What I Learned by Reaching #1 on Wattpad
Last week, Book of Shadows reached the top of the heap in Vampire on Wattpad. If you haven’t read it already, I hope you do! It won’t be free, in its entirety, forever (although it will be at least through August of 2016), as I eventually do have plans to publish it. But right now, you can read both it and its two sequels. The third of which is currently a work in progress. But anyway, having accomplished this, how did I? What do I think you should, and shouldn’t do, if you want your book to succeed as well?
Read on.
First, write a good book. And by write, I mean write completely. Your book isn’t going to gain much momentum, however awesome it is, if you only ever post the first few chapters. Write consistently and update consistently. For most of the time I worked on Book of Shadows, I updated on a regular schedule of three chapters per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). Later, I added a Saturday update. With Prince of Darkness, I just updated whenever I’d finished a chapter. And yes, by finished, I mean read, proofread, edited for content, and then proofread again. I wrote as fast as I could while still maintaining a (hopefully!) consistent quality. But quality always came first.
It helps to get your book featured, which you can ask to do, but be aware that even Wattpad’s stamp of approval isn’t a guarantee. It can really, really help and I think will help in almost all cases. But at the same time, getting your book featured is like getting a really good review; even if the New York Times loves your book, readers might not. You just never know. And you know? That’s okay.
Which brings me to my next point: ignore the haters. Yes, you’re going to get some mean-spirited comments (although not many, as I find, personally, that Wattpad is a very friendly and supportive environment). You’re going to get people who read your first chapter and not your second. That’s okay! Not everything is for everyone. The best thing you can do is remain positive. Don’t engage in a flame war with trolls. That’s just going to make you look bad and chase away potential readers. Your best bet, on Wattpad and off, is always to focus on what matters most: your writing.
Which, in turn, makes it a lot easier to…be patient. Nothing happens overnight. Not reads, not votes, not followers, not anything. People who plug away, one day at a time, do a lot better in the long run than people who start out with a bang and then fizzle. I know people who’ve gotten a thousand reads in their first week who gave up because they didn’t feel popular enough and people who posted their whole books before reaching half that number of reads. And guess who succeeded in the end? Karma doesn’t reward quitters.
It also doesn’t reward people who look for shortcuts, and who otherwise try to game the system.
So, other than practicing Buddha-like patience while focusing on becoming the most amazing writer you can become, what else can you do?
DO reply to every comment, as graciously and kindly as possible. When people compliment you, thank them! When they point out something they don’t like, or don’t understand, likewise be polite. They’re taking time out of their busy schedules to talk to you. Building a rapport with your followers is going to help you gain followers–and reads, in the long run. A number of the people who do follow me, have told me that they followed me because of how I replied to their comments.
Do NOT use the comment section of someone else’s book to advertise your own work.
Do NOT post on people’s walls, asking them to read your work.
Do NOT message them privately, asking–or in some cases demanding–that they read your work. Or as has happened to me, demanding that they fulfill a list of editing services! And then demanding their email address! However much you want to succeed, this is not the way to make friends and influence people.
DO realize that followers, just like reads, are a natural consequence of consistently putting yourself out there as a member of the community. In order to like you, people have to first know who you are. So let them get to know you, and give them something to like! Not by being fake (and that includes trying to impress people), but by being yourself. In my personal opinion at least, real always wins.
What tips would you add?
