It sounds like a great idea. “I’ll follow you if you follow me.” Now before anyone misunderstands me, I didn’t say there’s anything wrong with that. In fact, it can be a lot of fun. Where it goes wrong is when writers start thinking that getting a lot of followers will automatically propel them into the spotlight as an author.
Of course, it’s important to have people follow you, but you are not accomplishing all that much unless the person is truly interested in what your page is all about. This is particularly true if you’re a writer who is primarily targeting other authors. They will do it to get a follow themselves, just like you, but if neither one of you ever looks at the other person’s page it didn’t really accomplish anything. It’s just an artificial inflation of numbers.
Taking the long road is not as easy, but it definitely yields better results. Target a market of READERS as opposed to exclusively other authors, and make sure you are targeting people who are interested in your genre. Someone who is into sci-fi and comic books is not necessarily going to be interested in historical fiction or romance. If someone’s main interest is true crime, it’s doubtful they’ll be reading fantasy novels any time soon. It just depends on what you’re selling and who’s interested in it. If you keep those things in mind, it will be easier than you think to pinpoint your market and then people will follow because they’re actually interested in what’s on your page, as opposed to a simple swap. Admit it… it makes sense. Write on!