Wattpad, Inkitt, Critiquecircle and Unbound – Navigating Writing Websites for the Uninitiated

There are number of outlets for publishing your work on the internet and some are better than others. Over the years I have used four platforms to have my work both critiqued and read: Wattpad.com, cirtiquecircle.com, Inkitt.com, Unbound.com and Authonomy (now deceased).

The biggest of the sites and perhaps the most famous is Wattpad. Boasting an audience of 45 million and over 300 million uploaded books Wattpad felt like the place to start if I were to build a following for my work. I uploaded Atlantis Reborn chapter by chapter over the course of two or three months and set up residence on the club pages, offering advice and help in return for some small promotion of the novel. It was a tough introduction into social media but one that I needed and the experience has held me in good stead for what was to come. I still remember feeling so proud when the novel hit 100 reads!

As with most things in life, you get out what you put in. I (perhaps misguidedly) joined Wattpad after hearing that if you do well there is a good chance of being picked up for publication. Although the chances of being plucked from obscurity to international acclaim is unlikely, even if your work does moderately well, at the very least Wattpad notoriety is something tangible to include in submission letters – should the traditional publication route be your goal. On that point you should note that if you do post a novel online it will lose its first publication rights. This is looked upon unfavourably by many of the big publishing houses. Ironically the same publishers that insist you prove you work can attract an audience – Catch 22!

After realising this a little too late I decided to use my first novel as an advert for the second and treated Wattpad for what it is – a platform to build an audience.

There are two distinct groups on the site; the writers and the readers. There are a huge number of subscribers in the under 18 category, but given the size of their readership, still more than enough to satisfy for most authors to find a readership, whatever your genre.

As a new writer, as I see it your job is to promote your work until it becomes both visible and viable. Treat Wattpad as a kind of safe beginner’s introduction to the world of publication. If you are successful on Wattpad (promoting, reviewing, blogging, tweeting, joining in with forum debates etc.) the experience should provide you with the skills and confidence to apply them in the big bad world of paid publishing. If you do well enough, Wattpad will give something back for all your hard work. From my point of view I was promoted as a featured author and my book even appeared at Comi-con a couple of years ago, associated with the TV series ‘The Dig’. The site are also constantly running various writing competitions throughout the year which again can only look good on a CV if you are lucky enough to win one.

The second of the sites I posted on was Inkitt, which is essentially Wattpad on a smaller scale. The biggest difference in how they market themselves is the analytics. They claim if you prove you have a readership interacting with your novel you will win a publishing deal. This is what drew me in but after a few months the standard and genre of books winning prizes did not inspire me and eventually I removed my work from the site. I have since been told their publishing terms require a 15 year association with their label which seems excessive, especially if the book doesn’t sell.

Criqiquecircle.com is a website I would recommend to anyone involved in writing and interested in improving their craft. The site is free (although there is a paid version) and revolves around reciprocal critiquing. For every chapter you read and review you will receive a credit. Credits can them be cashed by submitting your own work. You need a thick skin as some of the critics can be quite tough on you, some of it warranted but some not. It does hurt, especially at first but it is all part of the learning process. My advice would be to try not to be precious about anything. Take onboard advice you agree with and dismiss what you don’t. That said, if a few people pick up on the same point it might be wise to take notice!

My final port of call is the crowdfunding publisher, Unbound.com. They are a relatively new publishing house and one that has recently taken me under their wing. They may be young but already they can count established names such as Kate Mosse, Terry Jones, Tony Hawks, Andy Hamilton and Katy Brand amongst their clientele.

All crowdfunded monies go directly into supporting the book. It covers copyediting, proofing, cover design, typesetting and eventually marketing. To date, the Unbound community has pledged over £3 million to a variety of projects, ranging from an anthology on race and identity in contemporary Britain to a compilation of terrible old video games you’ve probably never heard of.

Over 113,247 people from every corner of the globe have supported an Unbound project and helped make that idea a reality. To date, Unbound have published 218 books and many of these have been bestsellers and received critical acclaim (included being long listed for the Man Booker Prize). I am proud to have been given the opportunity to bolster that number with my own work.

If you haven’t heard of Unbound I suggest visiting their website. In my opinion this is the seed of change the publishing industry needs to wake it up and end their reliance on the so called super-authors such as King, Rowling and Brown.

Thank you for reading and I hope you can find the time to visit my campaign page and perhaps pledge your support.

https://unbound.com/books/the-atlantis-deception/

Best wishes,

Mark