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Look both ways before crossing the street and before posting to Wattpad.
Wattpad is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, but what might not be intuitive is making a plan for when and how to distribute your work. Once upon a time, authors waited years for publishing deals; now Wattpad lets you publish with the click of a button. But before you start publishing left and right, it may be wise to consider what it is you want to accomplish on Wattpad and the publishing plan that will help you accomplish these goals.
When I first joined Wattpad in July of 2015, I was in a position similar to that of many new Wattpad writers. I dreamed of one day becoming a published author, but I’d never shared my writing with a wider audience and wasn’t confident in my writing ability. Wattpad seemed the perfect place to start, and I was as excited as I was clueless.
Fast forward two years, and I am now a Wattpad Star with more than 140 thousand followers. My first novel, The Last She, was one of the Top Ten Most Read Books on Wattpad for 2016, a winner in the Fiction Awards, and a Watty Award winner with over 7.5 million reads. So how did I do it?
First, I considered what I wanted to accomplish on Wattpad. Then I made a plan and stuck with it. I’ve found that success on Wattpad doesn’t just fall into the laps of a few lucky writers. It comes to those who make clear goals and a decisive plan and then follow through. If you’re not sure how to do this, here are some ways to define your personal writing goals and some different plans to help accomplish those goals.
Whatever stage you are at on Wattpad, it’s worth your time to stop and consider what it is you hope to accomplish. Having clearly defined writing goals will help you find a publishing plan that works for you and help you be more successful with that plan. Here are a few questions to ask yourself.
Decide what it is you are looking to achieve on Wattpad, and use it to guide your publishing plan.
When I began writing The Last She, I was revising my novel as a part of my senior thesis at the University of Wisconsin. I published my book on Wattpad because I wanted feedback from readers who were closer in age to my target young adult audience. I wanted to see if my writing was good enough to reach Wattpad’s Hot List. I began with these two small but clear goals.
To my surprise, within five months of joining Wattpad, The Last She was at No. 3 on the science fiction Hot List with forty-five thousand reads. In nine months it had accumulated four hundred thousand reads and had begun consistently hovering around No. 1 on the Hot List.
I’d accomplished both my goals and much more than I’d dreamed, so I began to expand my goals as a writer. I dreamed of becoming a Wattpad Star, getting published, and being commissioned for paid writing opportunities through Wattpad. But I found that all of these goals started with far simpler ones and that I was able to revise as needed. Regardless of where you are on your writing journey, rest assured that it’s never too late or early to change your writing goals.
Another important aspect of setting goals is to choose ambitious but achievable targets. To do this, examine what you have already written, and determine the amount of time you can currently devote to writing. One of my favorite things about Wattpad is that it gives me the motivation and accountability to commit to writing one chapter a week. Writing, like any other skill, takes time and practice to perfect, so don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.
At the same time, be realistic in your writing goals and the amount of time you can dedicate to writing, and allow yourself time to grow into these goals. An athlete wouldn’t run the full marathon on the first day of training. Likewise, it’s okay to start small and build up to your goals.
It’s important to remember that despite your best planning, sometimes life will get in the way. When I was writing The Last She, I was working and a student, and I found that there were some weeks I simply didn’t have the time to write a new chapter. My solution was to always be a few chapters ahead of what I was posting on Wattpad.
I also learned from my mistakes on Wattpad. Twice I tried to start second novels in different genres that I updated alongside The Last She, and both times I found that I could only handle one project at a time. While it’s good to push yourself, it’s also good to know your limits and avoid stretching yourself thin because it will show in your work. I’ve found that I can only sustain the passion and time commitment for writing one novel at a time. Find out what you are able to do. It’s important that you don’t make commitments to readers if you cannot keep them. When I committed to updating the The Last She every Friday, I made it a real priority in my life and very rarely missed the mark.
Another tool for setting writing goals is to examine what energizes and inspires you when you read and write. There is no better place to find inspiration than exploring Wattpad. Investigate genres that excite and intrigue you, and when you find a book you love, consider what plan that author is using to publish his work and how effective it is. Be critical and think about what you would change to make it better. Try to get a feel for how other successful authors publish their work and navigate Wattpad. You’ll find each author has her own unique style.
One of the best ways to find your own style is to specifically identify what you like and don’t like in how other authors write and update. As you explore, always remember that Wattpad is first and foremost a community. Communities support and reward those who invest in and value the community. It’s very easy for Wattpad members to know who is genuine versus who is selfish and not really interested in being a member of the community.
For instance, most days I receive several personal messages on Wattpad. A few are usually the word “hi” from someone I’ve never met, but others involve people asking me to read their books, with no context about who they are or why they’ve reached out to me. I don’t respond to these messages. The messages I love to receive are from readers who show genuine interest in The Last She or in me as a writer. These are the people I always message back because I appreciate their support and enthusiasm and want to show my own investment in our collective writing community. Once you’ve decided what you want to accomplish with your writing, here are a few plans to achieve those goals.
Some traditionally published authors come to Wattpad and post their entire work all at once. This method works particularly well for authors who want to use Wattpad’s immense readership as a method to draw more readers to their other works and build a larger online presence or platform. Other writers may post a completed work because they want immediate feedback on it. If you are either of these types of writers, it might make sense to post one of your works in its entirety.
Perhaps the most successful driving force behind popular Wattpad novels is serialization, or releasing a new chapter on a consistent basis (often once a week). Serialization works well for those who wish to gain followers, build a platform, peak the Hot List, and attract attention with their novels. Posting a new chapter of The Last She every Friday at 5 P.M. helped me gain a following of 140 thousand and earned the story many accolades. By releasing my novel piece by piece, I built tension and excitement that continually drew in new readers. Serialization also takes advantage of one of the best features of Wattpad: the fact that it is an interactive, online community accessed 90 percent of the time from a mobile device. In today’s world, many readers are looking for something short and satisfying to read, which makes a chapter a week ideal.
Another benefit of serialization is that it transforms reading from an individual, solitary activity to a social experience in which readers form a habit of coming back each week and are able to interact with each other and the author. It gives readers just the right amount of new story to keep them coming back for more but doesn’t overwhelm them with the prospect of reading an entire novel.
Serialization works well for those of you who might not have a whole story written but plan to write it as you go, and would like the added accountability of finishing a new chapter a week. The same could be done with a complete manuscript, too. Here are a few tips if you plan to update this way.
Choose a day and time that you know you can update consistently, as regular updates are one of the most important ways to maintain trust with your readers. If you have the luxury, inquire what days and times your readers prefer the updates. I decided to update my story every Friday at 5 P.M. because the timing worked well for me. I thought it was a time when readers would be done with work or school, and excited to see a new chapter.
However, my planning didn’t take into account that Wattpad audiences often span continents. For instance, only 32 percent of my current audience lives the United States, and even less live in my time zone. This leads me to believe that my tradition of updating every Friday at 5 P.M. was actually successful due to its consistency rather than the chosen day and time. If you are consistent and the story is captivating, then readers will make a habit of returning to your story. On the other hand, if you know most of your audience comes from a specific part of the world, it might be a good idea to post when they are most active (i.e., 2 P.M. is likely better than 2 A.M.).
When you do update, make sure that your chapters are long enough to satisfy readers, but don’t overdo it. I typically aim for chapters of about 2,000 words in length. Most importantly, always leave your readers with a cliff-hanger to bring them back next week.
One of the drawbacks of serialization is that it requires some foresight or a general idea of where you want the story to go. Without this, a story can very easily veer off the tracks. Many times I have found something I want to change in the story long after I have published it. Sometimes readers will forgive you for going back and changing a detail, but many will notice, and this punishes your most loyal readers, those who are following the story as you update.
The way I combat this is by remembering one fundamental truth about Wattpad that applies to all writing: Everything starts with a draft. As one of my favorite professors said, “First get it written; then get it right.” It’s okay to share things that need improvement. In fact, I would argue that’s what Wattpad is all about. I often make notes of things I wish to change but continue with the story, knowing that I will go back and improve it later. Don’t let small imperfections discourage you from continuing your story.
If you don’t have a full novel or maybe don’t have the time to commit to writing every week, the beauty of Wattpad is that it embraces everyone. Write what you can, and let the readers guide you. Immediate reader feedback and interaction is something powerful and unique to Wattpad—embrace it! Sometimes, even if you don’t know where the story is going, your readers do. It’s perfectly fine to adjust your publishing plan as you go; just don’t give your readers whiplash by changing too often.
Wattpad isn’t only for novel writers. It also features poetry, multimedia, short stories, and writing contests. Though I can’t cover them all, I will say that it’s important to correctly determine which categories your works fit into so that you are publishing in the right places on Wattpad. It is also important to examine and learn from other successful Wattpad authors within your own specific genre.
Wattpad is a diverse community that rewards and embraces those who are brave enough to share their stories. When I joined Wattpad, I never imagined I’d end up where I am now. I didn’t have a road map to success. Instead, I made goals and used a plan to help accomplish them.
But even with a plan, I found that the greatest tool I possessed was a passion for writing and the driving need to share my story with the world. Wattpad gave me the outlet I needed and an immediate and accessible way to publish. The more I wrote, the more I found that the passion I poured into Wattpad would be reciprocated by an incredible online community of readers and writers.
Regardless of where you are in your writing journey, my parting advice is to not wait any longer. Whether or not you have a plan, set your story free now and learn as you go. Your book, your plan, and your writing will all grow and change with you.
H.J. Nelson joined Wattpad in 2015 and has since become one of the most-read science fiction writers on the site with The Last She. In 2017, she was contracted by General Electric to write the science fiction short story, The Silver Falcon. She graduated from the University of Idaho and the University of Wisconsin with degrees in wildlife biology and creative writing. She loves traveling and has backpacked through Europe, lived on a boat in the Caribbean, and rode elephants through the jungles of Laos. But no matter where she travels, the mountains of Idaho will always be home.