In 2010, tired of the non-stop list of werewolf and vampire books getting published, 15-year-old Beth Reekles published her own story on Wattpad.
Within two years The Kissing Booth netted 19 million reads, won Wattpad’s Most Popular Teen Fiction award, and the author received a three-book deal from Penguin Random House.
In 2018, Netflix’s The Kissing Booth was so popular it became one of the most-watched movies on the platform.
As writers and indie authors, we’ve all heard about the mega-success stories of writers who started their careers on Wattpad.
Certainly, I have seen fellow writers do well for themselves because of Wattpad.
But film deals?
Not yet.
Despite the hype, Wattpad is so much more than a stepping stone to your book netting you millions. And it’s these things I’m going to share with you today.
Unlike pretty much every other self-publishing platform out there, Wattpad gives you direct access to readers and easy ways to build relationships with them.
And what is the most effective way to gain readers and fans?
Be where they are. Connect with them. Share with them.
Let them get to know you, the author and creator behind the stories they love.
Despite being an iconic platform for writers, Wattpad remains one of the most underused resources for writers to grow their audience of readers. With a dedicated community of 94 million users – the majority of which are readers who love stories and love to read – Wattpad is where you can find many of your readers and your fans. And Wattpad fans are the real deal. They’ll stay with you through thick and thin. Mine have. You can’t get that kind of connection from Amazon or even (dare I say) from newsletters.
When I started publishing on Wattpad, I used the platform to have somewhere to publish my first NaNoWriMo novel, a World of Warcraft fanfiction. But I soon learned Wattpad was much more than a place to park the stories I couldn’t publish anywhere other than fanfiction.net.
That’s when I discovered the community, made friends, found my readers, and gained intensely loyal fans. And that’s when I decided to publish my books there before publishing them on Amazon to test them out and see where things went. In hindsight, it was the best decision I ever made.
I’m E A Carter, a Wattpad user since 2016 with more than one million reads of my debut novel The Lost Valor of Love. Today, I’m here to share what Wattpad can do to grow your reading audience and attract honest-to-god fans who will follow you to the end of the Earth.
Key Takeaways
- Global Reach and Instant Feedback: Wattpad allows authors to reach a diverse, global audience instantly, providing real-time feedback through comments and votes, which helps writers improve their stories as they write.
- Community and Engagement: Wattpad fosters a supportive community where authors can engage with readers and fellow writers in a collaborative space that makes writing fun and contributes to helping build a loyal following.
- Opportunities for Publication: With programs like Wattpad Creators and Wattpad Originals, in-house talent scouts can discover popular authors and secure deals with their publisher Wattpad Books.
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Section 1: What is Wattpad?
Wattpad is a platform where writers can share their stories with readers across the globe. Readers can comment, vote, and engage directly with published stories in real-time. They can also leave messages on your profile to praise your work or ask questions about your writing in general.
Wattpad offers readers access to millions of stories in every imaginable genre and across all levels of writing. Reading is free but with ads that will interrupt the reading experience and won’t disappear until the timer runs out (similar to ad breaks on YouTube). However, if readers plump the monthly $4.99 subscription for Wattpad Premium, they get an ad-free experience, offline reading, and other perks like free coins to read locked content.
Writers around the world can use Wattpad in much the same way that Kindle Vella works (fun fact, when Amazon saw the incredible success of Wattpad, they rolled out Kindle Vella as their serialization platform, but only in the US much to the dismay of writers everywhere else). Wattpad offers the flexibility to release at your own pace. You can serialize your story and post new chapters on a regular schedule, or publish everything at once.
Tip!
- If you are new to Wattpad and want to build up an audience of readers, it’s best to release chapters following a regular schedule so readers can build anticipation and excitement for the next chapter. This also helps you to become more visible because the algorithm loves regular posters and it will recommend your book to more readers as your story progresses.
Section 2: Why You Should Consider Using Wattpad
Exposure and Audience Building
If you are looking to grow your readership, then Wattpad provides writers with the ability to reach a diverse, global audience 24/7 for free.
I discovered from many of my fans that they don’t have access to Amazon and without Wattpad would never have come across my stories.
My readers have reached out to me from around the world, grateful for the opportunity to read my books, and then asked how they could compensate me for it!
Some bought my books directly from me, others sent me a donation via PayPal. All of them told their reader friends about my stories who turned up to tell me in the comments about being tipped off by their friend about my story. These are the kind of readers we want!
To start rounding up your readers, Wattpad has a tagging system to lead them to your story. Inside the Story Details tab of your story, you have the opportunity to add tags of the story’s concepts, themes, and subgenres to make your story discoverable to readers searching for specific genres or themes.
You can amend or update these tags at any time. These tags are also used in the platform’s algorithm to ascertain your ranking based on the amount of reader interaction it receives compared to other books with the same tag.
Tip!
- You can see what book is #1 in your tag and explore their story and comments to see what readers who are reading in your tag are drawn to. It’s also a great way to discover new tags that can work better for your book, by browsing the tags other books in your genre are using.
Feedback and Community Engagement
With Wattpad, gone are the days of writing and editing a book all on your own and then trying to find beta readers in your genre for feedback.
Wattpad readers understand your story is a work in progress, so they don’t expect a polished, perfect plotline, or fully fleshed-out characters.
With the ability to make in-line comments you can get feedback on what’s working…and what’s not. Plus, reader comments like “I wonder what would happen if X character did Y” can stimulate your creativity in new and interesting ways.
You’re hearing what excites your readers as they discuss the choices and actions of your characters in the comments. You can understand what your readers love and what or who they hate. Maybe they see something you don’t that’s underdeveloped in the story.
Maybe you have a character that’s ruining the experience for the readers. All of it is feedback that you can use to improve your story as you write.
Opportunities for Publication
Wattpad Books has three imprints they use to release diverse books in the YA and Adult Fiction genres. The books they publish are selected from books solely published on the platform.
Wattpad’s main program for writing success starts with being invited to Wattpad Creators. Wattpad Creators can access the assistance of the editorial team and content team scouts at Wattpad HQ.
Additionally, you will be able to pitch your book to be entered into the Wattpad Originals program, where you can access even more perks and potential for success for your book.
Melissa Mitchell is a writing pal of mine from the platform. I was thrilled to hear she signed a 2-year exclusive contract as a Wattpad Creator for her Dragonwall fantasy series. You can read more about her journey as she outlines the pros and cons of doing so in this post.
E A Carter’s Wattpad Experience
Since I was 13, I’ve written fictional fantasy stories set in historical contexts. Today I mainly write stories that blend fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. My debut novel, The Lost Valor Of Love, became number one on Wattpad in the historical fiction category and held the top spot for four days straight.
The book’s rapid rise to popularity attracted the attention of the talent team at Wattpad HQ in Toronto. My experience with Wattpad HQ was excellent. After several video calls with the team, I was paired up with a talent manager who managed external interests and opportunities for my book.
Within a year of the book’s success on Wattpad, my talent manager was contacted by a well-known publisher to discuss a 5-year exclusive audio rights contract to create a full cast dramatization of The Lost Valor of Love. (Sidenote: This was super exciting and insanely validating!)
Although the deal fell through after more than ten months of being on the table, the experience highlighted that writing a story readers love on Wattpad can offer real opportunities not available on other self-publishing platforms like Amazon.
Section 3: How to Use Wattpad
Getting Started
To begin using Wattpad, you’ll need to create an account by signing up on Wattpad’s website or mobile app using your email address or social media accounts. The process is simple and gives you access to both Wattpad’s huge library of stories as well as the writing and publishing tools available on the platform.
Once registered, it’s time to personalize your profile. If you have an author headshot readers recognize, use it here, otherwise think about what image represents you best as the author of the stories you write, and use that. Your bio can be the same one you have on your website or Amazon, or if not, make sure it’s engaging or relatable to your audience.
Make sure to also link your social media accounts and author website on your profile (Wattpad gives you the option to fill these in). These links are particularly useful when you want to connect with your readers on other platforms, such as Instagram where you can do a Live Q&A session and deepen your connection with your readers!
Remember, your profile represents your author brand, so make sure it reflects your author personality, the genres you write in, and your unique writing style.
Publishing on Wattpad
It’s super easy to start writing and posting your chapters on Wattpad. They have an intuitive online editor that you can use to either write your chapter or paste in from elsewhere.
Wattpad is first and foremost a serialization platform, so if you have a completed book you want to share, you’ll want to think a bit about how you will publish it on the platform. What you do not want to do is publish it the same way you would publish your book for other digital formats like an ebook. Ie. Chapter by Chapter.
The main reason for this is the majority of Wattpad readers are reading the stories from a mobile device and will be getting bombarded by all the other notifications, pings, and whatnot that our beloved smartphones throw at us to pull our attention away from well, everything.
So, you’ve got to be able to catch and hold their attention. Solution? Short parts. The golden range is roughly 1400 – 2000 words per part. But even 1000 words is fine. Whatever you do, don’t post long chapters unless you are deeper into the story and they are fully invested, or there is simply no good way to break up the scene without harming the flow.
Finally, you want the readers to stay with your story and keep reading, so make sure that each part ends with a nice, tasty exit hook so they hit the Continue Reading button.
Wattpad keeps track of all the data on reader activity for you to see.
Under the Table of Contents tab in your book’s folder, you can see at a glance (and in real-time) which chapters have the most votes, comments, and reads. This easily helps you see what’s working well so you can do more of that!
Under the Story Details tab you’ll add the story description; your story tags (discussed in more detail in the Exposure and Audience Building section); claim your copyright to the content, and categorize your book as Mature if it has mature content.
The Story Notes tab is an area just for you as the author that gives you some nice tools to enhance your story’s planning with features like story notes, time settings, and character details to provide context and depth.
Finally, you’ll need to add a cover. If you don’t already have one, you can make some great ones in Canva with premade book cover templates. Your covers are shown in a list on your profile tab, and you can control the order that they are displayed so if you have a series or a theme, it’s a great way to show all your books at a glance.
Your profile lists your books with their cover image, first two sentences of the blurb, reads, votes, and ranking. Make sure to place your best books at the top of the list!
Engaging with the Community
When you join Wattpad, you are joining a community so don’t just post your stories and bolt. Nothing will happen (unless you’re another Beth Reekles, then yay you!).
You need to get in there and explore. Connect with readers and fellow writers. Find stories and writers in your genre and spend a little time reading and commenting on their books. I made some of the best writing friends of my life this way!
Tip!
- Take screenshots of your favorite comments and messages and keep them in a file to celebrate your writing for those days when you might need a mood boost! Wattpadders give the best comments and feedback, like the ones below!
Ways to increase reader engagement on Wattpad:
- Regular Updates: Maintain a consistent posting schedule. Readers are more likely to stay engaged if they know when to expect new content.
- Social Media Integration: Promote your Wattpad stories on your social media channels and encourage your followers to engage with your work on Wattpad.
- Create Video Trailers: Many authors create trailers for their stories and post them in the opening chapter of their book using tools like CapCut. It’s a great way to generate reader interest. If your book is popular enough, you might even get a fan-made trailer created for it, as happened with my book The Lost Valor of Love.
- Create Eye-Catching Visuals: Mood boards of your characters or story themes/motifs are hugely popular with readers to help bring your story to life and a great boost to our creativity, too! These can be posted both on your social media and inside the story itself like this one I made on Canva with a snippet of text from the story and an evocative image.
Readers can select to Follow you so that whenever you post a new chapter of a book, or make an announcement they will see it in their feed. You will see your follower count on your public profile page just under your profile photo. Followers are valuable. Many of my followers have turned into die-hard fans who buy my books and tell others about my writing. Treat your followers with love and respect and they will stay with you forever!
Section 4: Tips for Success on Wattpad
Be Consistent
Keep to a consistent schedule, even if it’s just once a week. Consistency helps create anticipation and keeps readers engaged. With my World of Warcraft fanfiction Daughter of Azeroth, (which incidentally is the most-read Warcraft fanfiction online), I posted 10,000 words every Friday over four months, which kept my readers eager for each new segment.
Tip!
- A steady posting schedule signals to Wattpad’s algorithm that your account is active, which improves your story’s visibility and will help attract more readers.
Create Engaging Experiences
A great way to connect visually with your readers is to announce a Live Q&A session on one of your social media platforms. You can make this announcement on your Conversations page and share a link to the event and it will go to all the feeds of your followers. You are limited to making 3 announcements a day, so use them wisely. It’s best to consider all the time zones so you can reach readers when they are most active.
Share Personal Updates With Your Readers
One of the greatest ways to connect with your readers is to just be yourself. For readers, authors are mysterious entities who are somewhere ‘out there’ writing stories. But readers (especially those who become lifelong fans) also really want to know who the storyteller is.
They want to know more than the author is a cat rescuer who drinks tea. They want to pull up a chair, drink a cup of tea with you, and get to know you. In short, they want you to flesh out your author backstory.
They want to know what’s your favorite tea and the story behind the cat you rescued who sits with you every day while you write.
Like many writers, I’m a huge fan of Margaret Atwood. I dream of what it would be like to sit down and just chat with her about books, writing, her life, virtually anything. To just get to know her, the person. But you don’t have to be an Atwood-level author for readers to admire you and want to get to know you. If they are enjoying your stories and commenting, you can bet they want more.
It’s easy to share more about yourself with your readers on Wattpad. The readers there are incredibly compassionate and caring – after all, you are giving them your stories to read for free.
When I went through a dramatic divorce that was going to make me homeless in a foreign country during COVID, while simultaneously dealing with a severe illness that made my weight drop to 44kg (97 lbs), I shared my experiences with my readers by posting personal updates within the flow of my most popular stories.
The three updates I posted led to deep connections with my audience as readers appreciated knowing what I was facing as I wrote my stories.This awareness of my life beyond the stories I wrote deepened their connection with me as a writer.
Of course, you don’t have to share tough things, you can share anything, just as long as it opens the door to who you are as a person and makes the reader feel part of your world. If you talk to your readers and be authentic, true fans will surround you far faster than a hundred reels of dancing and pointing on TikTok will ever do.
Section 5: Common Mistakes to Avoid
Neglecting Reader Interaction
As mentioned earlier, engaging with readers is essential for building a loyal audience. Once you start posting, you should check and respond to comments daily. You can also leave a message on the walls of your most engaged readers letting them know you appreciate their feedback.
The reactions I received from these readers were wonderful and many of these readers bloomed into superfans. It was almost as if the author acknowledging them was the magical key to gaining trust and building a connection.
Inconsistent Posting
Once you start writing to a schedule you have to stick to it. If you think you won’t be able to keep up the publishing schedule you can write quite a lot of the book ahead of time, and then start rolling out the chapters on schedule giving you time to write the rest of the story without feeling pressure.
If your readers are invested in your story, they expect regular updates. Irregular posting is going to lose readers and alienate your book! The most powerful currency you trade with on Wattpad is trust. Nourish that trust with everything you’ve got. Deliver, reply to comments, and thank your top readers. Make announcements in your Conversations sharing your story’s development, or just things going on in your writing life. Trust me, readers love it.
Ignoring Wattpad's Tools
Wattpad includes a variety of tools to enhance your writing experience.
Wattpad’s tagging system helps increase a story’s visibility by categorizing it correctly.
In-line commenting allows you to receive direct feedback on specific parts of your stories where you can easily like or reply to those comments in real-time (you can also delete messages – I do this with spam messages to keep the comments clean).
Each story comes with three tabs of analytics that offer insights into reader engagement and story performance as well as how many engaged readers you have of your story at that point in time.
Conclusion
Wattpad is a powerful story serialization platform that connects you with a global audience, gives you real-time feedback, and offers great opportunities to talented writers to get a paid exclusive contract or be traditionally published in-house.
Its user-friendly interface, tagging system, and community features make it an ideal space for writers to hone their craft, engage with readers, and build a loyal following.
If you’ve been looking for a fun and supportive place to find your next loyal fan, make writing friends, get insightful critiques, or even get offered a trade-level publishing deal, Wattpad is one of the best – if not the best – place to publish your stories, reach more readers and gain lifelong fans.
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