How to Read a Story Again on Wattpad

Wattpad has carved a very comfy resting place for itself in the online reading market. With 16.ix meg unique global visitors per month and an boilerplate of 30 minutes spent reading per visit, it's easy to empathize why information technology'south getting a lot of attention.

Hype and hysteria aside, I'm sure yous're left wondering what the real benefit is. You've heard that it's a "must-have" exposure tool and that it has "revolutionized the human relationship" betwixt authors and readers, but what does all of that really hateful and why should you care?

Wattpad in a nutshell

Wattpad has been referred to every bit the Youtube of writing considering of the way it enables authors to share their work with the world. This has to be my favorite description of the social media platform as it really captures the interactive nature of the site.

Authors tin upload either the completed or working version of their books for readers to read. It is not possible to upload a book as i single file, it has to be done on a affiliate-past-chapter basis.

Wattpad is entirely gratuitous for all of its users which means that authors are actually giving their piece of work away for costless with no option to sell on the site.

How does information technology work?

Wattpad is for everyone with an interest in books. Setting up an account takes a matter of minutes and is simply a case of creating a username, uploading a picture and mentioning a bit well-nigh yourself.

When authors mail a chapter to the site, there is the selection to customize the affiliate by adding searchable keywords, pictures, and videos. There is also the option under the "Advanced" tab department to add an external link to your book, although I would non necessarily become too excited nigh this as readers won't and don't click information technology (I don't know why, but they just don't).

Uploading content to Wattpad

That being said, you can (and yous should) add external links to your volume on your contour folio as well as on any comments that you post relating to your book or chapter. For case, if a reader asks where he/she can read more of your work, y'all can postal service the link in your reply and send them off to your Amazon page or writer website.

At the finish of the day, Wattpad is ultimately a social media site and should exist treated as one. In other words, if yous are willing to adopt a systematic approach, there are sure benefits that are yours for the taking.

Let'due south accept a await at this in a flake more particular.

1. You have a captive audience

People who sign upward to Wattpad are clearly interested in books and because of that, there are millions of engaged readers looking for their adjacent groovy read. Only before you minimize my article and rush over to Wattpad right at present, remember this: Wattpad is a social media platform and as such, the gold dominion applies:

Always actively engage with people who are reading your chapters. If someone has left a comment, make sure that you respond to their comment every bit soon as you can. Take the time to wait at your reader's profile so that you lot can appoint with them on a personal level.

If y'all want to breed reader loyalty, spending a bit of time getting to know your audition will go a long mode to increasing sales. Information technology will as well aid you lot ameliorate empathize your readership which in turn will help you focus your marketing efforts outside of the site.

2. Serialization keeps readers interested

Serialization, if done correctly, tin lead to reader loyalty and Wattpad is acutely enlightened of this. You have to release your content on a affiliate-by-chapter basis which in turn encourages continuous engagement with readers. Loyal readers can register themselves every bit a "fan" and as such, will receive email alerts whenever their favorite author posts something new.

This level of engagement is a very powerful thing as defended fans will exist more inclined to follow your writing beyond the realms of Wattpad.

However, things can go incorrect very quickly if y'all do not mail chapters regularly as readers could lose interest and move on. Consistency is crucial to the success of serialization so it is all-time not to bring together Wattpad if you don't have a completed book (even if merely in the kickoff draft) to share. Readers like knowing that in one case they've invested in a book, they will be able to read the story to the end.

What this also means is that you need to be prepared to requite your whole book away for free. Posting only 1 or ii chapters of your book volition not generate interest and will end up irritating readers.

Side idea: After chatting to a few of our clients near their Wattpad experiences, information technology became clear that timing is everything. Chapters that are posted on a Friday afternoon and a Sabbatum morning have the most visibility.

3. Interaction is encouraged

Wattpad is all about interaction and as such, the site actively supports dialog betwixt authors and readers. Readers are allowed to charge per unit and comment on whatever they are reading, giving authors a chance to refine their work or test out new ideas for characters or story development.

Wattpad readers certainly seem very willing to engage with an author and provide feedback as a startling v million new comments are posted every month. It goes without saying that the quality of the comments will vary from the inane to the constructive.

Receiving reader comments and feedback is definitely one of the main benefits of the site, just author-reader interaction tin can be taken one step farther. Authors are also given the choice to circulate messages to their readers.

Think of a circulate every bit a tweet or a Facebook condition update that is posted on your homepage and emailed out to your fans. This is a very useful feature as authors can post teasers, external links to their books, and fifty-fifty create reader polls to garner more detailed information about their readership.

The circulate feature is exceptionally useful to an writer, but should also be used with care as also many broadcasts can annoy your readers.

four. Meet some like-minded people

This is a benefit that is often drowned out by the idea that social media should do naught merely "work" for you lot. At the end of the day, social media is social, and as such, it provides a neat opportunity to see some similar-minded people.

1 manner to connect with people is to read and comment on other author'south stories. Many authors that nosotros piece of work with dismiss this as a waste product of fourth dimension, merely if you lot are serious about edifice upwardly your network, in that location is no meliorate way to exercise information technology. Of form this is a slow and steady arroyo, but yous have to start somewhere.

5. You tin (potentially) crowdfund your book

Wattpad accept very recently appear their new crowdfunding platform called "Fan Funding". Fan Funding is based on the same principles of any crowdfunding entrada in that authors can entreatment to their fans to donate money to self-publish their book. Authors can offer incentives (i.east. t-shirts, signed copies, ebooks, etc.) for donations, and campaigns volition run for a standard 30-day term.

Perhaps the largest distinguishing characteristic of Fan Funding is that all books partaking in the plan will nonetheless exist free to read for Wattpad users. In other words, readers can read the book earlier deciding whether or not to donate which means that donations are more than likely to come from people who actually relish your writing.

Equally Fan Funding is however in its trial phase, I am wary of commenting on its success. Still, I volition say that Fan Funding is a very natural stride for Wattpad equally the site has an established reader-base and of course, many Wattpad authors have existing relationships with their readers.

6. Science fiction, fantasy, and YA are the ascendant genres

Although Wattpad has over twenty genres bachelor on the site, science fiction, young adult, and fantasy books are without doubt the most popular genre. A large part of this trend is because the bulk of Wattpad users are teenagers and 20-somethings who lean more toward these genres.

So, if yous're a fantasy, YA, or science fiction author, this volition be music to your ears. However, if you write historical fiction, the uptake on your volume may exist less than you expect.

Exercise you have the urge to sign upward now?

Receiving honest feedback from existent readers is an invaluable role of the writing process, and for that reason, Wattpad is a useful tool for authors. Simply the market research possibilities are non to be sniffed at, as authors are able to connect with and gain deeper insight into their readership and indeed their genre.

Still, as is the case with all social media, there is no guarantee of success or increased sales. There is no harm in putting y'all and your book out there, as long as yous are realistic about the response that you are afterwards.

I'd love to hear near your experiences or concerns with Wattpad. Please share your thoughts in the comments beneath.

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Source: https://www.standoutbooks.com/6-things-every-author-needs-to-know-about-wattpad/

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