21 of the Best Authors to Follow on Twitter for Writing Inspiration

Who are the best authors to follow on Twitter? If you’re looking for writing inspiration from your favourite authors, follow these Twitter accounts.

Remember when you had to buy a memoir to get a glimpse into your favorite authors’ lives? 

That time is long gone thanks to social media.

The majority of the world’s best-selling authors share their stories, tour schedules, and book recommendations on their social media accounts. These accounts are gold mines for new writers looking to get a peek into the minds of the world’s best authors.

They also give helpful advice on how to beat writer’s block, overcome creative ruts, and other problems most writers struggle with. So if you’re looking for writing advice and much-needed inspiration, here are the top 21 authors to follow on Twitter in no particular order.

1. Susan Orlean | @susanOrlean 

Queen of creative nonfiction, Susan Orlean, (The Orchid Thief and The Floral Ghost) is an active Tweeter, dispensing all sorts of advice, insight and personal musings for her more than 380,000 followers. 

The veteran New Yorker writer also freely discusses her writing process and practical advice for authors with plenty of humor baked in.

2. Harlan Coben | @HarlanCoben 

Who would have thought American mystery novelist Harlan Coben to be a soccer fan, dog lover and professional selfie taker? You’ll discover all this and enjoy ample writing inspiration when you follow the thriller king on Twitter. 

With over 148,000 followers, Coben has a life beyond the pen, and it’s fascinating!

3. Paulo Coelho | @PauloCoelho 

Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho has over 15 million followers on Twitter, and it’s no surprise why. With morsels of wisdom like, “Writing is the socially acceptable way of getting naked in public,” this account is well worth the follow. Coelho is big on sharing wise tidbits perfect for getting you out of a writer’s rut.

4. Alisha Rai | @AlishaRai

Alisha Rai first came on the writing scene in 2009 with her romance novel Glutton for Pleasure.

Since then, she has written best-selling romance hits like Serving Pleasure, Girl Gone Viral and The Right Swipe.

She writes mainly in the romance, erotic and paranormal romance niches. If you love the thrill of romance novels, Rai’s books will give you those emotional ups and downs you seek. She also talks a lot about online dating, social media and greater diversity in the romance niche.

With over 27,000 followers, her Twitter feed is the perfect representation of her personality. She’s always posting book reviews, funny stories, clever one-liners and TikTok skits.

5. Anne Lamott | @ANNELAMOTT

When it comes to writers on writing, no one is more of an expert than Anne Lamott. (Well, Stephen King might be a close second. It’s up for debate). The Bird by Bird author is well-known for coming up with great ways to help writers break out of creative ruts.

With just under 240,00 followers, she’s vocal about politics and regularly shares stories that illuminate social injustice.

6. Alain de Botton | @alaindebotton

Alain de Botton is the voice behind the famous YouTube channel, The School Of Life. He has over 6.5 million subscribers on YouTube and 860,000 followers on Twitter.

He’s a Swiss philosopher and author who helps people with their relationships, career, marriage and other areas where humans often struggle. He has authored books including The Course of Love, Status Anxiety and On Love.

Follow him on Twitter, and you’ll see him tweeting in a serious, sometimes lighthearted or even funny way. He also enjoys tweeting about photography and art and provides links to articles his followers might find helpful.

7. Joyce Carol Oates | @JoyceCarolOates 

Winner of the Henry Award and the National Book Award for Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates is well-known for writing books like Blonde, The Falls and The Accursed.

With more than 40 novels, Oates found a home on social media. She shares everything from her views on current events to photos from her garden. 

With over 200,000 followers, her account is the perfect place to pick up inspiration and recommendations on Goodreads and improve your writing skills.

8. Sloane Crosley | @AskAnyone  

Essayist Sloane Crosley broke onto the literary scene in 2008 with her popular collection titled I Was Told There’d Be Cake. Anyone who has read this collection of essays, or any of Crosley’s work, knows she’s a master of wit. With over 100,000 followers on Twitter, her funny stuff extends to her social media channels, where she shares entertaining anecdotes daily.

9. Teju Cole | @tejucole

Teju Cole is a Nigerian-American writer, art historian and photographer with over 240,000 followers on Twitter. 

He is famous for his books Open City and Every Day Is for the Thief. These books are unique and well-received by his readers. They give a first-hand view of the struggles of immigration and starting a new life.

This author’s Twitter is as thoughtful as his books. He tweets about sports, media and entertainment. He also enjoys sharing inspirational quotes that might help other writers on their writing journey.

10. J.K. Rowling | @JK_Rowling 

You simply can’t talk about writers on Twitter without mentioning the legendary J.K. Rowling. With more than 14 million followers, Rowling started out as a children’s book writer and is well-known in the Twittersphere for dishing out plenty of sass in the form of hilarious comebacks aimed at haters, politicians and trolls. 

If you don’t follow Rowling because you’re waiting patiently for more Harry Potter books, follow her because she’s hilarious and happy to provide great advice to aspiring writers.

11. Margaret Atwood | @MargaretAtwood 

Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, most famous for The Handmaid’s Tale and The Blind Assassin, is a legend in the writing world and is quickly becoming equally as beloved on Twitter. 

With 2 million followers, Atwood engages with her fans online by retweeting articles, promoting events and even responding to fellow writers about her creative process.

12. Gary Shteyngart | @Shteyngart

Gary Shteyngart is famous for his satirical work, and he also has the most casual Twitter bio I’ve ever seen. It says, “Gary Shteyngart is a book writer.” Wow!

By age 5, Shteyngart had already finished a 100-page comic novel by himself. Most people can’t even read at 5 years old.

He has over 550,000 followers on Twitter. He’s also the author of the famous novel, Super Sad True Love Story, which takes place in a dystopian New York where life is controlled by retail and the media. Shteyngart published a famous comedic novel in 2002 titled, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook and is just as much fun on Twitter.

He posts frequent selfies about his travels.

13. Stephen King | @StephenKing 

Even if you’re not a huge fan of the king of horror Stephen King, you must admit that he’s truly a writer’s writer. He penned the popular nonfiction work On Writing in 2000 and gives writing advice for aspiring and fellow writers.

With 6.5 million followers, his Twitter account serves as an extension of his personality, with virtually nothing off-limits. He posts about sports, politics, humor and writing. King’s social media accounts have something for everyone!

14. Roxane Gay | @RGay  

Author Roxane Gay wrote masterpieces like The Banks, How to be Heard, and Difficult Women. With over 830,000 follows, she’s as personable as you can imagine on Twitter. She shares snippets of her life that are hilarious and inspiring. 

From the time she got giddy standing near Magic Johnson to her many delicious recipes, Gay makes followers feel more like a friend than a fan on social media. 

Her approach to injustice, current events and politics makes her worthy of a follow.

15. Marilynne Robinson | @TheDeathofAdam

Marilynne Robinson is a novelist and essayist who has received several awards over her long career. Some include the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005, the National Humanities Medal in 2012 and the 2016 Library of Congress Prize.

Her Twitter account also deserves an award, and if you’re a writer, following her is a must. 

She has over one thousand followers and shares a lot of thought-provoking quotes that can positively impact your life. She talks a lot about religion, science and morals.

16. Micheal Chabon | @michaelchabon

Michaell Chabon has over 10,000 followers and he burst onto the writing scene with a masterpiece titled, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh. He began writing this book as a 21-year-old undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh and has been producing famous pieces like Moonglow and Wonder Boys ever since.

His writing skills have translated well into tweeting about entertainment, media and politics. His retweeting skills are also legendary, and reading them is a great way to spend some free time.

17. Adam Silvera | @AdamSilvera

Adam Silvera started off selling children’s books before publishing his best-seller, They Both Die at the End. His other best-selling novels include Infinity Son and More Happy Than Not.

He started writing fan fiction about his favorite childhood superheroes at the young age of 10 years, and he’s now known for his emotional adult fiction novels.

If you’re a Twitter user looking for a quick laugh, then heading over to Silvera’s Twitter account will get the job done. He enjoys tweeting about new movies, movie reviews, funny online videos and book reviews to his more than 150,000 followers. 

Sometimes he also shares the best clothes to buy if you’re a writer like inspirational and funny hoodies and T-shirts.

18. Amy Tan | @AmyTan

With over 150,000 Twitter followers, Amy Tan is famous for her bestselling book The Joy Luck Club. They also made a movie of the same name in 1993 with Wayne Wang directing.

Some other Amy Tan books you might recognize include:

• The Kitchen God’s Wife
• The Moon Lady
• The Opposite of Fate.

On her Twitter account, Tan gives tips on how to write fiction and improve memory and imagination, which are all critical skills for aspiring writers. She also shares news updates and stories about the writing industry that many new writers can benefit from.

19. Joe Dunthorne | @joedunthorne

Joe Dunthorne is a Welsh journalist, poet and novelist who made a name for himself with his novel Submarine, released in 2008. Director Richard Ayoade later turned this novel into a film in 2010.

Dunthorne also wrote other masterpieces like:

• The Truth About Cats & Dogs
• Wild Abandon
• O Positive.

He has over 15,000 followers and writes some of the best one-liners on Twitter. His retweets are engaging and often make you laugh. He’s good at looking for the most shareable content on the internet and posting it on his Twitter for followers to enjoy.

20. Irvine Welsh | @IrvineWelsh

Irvine Welsh is the genius behind the best-selling novel, Trainspotting, which they turned into a movie directed by Danny Boyle.

He’s a Scottish novelist, playwright and author who has published 11 novels and 4 collections of short stories. 

He has over 360,000 followers and his Twitter is full of tweets about travel, music and his favorite football team Hibernian. He also enjoys retweeting about things that catch his interest. This often leaves his followers amazed, confused or laughing with joy.

21. Augusten Burroughs | @augusten

Augusten Burroughs is famous for his New York Times bestselling memoir, Running With Scissors. This book details his childhood after his mother sent him to live with her psychiatrist. 

He released his second memoir, Dry in 2003. Although not as popular as his first, Dry gives a first-hand view of how Burroughs struggled with alcohol addiction. 

With over 40,000 Twitter followers, he enjoys mixing his funny tweets with retweets from other writers like Julieanne Solinskmi. These are often funny one-liners that never fail to give you a laugh.

Connecting With Your Heroes

Before the internet was born, interacting with your favorite authors was near impossible, but with the rise of the internet and social media, you can make your heroes part of your daily lives with a click of a button. 

Like any profession or hobby, new writers can follow their favorite authors on Twitter to write persuasively. If you need new ideas, advice or inspiration, follow these authors on Twitter today!

FAQs on the Best Authors to Follow on Twitter for Writing Inspiration