My Plot development has started for my quest to complete a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. The website for National Writing Month – http://nanowrimo.org/ has so much information…
In fact I just stumbled across this fantastic site called wattpad. I know it has a weird sounding name, but after you get over the name and into the site, you will see that it is a writers paradise.
The best thing about Wattpad is that it allows writers to connect with readers and to find an audience for their work.
It is hard to believe that I am just now learning about Wattpad and it has been around since 2007. Where on earth have I been? Under a rock or something… This is just like gold for a new writer.
Wattpad according to Wikipedia:
Wattpad is a writing community in which users are able to post articles, stories, fan fiction, and poems about anything either online or through the Wattpad app. The content includes work by undiscovered and published writers. Users are able to comment and like stories or join groups associated with the website. Around half of the users are U.S. based; most users also come from the U.K., Canada, the Philippines, Australia, United Arab Emirates and more.
Wattpad is based out of Toronto Canada and is taking the world by storm. It has been getting funding from sever angel investors and is constantly creating new avenues for writers to publish their work and get a following. Let’s not forget about getting paid. There are authors that have gotten publishing deals and movie deals, even as a first time author. This is wonderful news and inspiration for those writers who are often told that there is no money out there for writing.
The folks over at Wattpad tout that over 100 authors have gotten publishing deals from being on wattpad. A few examples include:
Authors: Beth Reekles (Random House), named one of Time magazine’s most influential teens in 2013; Abigail Gibbs (Harper Collins); Lillian Carmine (Harper Collins); Taran Matharu (Macmillan), a male writer in the fantasy genre; and Jordan Lynde (one book with Random House and one with Sourcebooks).
The most impressive deal for me is the deal by first time author, 25 year old, Anna Todd who received a six figure deal for her book from major heavy weight publisher, Simon & Shuster after she received over a billion views for her work on Wattpad. Now you think that is something, it gets even better for this 25 year old military wife. Ms. Todd’s book “After” reportedly has been optioned by UTA.
Word of advice: Writers – Do not listen to the naysayers. They are just jealous and want you to succumb to not reaching your dreams of finishing your work and getting published. Just ignore them and keep believing that you can do it.. surround yourself with people that will encourage and inspire you.
I could not help but wonder how Amazon was working with this fantastic concept. I was almost certain that they would be an avid supporter of this concept, since it does after all, support reading and writing, which is their bread and butter/ It just so happen that Amazon has come out with a competitor to Wattpad and it is in beta.
It was just announced in early October in an article on Tech Crunch by John Biggs, entitled “Amazon Launches WriteOn To Compete Against Crowd-Writing Sites Like Wattpad”
Of course there is more than enough room for multiple players in this writing space. May the best platform win.