#03: Publishing vs Wattpad
#03: Publishing vs Wattpad
Today I bring about the words of an author who has tried both self-publishing and posting on Wattpad.com.
A.K.A.
Me.
I started using my Wattpad in 2013, although apparently, I joined in 2011.
I'd four written novels at that point; my first four Severed Chains books. I decided at that point, for a school project, I was going to write that "Gamers vs. Zombies" novel I always wanted to write. Yes, Severed Chains book 5 was partially written, but I wanted something new for the time being.
So, I wrote my first novel, where I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. I understood about word count of 100,000 or under, and much more about writing that I had known before.
In the four years, I wrote all of these stories:
Dark Dayz - 1 - VR Dawn
Dark Dayz - 2 - Shaded Noon
Earthbound (fanfic): A Hero Chosen
GodForge - 1 - Forge of the Mind
Omega Virus - 1 - Beta Hour
Omega Virus - 2 - Gamma Hour
Omega Virus - 3 - Delta Hour
Omega Virus - 4 - Sigma Hour
Omega Virus - 5 - Psi Hour
Omega Virus - 6 - Omega Hour
Severed Chains - 1 - Fateless (3 ver.)
Severed Chains - 2 - Tribulation (2 ver.)
Severed Chains - 3 - Abyss
Severed Chains - 4 - Dark Side of a Moon
Strange World - 1 - Grimoire
Strange World - 2 - Mega-Real
Crimson Wars - 1 - Blood Sisters
So counting the rewrites, that's...19 and I'm now working on book 20, Crimson Wars: Blood Sisters.
TWENTY novels. I'm quite proud of myself for not losing my mind (entirely) while writing all of these books.
But last year...I decided I wanted to take a stab at self-publishing again. (The first time was a nightmare and not a single book sold + It didn't serve to be sold, so I'm glad no one really bought a copy).
So, I believe it was around August when I published Omega Virus: Beta Hour.
Given that it was my most popular book, I figured people would love to buy a copy so they could read it without Wattpad. And of course, I had to remove most of the book FROM Wattpad.
I then went and published Dark Dayz: VR Dawn, and finally Strange World: Grimoire.
I'll tell you this...yes, I've made some money, but not nearly enough. While, when these books were on Wattpad, I felt famous! Over 200,000 reads, and around 10,000 votes. And that was just book ONE. (Now there's 6 with a 7th coming next year). Now, I don't feel so famous anymore.
Overall, there's pros and cons to both Wattpad and Self-Publishing.
Wattpad Pros:
Fans galore.
Free advertising.
Motivating comments from fans.
Ego boosting from votes.
Wattpad Cons:
You can't make money unless you're lucky enough to be monetized. They choose very few people for this. Not me.
Your fans will never want to buy copies of your book (mostly) because they can read it for free.
Self-Publishing Pros:
You might make money.
You may get good reviews and high ratings.
You feel accomplished knowing you've published a book (or more).
Self-Publishing Cons:
You might NOT make money.
You may get bad reviews that can never be removed.
You can never fully remove your book from Amazon--Just make it impossible for people to purchase copies.
You probably will have to pay for advertising just to get some sales. Then cross your fingers and hope for sales.
You put yourself out there to be criticized by the world.
Man, that's a lot of cons for self-publishing.
Some days I look back and wish I still had Omega Virus, Dark Dayz, & Strange World (books 1) still on Wattpad. My reads and votes would be way higher. Since I removed Omega Virus 1, the highest rank I've achieved was 112.
Before, I'd made it all the way to rank 8, and when they allowed two genres for each book, I was rank 1 in sci-fi/horror.
How I long for those days again.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, I just can't say which is better to do. Wattpad it, or publish it.
Or hell, find an agent and try for publishing houses again.
What will my future be? Well, I plan to publish more books. Should I publish them all and leave my Wattpad dead? That would be taking a leap of faith. To be honest, I'm truly torn, and probably always will be.
Today I bring about the words of an author who has tried both self-publishing and posting on Wattpad.com.
A.K.A.
Me.
I started using my Wattpad in 2013, although apparently, I joined in 2011.
I'd four written novels at that point; my first four Severed Chains books. I decided at that point, for a school project, I was going to write that "Gamers vs. Zombies" novel I always wanted to write. Yes, Severed Chains book 5 was partially written, but I wanted something new for the time being.
So, I wrote my first novel, where I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. I understood about word count of 100,000 or under, and much more about writing that I had known before.
In the four years, I wrote all of these stories:
Dark Dayz - 1 - VR Dawn
Dark Dayz - 2 - Shaded Noon
Earthbound (fanfic): A Hero Chosen
GodForge - 1 - Forge of the Mind
Omega Virus - 1 - Beta Hour
Omega Virus - 2 - Gamma Hour
Omega Virus - 3 - Delta Hour
Omega Virus - 4 - Sigma Hour
Omega Virus - 5 - Psi Hour
Omega Virus - 6 - Omega Hour
Severed Chains - 1 - Fateless (3 ver.)
Severed Chains - 2 - Tribulation (2 ver.)
Severed Chains - 3 - Abyss
Severed Chains - 4 - Dark Side of a Moon
Strange World - 1 - Grimoire
Strange World - 2 - Mega-Real
Crimson Wars - 1 - Blood Sisters
So counting the rewrites, that's...19 and I'm now working on book 20, Crimson Wars: Blood Sisters.
TWENTY novels. I'm quite proud of myself for not losing my mind (entirely) while writing all of these books.
But last year...I decided I wanted to take a stab at self-publishing again. (The first time was a nightmare and not a single book sold + It didn't serve to be sold, so I'm glad no one really bought a copy).
So, I believe it was around August when I published Omega Virus: Beta Hour.
Given that it was my most popular book, I figured people would love to buy a copy so they could read it without Wattpad. And of course, I had to remove most of the book FROM Wattpad.
I then went and published Dark Dayz: VR Dawn, and finally Strange World: Grimoire.
I'll tell you this...yes, I've made some money, but not nearly enough. While, when these books were on Wattpad, I felt famous! Over 200,000 reads, and around 10,000 votes. And that was just book ONE. (Now there's 6 with a 7th coming next year). Now, I don't feel so famous anymore.
Overall, there's pros and cons to both Wattpad and Self-Publishing.
Wattpad Pros:
Fans galore.
Free advertising.
Motivating comments from fans.
Ego boosting from votes.
Wattpad Cons:
You can't make money unless you're lucky enough to be monetized. They choose very few people for this. Not me.
Your fans will never want to buy copies of your book (mostly) because they can read it for free.
Self-Publishing Pros:
You might make money.
You may get good reviews and high ratings.
You feel accomplished knowing you've published a book (or more).
Self-Publishing Cons:
You might NOT make money.
You may get bad reviews that can never be removed.
You can never fully remove your book from Amazon--Just make it impossible for people to purchase copies.
You probably will have to pay for advertising just to get some sales. Then cross your fingers and hope for sales.
You put yourself out there to be criticized by the world.
Man, that's a lot of cons for self-publishing.
Some days I look back and wish I still had Omega Virus, Dark Dayz, & Strange World (books 1) still on Wattpad. My reads and votes would be way higher. Since I removed Omega Virus 1, the highest rank I've achieved was 112.
Before, I'd made it all the way to rank 8, and when they allowed two genres for each book, I was rank 1 in sci-fi/horror.
How I long for those days again.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, I just can't say which is better to do. Wattpad it, or publish it.
Or hell, find an agent and try for publishing houses again.
What will my future be? Well, I plan to publish more books. Should I publish them all and leave my Wattpad dead? That would be taking a leap of faith. To be honest, I'm truly torn, and probably always will be.
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