Opinions on Wattpad, Inkitt, and Similar Apps/Sites

[Thiswriterinme]

Wattpad has been mentioned a fair amount in users' replies to threads, but I couldn't find a post dedicated to this subject.

I'm curious to know what other writers, especially those trying to get published, or are already published, think of free sites like Wattpad and Inkitt. I know some publishers are using those platforms to search for new prospects to add to their rosters, but I wonder how much more likely it is to get picked up there than through the traditional channels of publishing. Does anyone have any info on that, statistically speaking?

I am also curious as to what the opinions of "serious writers," or "career writers" are on free posting and reading sites, specifically in regards to writers who want to go the distance and get published as a means of income.

Lot's of publishers like exclusive rights to manuscripts, but there are also publishers that use places like Wattpad and Inkitt to look for new authors. Does anyone know of any books that started on Wattpad or Inkitt that then went on to be published by a big publishing house and became great successes? On the flip side, does anyone know of any writers who posted something on places like that and were unable to get published as a result?

I've been writing novels like crazy and part of me would like to post them to a place like Wattpad or Inkitt as a way to get readers and build an audience, or at least see what readers have to say about my writing, but I am hesitant because of all the cautions about exclusive rights.

I'd love to know what other writers of all stages, experience levels, and motivations think about sites like Wattpad and Inkitt. Thank you!

 

[Biskit]

I am far from an expert on this, but...

I tried Wattpad for a while, primarily as a way to build audience, and rapidly came to the conclusion that it was a waste of time. My impression was that it was heavily geared towards YA, Fanfic and Romance/Erotica, or any combination thereof, and a teens-to-twenties demographic. I subsequently deleted my account. My writing is not middle-of-the-road (although frequently in the gutter), and was not a good fit on Wattpad.

I very briefly had an Inkitt account. Maybe it's improved since, but it was enough to make me thinking fondly of Wattpad.

Regarding impact on publishing - if you plan to self-pub, then there's no real issue. So far as I know (and others may correct me) once you have published on Wattpad etc, that is it, you have published, and no serious publisher is likely to want to take that novel. Perhaps there are publishers out there who trawl those sites for talent (by which I mean the author, not the already published work online), but my experience was of a number of "publishers" sending me DMs to say "love the book, we can publish it for you", by which they meant some combination of the following:
We'll put it on Amazon KDP for you... (probably for a small fee)
You can do all the publicity, although we do have a marketing service with only costs...
We will only take 10... 15... 20... whatever percent.
By the way, we have an editing service, which only costs...
Don't worry about copyright, we'll take that over for you, in perpetuity, but if you change your mind you can easily buy it back from us.

There may be exceptions, but the general rule appears to be that neither serious publishers nor agents go trawling places like Wattpad because they are too busy sifting through the submissions on their slush pile.

Overall, as a place to perhaps develop your writing and get feedback, those sites can help, in principle. In practice, my observations on the available feedback was "worse than useless". I found no shortage of "hey, I loved that" or "really great" where something along the lines of "sorry, but that whole opening is clunky" would have been more useful. I'm sure that positive, motivational fluff has its place, but it's not feedback that helps you improve your writing.

(I've been fortunate that my partner is a serious reader, and not shy about telling me when I'm writing rubbish.)

OK, that's the negative, but on the positive side... give me a moment... just thinking here...

Joking aside, it does depend on what you're writing. Maybe if you're in a sufficiently popular genre you might get attention from readers who will give you more constructive criticism and tell you what isn't working well. Likewise, in a popular genre you might build an audience.

Even if you're not in one of the popular genres, it probably does you no harm to open an account and post a few things. If you've got lots of novels written, pick a sacrificial victim and start posting a chapter at a time and see what happens. Just remember to take generic "oh, wow" comments with a pinch of salt.

(Overall, the Critiques area here will give you much more honest feedback on your writing.)

And finally,

Maybe it's the scientist in me, or perhaps why I gravitated towards science, but I like the "try it and see what happens" approach. It didn't work for me, it may work for you.

 

[Thiswriterinme]

Thank you for the detailed response. I appreciate the information on your own experiences and also the insight into serious publishers and agents. I have noticed the genres on Wattpad and Inkitt are fairly limited. I left a review about that on the Wattpad app, and the developers responded saying they were working on expanding, but I haven't seen it yet.

I'll be looking into the Critique area here!

 

[Triceratops]

Wattpad might have been the go-to place to get exposure and develop a thriving fan base, but I found that after 10 books with loads of chapters over many years, I was just spinning my wheels. That goes for Booksie too. I haven't participated in Inkit, so can't comment on them. I'm in MeWe, but feedback and recognition is lacking for me at that site. Now I'm hearing about Ticktock, and don't know what to think, or if it is even worth venturing there to meet up with writers and readers.