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This blog is run by Ashleigh Neame, with guest posts from other authors. If you have any suggestions on what you want to see on this blog, vote on the poll on the right hand side of the page. Want to write for the blog? Email Ashleigh at author.ashleighneame@hotmail.co.nz or see the right hand side of the blog.

Sunday, 24 March 2013

24/03/2013 - My story is well-liked on Wattpad – will it be well-liked in the real world?



My story is well-liked on Wattpad – will it be well-liked in the real world?
Now, I’m no expert, but I do know this – the answer is usually no. Being well-liked on Wattpad doesn’t mean anything in the real world. There are millions of readers out there who don’t read on Wattpad, and they don’t care if your story was good on there or not. They just care if they like it. It doesn’t matter how many reads, comments or votes you have on Wattpad – no one outside of Wattpad cares. Of course, if you have a dedicated fan base on Wattpad and publish a book, chances are your fans will buy it – but only a for a few dollars.

Another thing to remember is that Wattpad allows users to choose their own genres, and those genres might not always be right. For instance, take Parogar, a Wattpad user whose book was so well received on Wattpad, he decided to send it to publishers – only for it to be rejected both times. His sci-fi/fantasy climbed to #1 a few times and managed to stay there, but the stories his were competing against? “11 page ‘novels’ about boy band wizards, with alternating first person perspective every 5 damned paragraphs, vampires that go to school to learn magic, etc…”

Poor Parogar. His example just goes to show that well-liked Wattpad novels aren't always good (not to say his isn't – he actually traditionally published his story - you should definitely check out his writing!). They’re usually clichéd, and from what I've seen, they’re usually either werewolf ‘soulmate’ novels (which I’m guilty of enjoying sometimes), or typical One Direction stories, about a girl who goes to a 1D concert and the whole band falls in love with her, (or something like that)…

So to sum up: Even if your story is popular on Wattpad, don’t assume it is publishable material. Get someone really picky to read it, and get them to point out what they like/don’t like about your story. That’s the first thing to do if you’re considering publishing.


Visit Parogar's Wattpad page: http://www.wattpad.com/user/Parogar

Visit his Ragz Author Page: http://www.ragz-books.com/authors/kevin-weinberg.html

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