The Writer's Guide to Wattpad: The Comprehensive Guide to Building and Sustaining a Successful Career

by Benjamin Sobieck (Editor), Anna Todd (Contributor), Kevin Fanning (Contributor)

Engage with the Next Generation of Writers!

Wattpad is an online storytelling community where users can post their writing, such as articles, stories, novels, fan fiction, and poems. This platform offers writers the chance to connect directly with readers, fans, and story enthusiasts. With the ability to release stories and chapters one at a time, authors can receive continual encouragement and real-time feedback on their work.

The Wattpad staff supports successful writers through their Stars program, which provides them opportunities to work with successful brands, publish to print, connect to film and television industries, and more. The potential of Wattpad for writers is limitless, and, for the first-time ever, the staff, writers, and stars of Wattpad have created the guide to help you launch and sustain a successful writing career through this platform.

In The Writer's Guide to Wattpad , you'll learn how

   • Get started using Wattpad, prepare your writing to be published, and develop a unique cover design.
   • Interact with readers, use multimedia to enhance and tell stories, and leverage social media to create a stronger platform.
   • Attract the attention of an agent or publisher and sell copies of your work elsewhere.
   • Tap into the brand of Wattpad to understand their Stars Program, brand campaigns, and what success looks like.
Written to be accessible to beginners and veterans alike, The Writer's Guide to Wattpad is your essential companion to navigating the Wattpad platform and brand, and leveraging your writing to millions of users worldwide.

Genres: Writing, Reference

248 pages, Paperback

Published August 7, 2018

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Writer's Guide to Wattpad is a handy book explaining what Wattpad is (a free forum for writers to post their stories and for readers to read those stories) and how to maximize its potential as an author. I was not familiar with Wattpad before reading this book, and it taught me a lot!

Each glowing chapter is written by a different Wattpad user and covers a specific topic to help an author succeed. Topics cover things like getting started with Wattpad (even advice on choosing a good username), interacting with the readers, and how to design a great cover for your story. Later chapters get into ways to use work from Wattpad as a tool to launch other books, campaign for movements, or even make advances into Hollywood.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more on some of the negative aspects of Wattpad -- there are drawbacks to any platform, and those things are nice to know about when contemplating trying something new. Overall, though, this was a really informative book and I'm sure I'll refer to it's lessons as I plunge into the Wattpad world.

3.5 stars -- a good solid book.

Thank you to NetGalley and F+W Media for providing me with a DRC of this book.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO WATTPAD teaches readers how to use this intriguing online story-telling platform to bring their writing before millions. Wattpad allows users to release stories and chapters one at a time to secure real-time feedback from other users. Through its Stars program, it also connects skilled writers to brands, publishers, and the film and television industries, expanding the opportunity to get the word out about their work. This info-packed guide is edited by Benjamin Sobieck, director of digital business strategy for F+W Media and a Wattpad Star with almost a half-million reads of his stories. 5/5

Thanks to F + W Media and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#TheWriter'sGuideToWattpad #NetGalley

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is an excellent resource for new writers and those frustrated with typical ebook distribution channels.

Wattpad allows writers to have a personal relationship with their readers while building their fan base and social media presence. While it is free and easy to create content, this book shares tips for increasing the benefits of using a non-monetized platform.

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is a loosely connected series of essays by real Wattpad users. Here are just a few of the over 20 articles. Wattpad readers are 23 times more likely to read a book with a cover. One essay gives concrete steps for getting a cover for $6 or less. One chapter covers the importance of choosing your Wattpad user name. Another explains how to use serialization to your advantage. Understanding your genre, fan base and competition is the subject of several essays. 90% of Wattpad users are young Gen Z or millennials. Those readers could be your lifelong fans. Cultivate them by responding to constructive comments and take the high road by ignoring unkind or irrelevant comments.

With over 65 million Wattpad users, it is hard to ignore it as a platform for writing success. It is a great tool to teach writers what works and what doesn’t as decided by readers rather than jaded or money-motivated publishers and agents.

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is a useful resource both on how to use Wattpad and whether its democratic feeling is correct for your writing or personal style. My only issue with the book is the format of providing 25 essays by multiple authors with no short intros connecting them together. 3 stars!

Thanks to Writer’s Digest Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

[Angeline Vall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dylan y Bastian de Moonrabbit13

[R.E. Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful read, written by an insider and author who knows what information is most needed by those curious about Wattpad and its inner workings. Highly recommended.

[Claire Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested to read this book after reading about Wattpad in a magazine - I'd never heard of it before. I found the book to be really insightful, almost easy, but at the same time, recognizing the hard work that goes into being a popular writer on the site. It's certainly something to think about. 3 stars

[SundayAtDusk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I had read only one other thing about Wattpad, and I must admit it left me quite confused. This Writer's Digest book has cleared up all my confusion, and like all WD books is intended to motivate readers to write. Who writes and reads at Wattpad? Millions of young individuals, most belonging to Generations Y & Z, with the majority being female. How many go on to having a successful writing career outside of Wattpad? A tiny percentage, but this book definitely does not stress that. What it stresses is Wattpad is wide open to anyone who wants to write.

The interesting thing about the website is that taking part in the Wattpad community, as well as in other social media, is imperative. There's no getting around it. Most of the writers and readers have obviously spent their entire lives wired to others, particularly their peers, so they see nothing strange in posting part of a story, reading and answering loads of comments about that posted part, posting an additional part, reading and answering loads of comments about that posted part, and on and on until they reach the end of the story. It sounds like a writer's commune.

Of course, if you are old school about fiction writing and see it strictly as a solitary endeavor, what's going on at Wattpad is nothing short of sacrilegious. You have to wonder, too, if the writing talent of many of the young writers is not being fully ignited, because of all the time spent on their wired lives, and not enough time spent totally alone in their own heads. Is it their true voice coming through in their stories or a voice terribly diluted by other voices? Other voices they must constantly listen to and acknowledge, and stay chained to as long as they are writing at Wattpad.

(Note: I received a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine.)

[Margery Bayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good (at least to me) guide written by actual Wattpad insiders. It covered not only how to use the site from a technical side, best practices of publishing, but also the unspoken rules that come with the culture of this reading/publishing/social media mix-mash of a website. Perhaps a little sales-pitchy/self-help-hype-y at times in its tone for my taste. The writers are all people who have had very good experiences with Wattpad, so that also skews its objectivity -- but I learned a lot about the website, its potential, and that apparently Margaret Atwood has run and judges writing contests on there! Honestly, I remember when Wattpad was the cringe fanfiction site mocked but the slightly cooler nerds, but Wattpad is apparently very legit now.

Anyway, if you are a writer trying to learn about Wattpad as a platform you could potentially use... very useful resource.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reader, I've never found Wattpad to be particularly engaging or intuitive, but as a writer, I've been curious about the benefits. This book answered a lot of questions I've always had about the platform. Not being in the target age group, it makes sense now that I'm not drawn to the site or the content, but this book gave in-depth information about many facets of the site so I could make an informed decision about whether it would be useful to me as a writer.

As I don't write YA fiction or works that would appeal to the 16-25 year old age group the site targets, the answer is "No," the efforts of building a following on the site wouldn't be worth it for me. However, that doesn't mean this book wasn't informative. It saved me a lot of effort I might otherwise have wasted.

For someone whose writing targets those age groups, this book is a useful tool for learning the ins-and-outs of the website. Is a lot of this information available elsewhere for free on the web? Of course it is. But the benefit of this book is the way it lays out out the information in a progression from posting your first story through building your author brand to taking advantage of some of the partnership opportunities. The personal stories provided by the contributors in each chapter provide even more insight.

In the writing communities online, I've heard both positive and negative things about Wattpad. Armed with the knowledge I gained from this book, I'm now better able to evaluate those comments

[Andy Lind · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am 100% new to Wattpad, but I can tell you that this book is jam-packed with all sorts of information from various Wattpad users about how to get started. It was the perfect read for a beginner like me. The only negative thing I say about the book is I wish it would go more into depth about how to attract Wattpad followers. Cause there are a lot of steps between writing a post and having your story turned into a movie.

[Mai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Most of this stuff could have been just searched for online. It was more of a "How to Use Wattpad" than "How to Build a Career on Wattpad".

Also, I expected this book to be a guide, rather than a compilation of essays, that kinda threw me off.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a free copy of the book. The fact that I got it for free does not influence my review in any way.

[Steven Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book written by several successful Wattpad authors. Since I have just started posting my stories on Wattpad after a long absence, I figured a refresher was in order. Definitely a book that I am keeping and adding to my personal library.

[Caeli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though Wattpad turned out to be a bust for writers as far as publishing goes, I'm still glad that I read this.

[Natalie]

I am once again shelving books I've read for my thesis as part of my challenge

[shanniiine · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Elizabeth]

Place holder for With My (adopted) Brother by Psycho_deity

[Russell Ricard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad. What a treat. Bravo to editor Ben Sobieck. Along with his own chapters that offer wit, support, and guidance, his contributors are equally inspiring. After reading this guide I see just how accessible and wide reaching—and opportunities galore—the Wattpad platform is for writers of any genre, age group, or stage in their career. A fine-tuned structure, this guide is a wonderful source of information (regardless of what publishing route one pursues) on platform, marketing, inspiration, and a reminder of craft elements. Truly worth a read, and a valuable reference tool to return to, time and again.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

You can find most of this information with a simple web search. Much of it is already on Wattpad's blog. Not necessary to purchase this.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had always thought Wattpad the vehicle for fan fiction, but after reading the essays contained in this reference, I see how much more there is to the platform. The essays contained in The Writer's Guide to Wattpad are entertaining, informative and encouraging. I will be adding this to my writer's reference recommendations, and as a suggestion for writer's groups. I think it's important to explore a variety of methodologies for sharing your work, and Wattpad looks to be a strong and well read platform.