I won't get too in depth in this short intro post, but with more than 30 million users, only around 90% of which are readers, not authors, Wattpad can be a powerful (and free!) tool for authors to increase their readership and promote their books. Not convinced it's worth your time? I won't twist your arm, but here are two great articles that should make it clear that if you write Young Adult or New Adult fiction, you should be using Wattpad.
How To Use Wattpad As An Author With Ashleigh Gardner
6 things every author needs to know about Wattpad
Wattpad is a social media forum that exclusively connects readers and authors. In perhaps more relateable terms, it's been deemed YouTube for writing because it lets any writer show their work to the public, and lets the public actually view the writing and interact with the writer.
The Basics
There is also a personalized newsfeed that shows you user actions and works that may interest you, based on your activity and who you follow. This can be accessed anytime you are logged in by clicking on the "wattpad" icon at the top left of the page or by going to watpad.com.
The Basics of How to Use Wattpad
Post your own books, chapter, deleted scenes, snippets, etc. at your own discretion. As Wattpad encourages, post a little bit at a time. I choose to post some, then a bit more after my followers have requested it. As a general rule, the more you post, the more people will read, and the more popular you'll become. But only post what you're comfortable with! Many authors choose to post only rough drafts and incomplete stories to give readers a reason to buy the published book.
More about Wattpad coming soon. Still have questions? Ask them in the comment section below or email me at lauralynnwatkins at gmail.com I'll do my best to answer them via direct reply or future blog post. In the meantime, sign up for my email updates so you'll be in the loop.
Get exclusive content when you follow me on Twitter and Facebook.