blog and Twitter feed. His blog, thebookdesigner.com, designed to help support self-published authors is a fantastic resource if you want to publish the right way.
5) Anne R. Allen @annerallen
Anne's blog, annerallen.com, which she writes with Ruth Harris, is full of unmissable tips for new writers. They both are industry veterans who are dedicated to helping authors create the best possible work AND engineer a successful launch. They are an invaluable resource for authors, both indie and traditionally published.
6) Joan Stewart @PublicityHound
Joan is the Publicity Hound and she is as tenacious as the name suggests. Joan is my go-to for all things marketing. She has fantastic resources on her website, publicityhound.com, great webinars and shares a ton of helpful marketing insight via her Twitter feed.
7) Jane Friedman @JaneFriedman
I've known Jane for a long time and her information is consistently fantastic. She is always offering helpful insights into publishing - what works and what doesn't, and she spends time researching publishers, marketing ideas and often has some great guests who contribute their knowledge to her blog, janefriedman.com.
8) Joanna Penn @thecreativepenn
I've known Joanna since she was just an author with a few books - now she's a bit of an empire. She shares some fantastic marketing wisdom (having been there herself) and she is really dialed into what works in marketing and what's just a smoke screen. I love her honesty and passion for what she does! Find her at thecreativepenn.com
9) Mark Coker @markcoker
Founder of Smashwords, Mark has become the voice of the independent author. He works tirelessly to give authors the best possible experience on his site: Smashwords.com. He's also a great speaker (I always love his sessions) and he's a fan of hard data. The numbers never lie and he often releases real-time stats on book publishing that will blow your mind.
10) Hugh Howey @hughhowey
Best known for his internationally bestselling book, WOOL, Hugh is now one of the many great spokespeople for self-publishing. He shares a lot of great data and insight that's a must for any author. Check him out at hughhowey.com.
11) Mari Smith @marismith
Follow Mari for everything Facebook - she simply rocks it on Facebook. She also tweets out new Facebook tricks, changes and updates to all things Facebook. And of course, you should also follow her on Facebook! On the web, she's at: marismith.com.
12) Frances Caballo @CaballoFrances
Frances began as a reporter, moved into public relations, but found her love in social media. As a rock solid Social Media Strategist/Manager for authors, she stands among my top 30 websites for independently published authors. Find more goodness on Frances' site, socialmediajustforwriters.com.
13) Denise Wakeman @Denisewakeman
Dubbed the Queen of Visibility, Denise really gets it. She's got some amazingly insightful information on her blog, denisewakeman.com, and via her Twitter feed that will help you gain more readers, followers and sales.
14) Social Media Examiner @SMExaminer
So this isn't a single person (though technically run by Michael Steizner) but it's a mega-portal for all things social media. I get their newsletter (and attend their yearly conference in San Diego) and I can't say enough about the fabulous content they produce at socialmediaexaminer.com.
15) BookWorks @bookworksNYC
Run by Betty Sargent, who has a very impressive publishing resume, it's the new go-to for all things publishing (both traditionally and self-published). Their blog, bookworks.com, is fantastic, helpful and the entire BookWorks team works really hard to get out only the best and most helpful information on self-publishing. They have worked to create a community where authors and professionals can come together to share guidance and insights - follow them to become a part of this community.
16) BiblioCrunch @BiblioCrunch
Run by Miral Sattar, BibiloCrunch is a fantastic portal to find great service providers that have been vetted by the BiblioCrunch staff. They also have a fab #indiechat every Tuesday at 4pm EST. Scope out bibliocrunch.com too.
This post originally appeared on: http://www.amarketingexpert.com/best-people-to-follow-on-twitter/