Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

Hi,
So I keep running into "display sites" and can't figure out which are successful, legitimate, etc. so I thought I'd post the question, do you have experience with these and if so, what do you think?

Wattpad - display site

Authonomy - Harper Collins site, claims to weed through the slush pile to raise attention of editors at HC

Pubslush - display site that solicits book buyers, once so many have agreed to buy, then a publishing effort with marketing, editing, etc.

Inkubate - display site for editors and agents, claims to be more efficient way to deal with slush pile

Thanks!
Lisa Ard
Author of Dream Seeker Adventures

Authonomy is Harper Collins' slush pile.
Wattpad - I couldn't figure out how to ulpload stuff, and I think it must be free (like on Feedbooks). So I'd rather publish it with Smashwords/Kindle than have it free somewhere...

I have bits of a novel on Authonomy. It's a good way of getting feedback on a work-in-progress (which is what I use it for), but you have to plug a book like mad to other users to make the monthly 'editor's desk'; if you do, you get a report from their editors. HarperCollins has started an ebook imprint for titles discovered on Authonomy, but the chances of getting discovered and published that way remain incredibly small...!

Thanks for that update Steph. I'm pursuing a more traditional route, submitting to a publisher I met at conference, entering a respected contest, but after that, I'm wondering about other options. Authonomy sounded interesting, but hard to find out the likelihood of successfully attracting notice - according to your note, still pretty slim. However, I will consider it for feedback as you suggest. Thanks!

Hey Lisa! This is Erin, the community director at PUBSLUSH. I would be happy to answer any questions you have about PUBSLUSH. We are completely transparent and want to make sure our authors are comfortable with the process. Since authors need to build a following no matter how they are published, we made PUBSLUSH to help make it easier and, if you can get enough support, be published! Looking forward to connecting :)

Do any of you visit to read, belong to, or post parts or all of ebooks on Authonomy or Wattpad as excerpts and for getting/giving pre-pub comments/support/reviews? Experiences?
What are the best sites (besides my own blog) to serialize my next eVolume (sci-fi/romance/paranormal/multiverse/utopian for adults/new and young adults) starting in mid-March through early June? Thanks.

I asked this on several group pages about 30 minutes ago.
So far, more votes for Wattpad than Authonomy, which is the opposite of my experience last summer/early fall, but that was for my first book, This Changes Everything. For Vol II, I have more contacts, readers, maybe even a fan or two, so things may be different.

I plan to excerpt/serialize on my Series pages via my own blog on Wordpress and Tumblr which goes on both FB and Google + (I only had FB series page for Volume I) as well as my personal pages on LinkedIn and FB, and on both Authonomy and Wattpad, but I wondered if there were other options, out of my own network, so to speak? Ideas welcomed! Sally Ember

I've since left Authonomy. I found I was spending a lot of time reading and commenting on the work of others but getting next-to-no feedback in return. It's interesting that when HarperCollin's sci-fi imprint Voyager was looking for new titles a while back, they asked for direct submissions instead of trawling Authonomy. To me that spoke volumes about what HarperCollins really think of their own site.

I've heard good things about Wattpad, but haven't used it myself.

Thanks, Steph.

That's interesting Steph about HarperCollins.

What good things have you heard about Wattpad?

Wattpad is free. I use it to offer the first few chapters of my books. It is very YA oriented, but there are a few high profile examples of publishers picking up successful Wattpad books. One was the UK teenager who got a 6 figure deal for her Twilight fanfic. It can be good for building a following but you have to put the time in to interact in the forums.

I can only talk about Wattpad, not the others. So far, I've only been posting some "writing advice" (not a perfect guide, of course, only things I've experienced myself), as well as what I might call an "experimental draft" of a story I may or may not self-publish later (Was). I don't know yet if doing the latter was a good idea, but since the story will go through at least 2-3 other rounds of editing later on, it won't be exactly the same, and I can always choose to delete chapters in order to keep only a few as teasers. Mainly I wanted a place to put my writing online, and that would make sending links to its chapters easier, while not allowing copy/pasting.

This said, unless you write "trendy stories" (read: dystopian-romance-vampire-YA), you may not find an audience there. I wouldn't expect some magical book deal to get out of it for poetry, a novel fully geared towards adults, etc.

A.W. wrote: "One was the UK teenager who got a 6 figure deal for her Twilight fanfic. "

Now this one seriously frightens me. The last "Twilight fanfic-evolved" book I read was 50 Shades, and let's say I wasn't impressed. *shudders*

Pubslush takes a 4% cut of all money raised. I googled them and then clicked on "aboutus" and it gave me "oops, page does not exist." Not a good first impression.

If you just want a good site where you can post a story, especially stories less than 800 words, try readwave.com

I checked out inkubate. They would have to be there a while before I would sign up

I use Wattpad as a place to put up my short stories. I find it's use pretty good.

Authonomy is a waste of time. People spend more time playing the system than using it right. Full of empty promises!

I just want people to read what I have written, rather than leaving it as a manuscript in my room, and for that reason Wattpad is good. I posted the first two chapters of my book, Angel War, on Wattpad, and up to now nearly two hundred people have read them, which really pleases me. I have posted the first chapter of another story of mine, as yet unpublished, and a few of my poems, on Wattpad, and people are reading them, too, I am glad to say.

Phillip Never heard of Whatpad, sounds like it is worthwhile. I will follow your idea for my new book.

Scott

I'm glad Lisa started this thread. I've been using Wattpad for several months now. It's been useful, but I'm interested in a new platform. It's hard, though, to beat what Wattpad offers
- reading books on your cell phone or tablet is easy, which means that it's easy for your audience to read your books, once you've attracted an audience
- you get alerts when books you like have been updated by their authors (which, again, applies to your audience, when you update your books)
- you can track (more than anywhere else) who is reading your books.

The main problem with Wattpad is that most of its users come from a very specific demographic, so it may not be the best platform for reaching your audience.

The appeal of the other sites mentioned in this thread - authomomy, inkubate, and publush - seems to be the ability to find publishers, and agents, but I'm really interested in finding an audience. Has anyone had any luck doing that for their sci-fi work? Is there another Wattpad like platform on the rise?

I can think of little less-constructive than such sites.

Imagine what could be done if actual market research were part of the equation. Imagine if the people without whom work to be sold would not exist - writers - were treated as if they were of value, and provided with the tools and information that would help them work at the top of their capacity. Imagine what it would be if what people really want, which is a good story, well-told, were what was sought out in a positive, constructive manner. Imagine if there were effort made to work with retailers and obtain metrics on customers - not of what they had simply bought in the past (out of what was available) but what they would like or desire.

You know. Like Quaker, Nabisco, Ford and Apple do it.

This isn't really about gender bias. Gender bias is a symptom. It's about working toward a cure.

http://www.asterling.com/2014/03/tell...

Lisa wrote: "Hi,
So I keep running into "display sites" and can't figure out which are successful, legitimate, etc. so I thought I'd post the question, do you have experience with these and if so, what do you t..."

In my other post I forgot to mention the site Fanstory. This site get's good reviews. There is a fee involved at some point, although creating an account is free.

I didn't like the site's aesthetic, which is bad in a way that seems odd because it's so easy to improve. It also didn't seem to leverage current mobile technologies. And finally, the top rated sci-fi works were not appealing to me. But the site is well respected and has good ratings by it's users.

Writerscafe.org is not bad, and it's a lot easier to keep track of your writing than on Readwave.com. On the other hand, Readwave is more visually appealing. Here is my page at Readwave. It's easy to sign up and there is no fee, but they prefer stories of 800 words or less.

http://www.readwave.com/morriss003/

Stan wrote: "Writerscafe.org is not bad, and it's a lot easier to keep track of your writing than on Readwave.com. On the other hand, Readwave is more visually appealing. Here is my page at Readwave. It's ea..."

Thanks. I haven't heard about these two sites. They look interesting.

amy, my dear: "Imagine what could be done if..."

what a wonderful, provocative, accurate and funny description of reality!

amy, again.
i just read "Tell Yourself" and "The Eternal Present Tense" and would like you to read "You," if you have time. i've tossed it (haphazardly, nonchalantly) onto my bookshelf earlier today: goodreads.com/story/list/30017084. it's written in 2nd person, present tense, the only story i know of written thus. (it was easy.)

hmm.
in reference to "incipit vita nova," my response: latine sonat aliquid possumus. which, perhaps, is to say "i can make up something that sounds like Latin."

lisa: this was an interesting idea for a thread. i took copious notes.

Henry wrote: "I'm glad Lisa started this thread. I've been using Wattpad for several months now. It's been useful, but I'm interested in a new platform. It's hard, though, to beat what Wattpad offers
- reading ..."

Expect when Wattpad updates. I'm an pro supporter and like the site myself but when they do updates for the ipad, I end up cursing them and their compulsions to constantly change things that already work very well. I'm still having issues over the scrolling and page turning option.

The other thing that it does have is the tools to link up video and cover pic, seems pretty easy. But I am serious wondering about the legal issues with the cover images being used (4th time- really need to start a thread about that). That issue also includes these self-published titles as well who use copied images that are not their own. Wattpad is unpublished titles, that's one thing but when you receive monetary gains from a book whose cover is photographed or drawn (and photoshop)by someone other than yourself??? I think there is an issue there that should be addressed by someone.

Yzabel wrote: "I can only talk about Wattpad, not the others. So far, I've only been posting some "writing advice" (not a perfect guide, of course, only things I've experienced myself), as well as what I might ca..."

Wattpad is YA at first glance. The R-rated stories (anything considered erotica, detailed acts, I believe) would be censored from searches. They exist. you just have to become creative in finding them. The more illicit ones, you have to select the "Follow" option to follow the author in order to read or gain access to them.

That also brings up a negative for Wattpad (I truly am a support though). Their search engine to find stories suck. I could have the title spelled correctly and get 1,000,001 results that include every title with any other words but the ones I am searching for. I have found that the mobile number gets me directly to the story I am looking for, but you have to know the number.

@cozen,

knowing nothing about wattpad (or pretty much anything else), i would think their search engine recognizes the standard attributes. e.g., if you prepend a + to a term--+nairobi--no links will return that don't have, in this example, nairobi. if you enclose a phrase in quotations, only links that contain the precise phrase will return. e.g., "where'd i leave my cellphone this time."

i have other attributes that i use, and i can provide them to you, but i think google's list is easily accessed.

lemme know.

I downloaded the Watpad app for my tablet but I don't really like it because it pertains to me reading others work rather then writing and promoting my own. I can't figure out how to write new stories or share my current ones to social mdeia, the full version has allows you to but I don't the the app does.

Excuse my ignorance.But guys are these places used for marketing or you just offer your stuff for free? Sounds like Lucky draw to me.

that's very insightful :)

Henry wrote: "Stan wrote: "Writerscafe.org is not bad, and it's a lot easier to keep track of your writing than on Readwave.com. On the other hand, Readwave is more visually appealing. Here is my page at Readw..."


Those two are new to me, also. Great thread, here. Thanks!