Topic: Wattpad for publishing stories
Here's a link to a CNBC article about the site Wattpad that some authors are using to publish stories and get noticed by agents, publishers, and producers.
- Mark S. Moore
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Re: Wattpad for publishing stories
So I'm curious about that. It's not "self-publishing" but would agents frown on it?
- Norm d'Plume
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Re: Wattpad for publishing stories
I think it depends on how secure the site is and the agent/publisher. Here, on TNBW, the site is for workshopping, and the copyright of ownership remains clearly that of the author. I don't know how that compares to Wattpad, since I'm not a member. The fact that millions of people can read Wattpad stories is a little like freely distributing it, so some agents/publishers might balk at accepting it since it's already "out there". Nevertheless, the author profiled in the article got a book and movie deal, so some agents/publishers obviously allow it. I suspect the fact that the author had 1.5 billion reads had a lot to do with it being accepted for publication. The publisher wants a piece of the action.
- Mark S. Moore
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Re: Wattpad for publishing stories
I imagine they're the outlier in this. There are always exceptions, and I'm sure they have plenty of agents who would be interested in the author, but perhaps not the posted work. Still, it's appealing in a completely non-career minded way, just to have people read and enjoy your story.
- Randall Krzak
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Re: Wattpad for publishing stories
I was warned to be careful about posting entire stories on free websites. A subscription-based site like TNBW is okay. I don't know much about Wattpad but I supposed some publishers won't want to take on a story which has already been distributed free. However, it might be a good way to get noticed.
- j p lundstrom
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Re: Wattpad for publishing stories
I did join wattpad a few years ago in order to enter a harlequin romance competition. My book was up for several months during the entry period. My story received little attention. Members are encouraged to read each others' work, ostensibly for feedback, but the caliber was poor, and the only feedback was gushy "I love your story!" type responses. Supposedly, the more people who like you, the better. After the competition, I took my book down and cancelled my -membership. The "feedback" was valueless. It seemed the readers were just looking for free entertainment, which would conflict with the idea of selling your book.
