Ginny Frost
Wattpad is for authors.
It’s the perfect
solution for writers who do not want to formally publish their work. Writing
can be a dauntless task before we even get to the publishing aspect. Not
everyone wants to query, work with an editor, and/or deal with marketing.
Wattpad can be your publisher with zero hassles.
With your free
account and a crash course in hashtags, you can build a successful career with
this app. That’s, of course, assuming you aren’t interested in profit. Not all
of us are. Post your stories, articles, or novels, and the readers will come to
you. Read widely on the app to see what’s trending or how best to format your story.
There’s no end to getting your ideas out there through Wattpad.
Marketing is a
serious business. As an author, sometimes you must expand beyond your brand. If
you want to test markets, Wattpad has a free audience waiting for you. Whether
you are pubbed or not, you can test out storylines, characters, or different
genres with the app. Post with a pen name or your real name. Throw out a story
idea, chapter one of a new novel, or even a completely different tale from your
norm. Wattpad is a great market to check out your premise or genre change
before you invest too much. I’ve been posting stories on Wattpad for a couple
of years with fanfiction, fantasy, and horror. I even used a secret pen name. Check me out here! (Especially
my Umbrella Academy fanfic. Wink, wink.)
Wattpad has some
great programs for writers. One such program, Paid Stories, is currently invite-only.
The admins pick which stories/authors will receive monetary compensation for
their content. Readers pay for the content. I don’t have much information as
I’m not one of the lucky few in the program.
There’s also the Wattpad Creators Program.
This is another opportunity for authors to be paid for their work. It’s a
support program to assist writers in turning their work into a career. The
program is in beta currently and is also invite-only. They require authors to
hit a certain level of popularity on the app. If you choose to participate,
sign up for their newsletter and post content.
The Wattys is an
awards program for outstanding fiction from the site. To be eligible, you must complete
one story in the current year. There are eleven categories to choose from.
Check out more on their separate
website.
The Creators 101 section
has tons of articles to help aspiring writers better their craft. Browse
through information on audience, covers, and basic writing skills. It’s a good
place to start if you are unsure where to go with your work.
They also have
links to contests. Go to your profile page and click the down menu on Write.
Click Writing Contests
and check out ways to get kudos for your writing.
When it comes
down to it, Wattpad is a place to publish your work for free and have free
access for readers. It’s a beautiful thing (if that’s your goal).