More Wattpad Don’ts
The first and biggest mistake is not taking Wattpad seriously as a platform. And, judging by what I’ve heard from other authors, the primary reason they don’t succeed with it is that they…don’t. They, on some level, think it’s beneath them. Because it’s free, probably, and they’re suspicious of that model. Or they see it as a repository of One Direction fanfic and see themselves as above that. Why any author thinks they’re above getting a hundred million reads is beyond me but there you have it. If it’s not the “right” genre, then it doesn’t count–and they can’t possibly learn anything from it! So if they’re on Wattpad at all, it’s to plant a few flags Eddie Izzard style and then go back to doing something “real.”
And guess what?
They’re not fooling anybody about their perspective, or motives, least of all native Wattpaders.
Don’t only post samples. This is basically saying, “I’m on here to poach you away from Wattpad, to Amazon or wherever, to buy my ‘real’ book.” It’s undermining the point of Wattpad, and it’s a turn off. Why would someone read only samples from you, when they can read whole books from someone else? A lot of great books (including by authors you’ve heard of) are on there. You get what you put in to any relationship, and half-assing things on your end is no way to build a following. On any platform. Yes, it’s okay to post samples of your other books (I do, on Wattpad as well as on this site), but if it’s all you post then you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Don’t post once and then forget about it. The Wattpad community is one that searches out, and rewards, active participants. Personally, when I see a story that has, say, a certain number of parts but that hasn’t been updated in months or even years, I don’t read it. It doesn’t matter if there are five parts or fifty; I’m not going to invest in a story that the story’s on writer hasn’t bothered to finish. Moreover, the singular joy of Wattpad is immediate feedback; this is a great beta reader opportunity. If the author isn’t there…it’s like periscoping with an empty room.
Don’t post everything in a single chapter. When you do, you severely limit your feedback opportunities and, potentially, bore your readers. Most like their stories in bite-sized chunks of, say, a thousand words or so. If they want to read more, they will. But a single 10,000 word “chapter” (I have seen this) isn’t appealing. Moreover, you’re missing out on the votes and reads that’ll (hopefully) help you climb the rankings in your category. Say, for example, that you do have a 10,000 word story. If ten people read it, as a single chapter, that’s 10 reads and, if you’re supremely lucky, ten votes. But if you split that up into 10 chapters, that’s 100 reads and (again, if you’re supremely lucky) 100 votes. Or, at least, the possibility of those votes.
It’s worth spending some time getting to know what Wattpad really is, and how it works. Who’s on there, who isn’t, and what they want. Not because you’re trying to write to that audience (you should never do that, in my opinion), but because you can’t connect with people if you’re not interested in them. Blatant flag planting says, not, “I really care that you enjoy this story” but “I’m using you.” I mean, really–which do you find more appealing, in your own life? Which approach encourages your greater investment? Remember: if it wouldn’t work on you, it won’t work for you. Be the writer you want to meet, not the writer who’s so obsessed with sales that they neglect to ever build a fan base.
