Support for Indie Authors discussion

What is wattpad? Come someone explain in a nutshell what this is? Is this a place where I could post a few chapters from my published novel to attract new readers? Or perhaps post a few chapters from the novel I'm currently writing? Is that right? Or would that be frowned upon? I don't want to do anything that would be frowned upon.

Thanks!

If you link to any kind of an Amazon or other outside bookstore, they will delete the story. Wattpad is setup to gain readers, not money.

I wasn't planning to link to anything. Just to put some chapters out there for people to read, if they are interested.

I guess my question is, Is it okay to put just some chapters out there, or would that be frowned upon because I'm not putting the entire book out there?

From what I understand, you can put as little or as much as you like. Though I'm sure they prefer whole works to help drive traffic to the site.

wattpad is mostly young. HS age readers, i think, and younger.. it is kind of its own unique thing. stories are written and posted in small short-read chapters.. as could be read in maybe 5-10 minutes (guessing here)... i think most are reading and writing on mobile devices. updating their stories to readers every few days.. short chapter updates. i have found that posting alone will NOT likely create a large following or interest. it is a social platform. i'd recommend browsing through the community and seeing the discussions and chats going on.

I've started reading a romance (The Possessive Bodyguard) on wattpad, and I am pleasantly surprised. Despite the wealth of punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure errors, it's a nicely developing story with likable characters. I definitely want to explore more of wattpad. It seems like the ultimate in democratic publishing, for all ages and all skill levels. In the long run, a resource like this may prove a serious challenge for commercial writing/publishing.

So, can I post a few chapters from my published novel on wattpad?

V.M. wrote: "You can, but don't expect a lot of crossover. Wattpadders are there for free, complete stories. If you have a series you can serialize the first book and put a link to the 2nd. Most Wattpadders ..."

Thanks, V.M. That's what I was looking for... the answer to whether or not wattpad readers would be unhappy about a partial book being posted. If that would make them unhappy, I won't do it. I'll write something new/complete to post there instead. The last thing I want to do is tick anyone off. I'm still getting a feel for wattpad. I feel like I've been missing the boat there and want to get involved.

I'm reading a serialized novel there now that has really caught my attention. Then I friended the author on Twitter. I don't really know anything about her, but I suspect she's a teenager with a lot of talent.

Thanks for the input!! :)

V.M. wrote: "Teri is correct. Interaction is key. Creating a following is also a function of exposure and is based on the response to your work. Right now one of my stories is Featured on Wattpad. It was upload..."

how did you get featured on wattpad?

what one author did/does, that i am mimicking--

posting story bits at a time, with the note at the end.. I will be posting the next section next week, but if you can't wait for the whole story, you can also grab it on amazon- insert link... this way, it is.. free if you want to wait and read it over a long period of time, or buy it now...

and note- adult professional authors.. do NOT have a lot in chat-common with 13-15 yr olds... trust me;) it is kind of an insiders club by default:)

Teri wrote: "posting story bits at a time, with the note at the end.. I will be posting the next section next week, but if you can't wait for the whole story, yo..."

This bit is exactly the kind of thing that can get your story removed from Wattpad if it is reported. Any outside links to other book sellers is something they don't want.

Hi, Teri

Are you saying that most of the users on wattpad are teens?

I have seen some adult/erotic works on wattpad, so presumably there must be at least some adults on there. ??

I wouldn't mind mentoring some young writers. For many years, I have taught writing at the college level. I wouldn't mind finding some talented writers and giving them encouragement.

April wrote: "Hi, Teri

Are you saying that most of the users on wattpad are teens?

I have seen some adult/erotic works on wattpad, so presumably there must be at least some adults on there. ??


YES- I have said this multiple times..the age demographic is middle school HS and into college... most of the users I've been chatting with range between 13-21, i'd guess


I wouldn't mind..."

It's absolutely amazing, then, for a service like wattpad to exist, to give opportunity and encouragement to young writers. I would have killed for an outlet like this when I was a teenager. I think a lot of new and exciting writers will come out of this cohort of young writers. They will get such wonderful experience honing their craft on wattpad and similar platforms. Thanks for the info, Teri.

Teenagers write something other than fanfic?

i tried uploading sample works and getting stuff deleted. they don't like links to paid works even if the first book is free. yes it's primarily teens who frequent the site

April wrote: "I have seen some adult/erotic works on wattpad, so presumably there must be at least some adults on there. ??"

I'll tell you the same thing I tell the YA authors who can't figure out why teens aren't reading their book: Teens seek out that which is still taboo to them. Erotica, horror, and adult fantasy has an appeal for those who want to believe themselves more mature than adults give them credit for.

I remember reading explicitly sexual bodice rippers when I was 13. Sex slavery, rape, kidnapping, raping pirates, etc... I don't think it's very much different from the stuff today, except for the term "BDSM." My mother had no idea what I was reading back then. She just smiled and praised me for reading so much. :)

Charles wrote: "Teenagers write something other than fanfic?"

The serial I'm reading isn't fan fic as far as I can tell. It's a bodyguard romance, new adult.

April wrote: "I remember reading explicitly sexual bodice rippers when I was 13. Sex slavery, rape, kidnapping, raping pirates, etc... I don't think it's very much different from the stuff today, except for the ..."

See? ;)
I'm not sure how it is now, but none of the librarians ever gave me or my friends a second glance when we were checking out horror or romance books in junior high.

My readers on Wattpad are roughly half teens. The works that I have posted are YA.

I've had a good amount of interaction on Wattpad, including readers that have crossed over to buy books outside of Wattpad. I only have two works up on Wattpad, one complete and one that is going up a chapter at a time. If readers want more than that, they need to go to Amazon or another store.

Riley wrote: "Teri wrote: "posting story bits at a time, with the note at the end.. I will be posting the next section next week, but if you can't wait for the whole story, yo..."

This bit is exactly the kind o..."

thanks, that's good to know. having come from an established author, who sounds like he/she had been doing this for a while- re the posting of entire book... I wouldn't have guessed it to be a violation of terms...

but yes, it does feel like a platform designed to develop stories organically, around developing a following.

btw- in terms of developing following, it is harder than facebook, re building followers. contributing to discussions does not generally guarantee followers, and following might have a 50% return re follow-back... so, it is a slow climb...

however, i have heard that some lucrative bookdeals have come out of wattpad- i would recommend entering the writing contests, as the likely best way to attract reader attention... as, i presume if an entry does well or wins... readers will be curious...

-- my dilemma re wattpad- i suspect, is the same dilemma I am encountering in other platforms, including goodreads-- it isn't a clear genre-type book... even the cover... does not immediately convey or embody a target genre.. but re wattpad.. i think what i am finding holds true, regardless:)

Christina wrote: "April wrote: "I remember reading explicitly sexual bodice rippers when I was 13. Sex slavery, rape, kidnapping, raping pirates, etc... I don't think it's very much different from the stuff today, e..."

darn! my mom took us kids to the library just about every two weeks--rain or shine--and nary a word to me about the "romance" genre: she was holding out on me.

cool. wattpad sounds very interesting. good for some experimental post-modern writing.

ehh it seems to take me 2 years to develop any kind of following whether here on booksie or on wattpad. my activity slowed after the last round of deletions and my attentions were mired in keeping my company afloat.
I'm not a big fan of socialising anyway so i know that puts kinks into things. unless you have an active social life in RL and online it can work.
Good Luck nonetheless

I recently joined wattpad because I'm trying to get my name into the reading community. I've only published one part of a story, but it is an extra to my book published on amazon. We'll see how it works out.

J. wrote: "I recently joined wattpad because I'm trying to get my name into the reading community. I've only published one part of a story, but it is an extra to my book published on amazon. We'll see how it ..."

That's what I'm planning to do. Post bonus content related to my published novels on wattpad and see if I connect with readers there. That would be fun to do (unless they bash me). ;)

There's forums on Wattpad?

Justin wrote: "There's forums on Wattpad?"

forums, writing contests, etc. yes.

Can you post work on Wattpad that you have already self-published? I would really like to try and gain more readers for my work especially my teen romances.

Janna wrote: "Can you post work on Wattpad that you have already self-published? I would really like to try and gain more readers for my work especially my teen romances."

I would say YES, unless the work is in Amazon KDP Select (which requires exclusivity). If you own the copyright, you can do with it what you want.

As April says, yes as long as you hold the rights. The two works that I have up are published elsewhere.

April wrote: "Post bonus content related to my published novels on wattpad and see if I connect with readers there. That would be fun to do (unless they bash me). ;) "

i gave it a go. up to 6800w on an outlined novelette since november 2015. ~30 unique readers & ~300 views.

Pros:
* Free to post
* Good UI for mobile devices
* Big pool of readers

Cons:
* No formatting enabled in description
* Doesn't allow m-dashes
* Stats aren't detailed enough
* Lags on stats b/w website and mobile (even on wi-fi)