I’ve had a few folks write guests posts about Wattpad in the last year and I keep running across news stories on Wattpad authors getting picked up by publishers, so it must be the place to be right now. At the least, it’s a place where you can offer samples (or full books) of your work for free and build an audience.
I’ll say from my own experience (I have the complete Emperor’s Edge Book 1 up over there and part of Book 2) that it’s working to sell books (I’ve had Wattpad readers send me notes saying they picked up the rest of the series). As with a lot of ebook marketing strategies out there right now, it seems to favor those with series — hook them with the first book and hope they’ll go on to buy the rest when those ones aren’t available for free. I might go more into my own experiences there at some point, but I’ve got a meaty guest post for you today from an author who’s been on there longer and has a lot more page views than I have on my stories. I chat with David Alastair Hayden on Twitter, and I’ve started to think of him as the Wattpad pro! So, without further blathering, here’s his advice:
How To Win Followers and Influence Readers on Wattpad
By now most people here know that Wattpad is an online community for reading and sharing stories. It has a highly active base of readers/writers and allows them to build reading lists, vote for and comment on individual chapters, “follow” their favorite authors, and interact with other reader/writers via both public and private messages. For me, Wattpad has been a wickedly fantastic way to connect with readers, sell books, and build toward that holy grail of 1,000 true fans.
Currently, I have a healthy 1.1 million reads on Wattpad for The Storm Dragon’s Heart and over 900 followers. That doesn’t make me the biggest name on Wattpad, but it certainly ain’t too shabby either. For a fantasy adventure book aimed at the lower end of the YA market, I’d say my numbers are excellent. But I didn’t earn readers and convert them to buyers by accident, or by simply spinning a good yarn.
I used a system.
My Wattpad Technique
Step 1) Post Regularly
I post one chapter each week, every week. Choose a day, let everyone know (see author notes below), and stick to it. The reason for this is two fold.
Once readers find and become fans of your work they will know when to come looking for more. They will descend in mass on your newest chapter and the burst of reads, votes, and comments will shoot your book up the hotlist for your genre. This will give you increased visibility similar to that of appearing on a bestseller list on Amazon. As I released the later chapters of The Storm Dragon’s Heart, the first book in my Storm Phase series, each one would rocket me into the Fantasy Top 5 and the Teen Top 50.
Also, Wattpaders are avid readers and they will consume your latest literary offering far faster than you would imagine possible. Because they want it now, all of it. So, if they know when to expect your newest post, it will dampen the urge to make impatient comments.
A Note on Timing: While posting The Storm Dragon’s Heart, I experimented with different times and days. I found that the best time to post chapters for maximum impact on visibility was on Friday or Saturday.
Step 2: Post Lots
On Wattpad, “reads” is the number of times any particular post has been viewed. So if your book has 10 chapters and each chapter has been read 10 times then your book has 100 reads. Readers can also vote on posts. Votes work and are tallied similarly, except where reads are passively gained as people open up a chapter, votes must be intentionally activated.
Obviously, the more chapters your book has the more opportunities you have to gather reads and votes. The more reads and votes you have the more visible your book will be on the site and the more new readers are likely to discover it. If you don’t write short chapters already, then I strongly advise that you break the book up by scenes. In fact, the wriggling of hooked readers on Wattpad affirmed my belief in short chapters for building tension and keeping the virtual pages flipping.
The Storm Dragon’s Heart has 54 chapters out of 85k words. That’s a huge plus because one hooked reader will give me 54 reads by the end. This is a distinct advantage. Make the chapters worth it and be prepared for the pestering of readers desperate for more story.
Short chapters is also a great way to turn impatient readers into book buyers. Book 2: Lair of the Deadly Twelve has 70 chapters and I am posting one each week. But both it and Book 3: The Forbidden Library are already available for purchase on Amazon and the other booksellers. Readers who just can’t wait will go ahead and buy the book.
Step 3) Link to Your Book
When you post or edit a chapter, there is a spot to add tags and such, like keywords on KDP. If you click on the “Advanced” tab in that section it will let you add pictures and videos and and external link. This external link is where you can enter the link to your book on Amazon. It is very simple to do but not obvious. It doesn’t have to be an Amazon link. It could go to B&N or your book’s page on your website. If you do link to Amazon, the link will say “Amazon.”
That link is insufficient. It’s a tiny link. No one will see it. No one will click it. Trust me on this. Despite having that link from the beginning, I had readers message me over and over telling me my book was wonderful and that I really should get it published. I got tired of answering this and had a little stroke of genius. (See Step 4.)
You can and should post active links to all your sales pages in your Wattpad profile. But you cannot put links in the chapters you post. Wattpad will automatically strip them. You can put a direct link as a comment though. So when readers ask you where they can get your book or suggest that you get it published (and they will, no matter how clear you make it that the book is available for purchase) feel free to respond with a link.
Step 4) Add Author’s Notes
At the start of each chapter I put the following note:
You can buy this book and the rest of the STORM PHASE series at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords.
And at the end of each chapter I put this note for a finished book:
You can buy this book and the rest of the STORM PHASE series at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords. You can sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, or like my Facebook page. For more information, see dahayden.com. Your support is appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Or I will put this end note for an ongoing book:
I will post one chapter each week, but there are 70 chapters, so this may take a while. If you just can’t wait, you can buy the complete book and the rest of the STORM PHASE series at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks, and Smashwords.
You can sign up for my newsletter, follow me on Twitter, or like my Facebook page. For more information, see my website dahayden.com. Your support is appreciated. Thanks for reading!
Once I added the notes and started peaking into the Top 10 on Fantasy, I started getting steady sales. And it was pretty obvious that Wattpad was the cause. As I would release each new chapter and the book popped onto those popularity lists, I got an immediate bump in sales on Amazon and other booksellers.
Of course, once the book was nearly finished, this boost trickled off. Readers could see the end in sight and were more patient. I’d estimate that before Book 2: Lair of the Deadly Twelve debuted, I generated about 200 sales off of Wattpad for The Storm Dragon’s Heart which was priced then at $5.99. (At the time my sales were in a huge slump. Not having a sequel to the first book in a series can do that.) Now, I’m getting steady follow-through sales on Book 2: Lair of the Deadly Twelve and Book 3: The Forbidden Library as well from impatient readers who don’t want to wait two years to get the rest of the story. It has become impossible to judge how many, but I’d say quite a few. Storm Phase Book 2 actually outsells Book 1 on Kobo and iBooks.
Step 5) Be Sociable
Wattpad offers loads of opportunities to interact with people and promote yourself. Some people have had success with the forums, sometimes called clubs, and such. I wouldn’t know. There is, however, one thing you definitely should do on Wattpad. It doesn’t even take much time or energy.
Reply to all the comments on your chapters. Be friendly. It only takes a few minutes each week. If someone posts a rude comment to one of your chapters, you can delete the comment. I had one over-eager young fan who sometimes got too aggressive and needed moderating. Eventually my fans started reporting his comments and I didn’t have to do anything anymore.
At the bottom of your profile page is your message board. Readers can post messages just like they were posting comments on a chapter. And you can respond in kind. Or, if you click the checkbox that says “broadcast to followers” under the message box, that message will be sent to all of your followers. Depending on how they have their notifications set up, you message will appear on their Wattpad newsfeed and be sent directly to their email. This is a great way to announce new projects just like you would with a newsletter. Beside that checkbox is a button that lets you post the message to Facebook as well.
Step 6) Get Featured
The only promotion I have done on Wattpad is participating in their Writer Partnership Program which allows select authors to “feature” their completed book on the site. Being “featured” brings in a mass of readers through the advertising exposure by the powers-that-be on Wattpad. Your book will appear on the “Featured” page in the discovery section of the site and on the rather ubiquitous “Books You Might Enjoy” banner. They also allow you to write a guest post for their blog.
There are two ways to get “featured” on Wattpad. You can simply post your entire book and then ask to be. This is the path I most often see indie authors take. If I had known it existed when I first started on Wattpad, this is probably what I would have done, too. I’m glad I didn’t. That’s not to say that you can’t or won’t get results with this method, you will.
But by posting a chapter a week, I slowly built up a list of followers before the Writer Partnership Program contacted me. It allowed me to cleverly time up my “featured” promotion with the release of Book 2: Lair of the Deadly Twelve. My numbers exploded. Waiting to tap that Wattpad promotion helped me reach a much broader fan base than I would have if I had used it earlier. I saw the same huge spike in readers others see after being “featured” but that was on top of my original followers.
And that’s it!
Ok, I lied. Wattpad is a big, complicated social network. So as you wade in, there are a couple of other things you should note and or consider.
Sequels
Most published authors put up sample chapters to the sequel as an excerpt and leave it there. If you do this, I strongly advise marking it as an excerpt in the title so no one will be mistaken.
I’ve chosen, however, to serialize Book 2: Lair of the Deadly Twelve as well. It won’t all be posted on Wattpad until early 2014. Barring the unforeseen, Book 4 and possibly Book 5 will be out by then and dedicated readers will have to soldier on or dive into their lunch/latte/iTunes money. Will I post Book 3 on Wattpad? I have no idea. I’ll figure that out when I get there.
I also have a complete posting of my adult fantasy novel Wrath of the White Tigress on Wattpad, and I’m serializing Chains of a Dark Goddess which is in the same series. I don’t think Wattpad has boosted or harmed the sales of those two books because …
Rated R Books
If your book is Rated R it will not appear on the charts and will, apparently, be difficult to find by searching. It also won’t be eligible to become featured. This cripples the promotion of such books and is why Wrath of White Tigress has far, far fewer reads than The Storm Dragon’s Heart. It’s not just because YA is a stronger category. You will, of course, find books with Rated R material that are not marked as such, but I do things the right way because … Well, you can’t be evil all the time, can you? I think Captain America taught me that. Well, he probably said something along the lines of “do the right thing” and “be a good person,” but I have my own interpretations.
Peer-to-Peer Critique
There is a lot of fan fiction on Wattpad. A whole lot. If you don’t know who One Direction is already, you will find out. (A boy band. I’d give you analogies, but doing so would reveal my true age.) Teens writing fiction for other teens, especially fanfic, can succeed (get TONS of votes, reads, and fans) with subpar writing because they’re writing things their peers will like and enthusiastically support. Peers support their peers, and they critique them. The interactions between peers are very different than those on publishable writing. You cannot and should not compare your numbers to the numbers for books like this. You might, however, want to check out these books to see what teens are into if you write YA.
The Real Reason to Use Wattpad
But here’s the one thing you must accept: Most Wattpad readers are not going to buy your books. It’s just not going to happen for myriad reasons. I’ve had readers with low incomes thank me for posting quality fiction for free (for this I’ve been blessed by the names of strange gods). I have many young readers, too, who maybe don’t have the money or allowance, or live in nations where wealth isn’t so plentiful. I had one reader tell me that he was planning to buy my books after he finished saving up for a guitar. The hope is that they will share their love of my work with friends who do have money to spend on books with boy wizards, Asian settings, fetches that turn into diaries, and cat-girl ninjas.
Many Wattpadders who buy my books message me to let me know they’re supporting me, which is touching, and I always thank them profusely. I have a few fans who’ve bought my books yet still drop by to vote on new chapters and leave me comments on what they liked in the chapter. You really cannot get that kind of feedback anywhere else. I have had dark days brightened by my Wattpad fans and their enthusiasm. The comments on the chapters they love, the begging for more chapters when they know I’m only giving one each week, pestering me because I forgot to post … these are things I cherish.
Thanks for the post, David! I need to start putting the notes about the book being available for sale on the individual chapters. 🙂
The notes really do make a difference. And I love how Wattpadders will frequently let authors know that they bought their books.
Thank you, Lindsay! I’m always reading great posts here and have learned a lot, so I’m happy to share what I know for a change. 🙂
I clearly need to check this out. Thanks for the very informative post!
You are most welcome.
I’ve heard that YA does well over there but that it’s crickets for adult genres. Any thoughts? Do any adults actually use Wattpad?
I’ve seen a couple of historicals and adult romances with more reads than me. And I do have some adult readers and followers. But yes, it is dominated by a younger audience and all things being identical, a YA book would be more successful.
I wouldn’t let that stop you. Discoverability is our greatest challenge, and even a little help gained freely and easily is a good thing.
Hi,
I’ve been on Wattpad for a few months now. And, as David said, it’s dominated by teenagers. But, there are a few threads/forums that adults gather in to talk and writing and other stuff.
If you end up creating an account and want to drop us a line, here’s the link:
http://www.wattpad.com/forums/discussion/559815/0/25/are-there-any-adults-on-wattpad
Thank you, David, for explaining this new world for me. I had heard of Wattpad but didn’t know what it was about. Your article taught me so much.
I have a question. Does giving away your work for free on Wattpad make Amazon want to price-match it? I can see doing it if your work is already free at Amazon, but doesn’t giving it away chapter by chapter, even though it’s $5.99 on Amazon, trigger Amazon’s price-match bot? Or is Wattpad an exception?
You can’t post on Wattpad and use KDP Select, but you can use KDP just fine. They won’t price-match. Blogging/serializing a story and selling it whole aren’t the same thing. 🙂
And just to say… In my experience, getting featured helps a TON with setting off the “get noticed” train.
I clearly need to ask them to feature EE1. 😉 I did get quite a few extra reads once the book was finished. I think there are a lot of people who wait for them to be completed before getting started.
Featured will be easy for you Lindsay. They want to feature professional quality work.
I reached 480,000 reads before becoming featured, built up to 1.1 million since. So my method got me halfway. My issue with go featured from the start was there was nowhere else to go. I didn’t want to lead with my best card. I’m also exceedingly patient.
Glad you found it helpful, Margaret. There’s no price on Wattpad for the bots to match. And like Carradee said, I don’t think Amazon cares about it unless it’s an ebook.
Thanks for posting about your experiences, David. I’d heard Wattpad mentioned before, but you’ve convinced me to check them out further.
How long did it take you after your first post to see readers start appearing in large numbers?
I cut a history of my experience section out since the article was long already. I had sample chapters up for a year before interest gathered on them. During that time, I actually forgot about the site. I only came back because someone messages me and asked if I was going to post ore chapters. After that, I built up from a hours and reads one chapter per week to 480,000 reads between March and November.
Wow. I mangled that post. Think I need sleep. Sorry.
* built up from a thousand reads.
Great guest post, David. I see you over at TPV all the time, and now I get to read your comments on the technical bits. I noticed when Lindsay started tweeting her Wattpad postings, but didn’t really give it a lot of attention (sorry Lindsay!) You’re definitely right that the small time investment is worth the attention gained. The new world of promotion isn’t as simple as going to one source to launch your brand. It’s going to be a lot of sources, like Wattpad, culminating in visibility on retailers.
Hi, Jim. I recognize your name, too! So hard not to post on TPV.
Agree, go to lots of sources and then if one starts really working for you, double down on it.
I used Wattpad for feedback when I was writing my first book(and part of the second) and I had a lot of great experiences there!
Unfortunately, I seem to have drifted away from the site. Maybe it’s time for a reunion?
Go for it! The site is growing. Lots of my readers are first time site visitors. And Wattpad is going to test some new things soon.
SUCH a helpful post! I’m on Wattpad, but haven’t done very much with any books other than my first.
Thank you!
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I’ve been such a slacker on Wattpad. Thanks for this info. I was inspired to post the first chapter of my the first book in my Backworlds series.
This was a lot of great information.
Good luck with it! I posted sample chapters on the site and forgot about them for a year until some messaged me going, “Dude, are you going to post more?”
This was immensely interesting and helpful. Thanks for being so open about your techniques! As a relative newbie when it comes to technology in general, this has been invaluble. Best of luck with your books – I look forward to checking them out!
Thank you very much. I was getting so many questions about what I’d done that I figured I should make one big answer.
Thank you so much for this! I am a fanfiction author who recently stepped out into the world of original fiction. This looks like a great route for fanfic authors to take — we already write shorter chapters with great cliffies (for the record, about 3k words per chapter seems to be about perfect in my experience).
I’m heading over to Wattpad now.
You are most welcome. Wattpad is a great place for fanfic and original. I think you’ll like the site.
3,000 words is a short chapter?! Not for me! My average chapter length is about 1000-1500 words for the YA books. Frequently I write chapters under 1k in length with a few 3k ones thrown in to vary the pacing. I modeled chapter length on bestselling thrillers and not fantasy books.
I do write a lot of strong hooks on my chapter ends.
Fanfiction has gotten me in the habit of writing “hooks”–my readers often complain about them, but I’m sure they like them.
Wattpad is a different medium I suppose. A lot of times with 1000 word fanfic chapters I get annoyed–there isn’t enough time to finish a thought.
I’ve noticed that the stories I write with chapters closer to 3K get more reviews. But again, different medium, and with Wattpad you have the source material available “out there” if readers want the whole thing.
Thanks again for the post!
If your readers complain about the hooks and short chapters, that’s a good thing, a very good thing. It means they’re engaged and want to read more. It’s the kind of complaint that’s a compliment.
I can fit a lot of story into 1,000 words! But that’s just how I am. Different writers have different voices and styles. Some are more concise than others. Of course, one way is not better than the other.
You’re welcome!
Excellent information. Thanks for the tips about pre and post author notes. I hadn’t tried that, and yes, I continually get comments that the book should be published…sigh. I’ve been using Wattpad the same way as you, having serialized a chapter each week until the book was almost complete and Wattpad contacted me to be a feature. I’m having a similar experience. I love my readers and enjoy responding to their comments. I’ve noticed a slight bump in sales since SAVAGE CINDERELLA has been on the featured page. I have to say, it has become my favorite social media hub to connect with my readers.
The chapter notes make a huge difference. I figured them out after I had gotten so exasperated saying over and over that it was published.
Wattpad contacted me about being featured and I asked them to wait three months until I finished serializing. They didn’t mind. Great people to work with.
Good luck on there!
Thanks for sharing all this detailed information. I see a few tweeks I can make make. I got on Wattpad recently after reading about it here, but like most places it’s a hard sell for middle grade. I’ll share a tip that may be true – I think my numbers have been better if I post early in the morning – like before 7 am Central Time.
One big mistake I think I made was that I wasn’t able to keep posting on the same day. Oh well, it has still been fun to watch my numbers grow a little. Yet another place to obsessively watch data if you aren’t careful! 🙂
When I did Saturday posts they were very early in the morning. What most people would call Friday night. Because I go to bed at like 4 am.
Good luck with it! Pepper Thorn also has a middle grade book there and it took time for her to build some steam. http://www.wattpad.com/story/1244869-princess-rose-and-the-crystal-castle
Thanks! I will check out her book. It helps to have a direction to go as my wandering so far hasn’t been very directed. I’ve put yours on my shelf too – it looks really interesting!
Thanks, David and Lindsay, for such great information! I started using Wattpad a few months ago, but haven’t really done much with it. (Translation: I started posting my cowardly zombie slayer book, then life got in the way and I completely forgot about it.) I’ve switched over to the dark side—writing a series, and more than one at that—so I will make it my business to use Wattpad more.
I posted sample chapters and forgot about Wattpad for nearly a year. Came back when a reader asked for more. So don’t feel bad. And it’s never too late. Good luck!
Great article David. I scored an 8 book publishing deal by self publishing my own ebooks and using Wattpad to promote my writing. It’s a great way to get your work out there.
Thank you! And, that’s awesome. Congrats!
Thanks for sharing, David. I’ve been working on a fan fiction story for the last several years in order to teach myself how to write fiction, and I’d been thinking about releasing that story on Wattpad in order to get some feedback on my technique. Looking forward to trying that out.
Wattpad would be the perfect place for that. If I was just starting out as a writer, I’d be on Wattpad.
I say the same stuff about Wattpad all the time. It really is a wickedly useful tool for building a loyal following, getting immediate feedback on draft novels and upping your game. You can learn so much from other writers and chat or comments with readers. Readers who are desperate for the next chapter and amazingly supportive of your work.
I still think the treatment of RRated writers sucks on the site but I know they are making progress to add RRated to the Watty Awards as a ‘special award’. They also introduced the ‘mature’ button in the search area which allows you to find rrated work. I also tag it as ‘adult’ to allow them to find me.
I noted how my RRated series got very few reads compared to other sites. I wrote a PG13 story for Wattpad exclusively to prove it could be done and highlight the negative affect that Rrated ratings have on writers. It basically allows you to post your story but not advertise it. It’s like there is a pane of one way glass between you and your potential readers. You can see them but you can’t interact, which is why so many cheat and don’t tag it as RRated. I couldn’t do that but I have been working with Wattpad on ways to improve things.
My experimental PG13 story went straight to the top of the charts, had over a million reads in 3 months and my 600 fans now stand closer to 7000. I wrote another PG13 to prove my point again to Wattpad… RRated just doesn’t work on Wattpad, you have to post at least one PG13 to allow readers to find you. The second story again went to the top of the charts several times, had over a million reads and was featured by Wattpad.
I posted another yesterday which I wrote exclusively for their chicklit chart as it is still so new. I posted the first 7 chapters. It went straight in at number 33 and has had over 1000 reads in less than 24 hrs. Immediate feedback and more followers.
It’s effectively the Facebook of readers and writers who share a common interest. It is also great for book designers, editors, book trailer makers and yes the odd sneaky publisher who contacts you.
It is full of amazing stories, art work, and I even attended a Wattpad Meet Up in London where you got to put a face to the name of your friends online and the Wattpad staff who came over from Canada.
Its Free, it easy to use, and the Wattpad team are people you get to know not emails that get ignored.
What do you have to lose? You don’t need to write on it, open and account and read, comments, give advice or go to the cafe room and gossip.
Congrats on your reads David. 🙂
That was an epic comment! Thank you.
I get why they do the Rated R thing and I’m sure they’ll tweak it some more.
I don’t think I could post a draft novel there, not with my process, but I think it’d be awesome for people that can.
Completely agree about the people at Wattpad. Wonderful to interact with.
I have a Rated R book with 25k reads compared to the YA at 1.1 million.
I have decent enough reads on my rrated work e.g. 280,000 for one but it still P’s me off that we are not searchable. Like I say with the 280,000 read I decided to try and best it with a PG13 and it went to number 1 with over a million reads in three months. I was astounded especially as it isn’t even finished and very draft but that is the beauty of WP. You can test your ideas, your audience reaction and get encouragement along the way.
I even had to put a ticket on the helpdesk as I was unable to answer the 400 plus comments I received on one chapters alone. It would take hours to navigate up and down. I worked with wattpad to improve the section and the other day it was launched and now I can see who I am replying to, the context of the conversation and keep it going.
They are always evolving and open to ideas. Plus listen if you have an issue. I had loads of stories randomly dedicated to me. I didn’t know who they were or why. Then I realised if you are on the ‘Whats hot’ or top of the chart and they tag you even in a chapter dedication, their work appears on your page. Basically, spamming, advertising on your page. Cheeky genius! You have no way to remove it… yet but Kev went straight on and removed them. Highlighting to the team the new craze. haha
Hi Airam Author,
How long were you on wattpad to get 280K reads? Just curious…
So, I’m a little lost here. Did you put most of the book on Wattpad and then people bought it from you on a different site? Or did you put the entire book on Wattpad?
My books are/were available on the usual sites: Amazon, B&N, Kobo, iBooks. You cannot sell books on Wattpad. I encouraged Wattpad readers to go to those sites to buy my books.
I posted a book already available for sale one chapter per week on Wattpad. Impatient readers could then go buy the book. I encouraged them to do so. Once all the chapters were up on Wattpad, it became a featured book. I then started serializing the sequel. I’m still serializing Book 2 but Book 3 is already out.
Hope that helps!
It does immensely. Thanks for responding–and I can’t wait to check out your book for myself.
Do authors use Wattpad to offer a portion of the book without intending to post the entire thing over time? For example, could an author post the first 15% or so–a chapter or “scene” at a time–essentially the portion that would be available in a “peek inside” on Amazon and then stop there? Do you think the author would have to mention up front that they will not be posting the entire work?
Yes, I’ve seen authors offer the first few chapters of their books for free on Wattpad. It’s more respectable if the author mentions up front (by listing Teaser or Preview in the title) but there are certainly those who don’t.
Some authors definitely do that, and it doesn’t take long to post the samples. Every little thing helps, right? But here’s the problem: You won’t earn many fans and reads that way and so your visibility on the site will remain poor. Wattpadders come to read and not to shop. Lightning could strike, but it’s not likely. And saying it’s only an excerpt is essential.
What would work better is one complete novel, novella, novelette, and then samples for the rest.
Note: unless you have a featured book, you can remove work at any time from Wattpad, so you could do a temporary full book. Featured books is a non-contract commitment for having your whole book up for six months.
I know a number of published authors who use the site to share the first three or even seven chapters of their story and then the link to where you can purchase it.
Most go on to post another story that they are not overly precious about, to ensure that readers get something back. It is also worth noting that as there is a large teen audience, you often find that they can’t afford or have no access to purchasing novels online. Some would love to purchase your novel but do not have access to a credit card and have to wait till their birthday or Christmas for their parents to say yes you can have it.
Also with published authors it’s availability. Some can’t purchase it as they are not a UK & US resident. On Wattpad every user can read your work without waiting on a release date and for those in Australia, South Africa, India, Philippines etc it is a wonderful source and helps so many gain access to stories. Plus to some it helps with their English both reading and writing.
So run a give away too or share a code to allow people to read it at discount or for free so you can get reviews. This ensures that you are building an audience, using the site to its full potential and getting feedback.
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I’m impressed by the usefulness of this site. Good, straightforward posts. It may be predominantly YA now, but no reason why it shouldn’t develop further . . .especially if we others sample its possibilities for other genres.
Heya,
What if you are writing your book and posting it as you go along? Would it be a good idea to upload all but the last three chapters and then post a link for the rest on Amazon etc without uploading the rest?
Thank you for this article. This is so helpful for an aspiring author like me.
I’m the kind of person who easily gets discouraged in the field of writing. Reasons? English isn’t my first language so I’m sooooooo worried of my grammar and choice of words whenever I write. Second, I’m currently suffering from author’s block.
I used to write romance stories and my plots were inspired by my heartbreaking experiences. However, when things turned great in my love life, I kind of lost my passion in writing romance stories! Until now, I have no clue why.
I’m trying to explore other genres. I guess I need the right amount of inspiration to get started on another story.
Another thing… I”m not familiar with Wattpad. I don’t know how people, users or readers react. I have published my stories online before, in a fan fiction website (which I have discovered first). I wanted to be a better writer so I decided to explore other opportunities.
Anyway, this is very helpful for someone like me. Thanks for your generosity! 🙂
Thank you for this! Since it’s been a year, have they changed the R rating process, or it is still the same?
Christine
🙂
Thanks so much for this post. So much great information from David and in the comments!
Lindsay and David,
Thanks so much for this post! Awesome!!
Hey Lindsay! I would love to know your opinion on this:
I am planning to enter a contest where my full book is posted, and I want readers to rate and comment my book on that website.
Do you think if I posted my book or a few chapters of my book on Wattpad or websites like that, would readers go to the other website to comment on my book?
If I ask them, I mean?
You might get some, especially if you start posting the Wattpad chapters ahead of time, maybe do updates a couple of times a week, and try to get an audience following you there. It does usually take time to build up an audience on Wattpad, and only a percentage of them would help you out, but it doesn’t sound like there would be much to lose, especially if you’re not asking them to buy anything.
Is it normal to get a little freaked out when your reads are jumping up by the hour? O_O;; Granted this is my second year with my wip but still this is freaky. Is this a bug? -scraches head-
Thanks for posting this article. I just started a blog for readers and writers. I also just started posting fanfic on wattpad, so I found this very helpful.
Why do some of my parts have way more reads than others?
Hey I’m just not sure how to get a lot of reads on my book. I’ve been in wattpad for 3 years and my oldest book only has 210 views. I think if myself as a good author but an unsure as to what I’m doing wrong in terms of advertising.
Hi David. Great information. Definitely helped me a lot. But I would like to know what about the wattpad and kdp strategy. I find lots of books on wattpad which are having good sales at amazon store. Though they are available for free in wattpad, people do buy them at the store. Books like After, The ghost files etc, has good sales at amazon. Is it because they are unaware that its available for free on wattpad?
Thanks for the wonderful advice. As a new Wattpadder, it is very much appreciated. I look forward to putting it to use. Again, thank you and good reading/writing.
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