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Publishing Serial Chapters Online: Yay or Nay?

Oh my lord, it's wonderful to be back! I've been gone for the longest time due to a great deal of technical hiccups, but I finally managed to fix everything. This community was a huge boon to me in the process of finishing the first draft of my first novel, and I regret not having returned sooner. But with that out of the way, I have a question.

I've been pondering on whether or not I should publish the revised chapters of my book on Wattpad. I don't know too much about it, but I'd like to know if I could still publish it traditionally in the future despite already having it on that website. But I'm also not sure if it's worth my time. I'm also aware that most people on that site might not be worth the writing hours. I'm honestly not sure. I want that novel to be one of my "great" works so I don't know if releasing it so early would be a wise decision. But then there's also the matter of gaining exposure and the like.

I was just curious if anyone here has any experience or advice with that site, or any online publishing in general. A huge thanks to this community once again, you've helped in more ways than one in the past! I'm glad to be back. :D
 

Uffda

Scribe
That's how The Martian was first published -- not on Wattpad but chapter by chapter on the author's website.
 

Russ

Istar
Oh my lord, it's wonderful to be back! I've been gone for the longest time due to a great deal of technical hiccups, but I finally managed to fix everything. This community was a huge boon to me in the process of finishing the first draft of my first novel, and I regret not having returned sooner. But with that out of the way, I have a question.

I've been pondering on whether or not I should publish the revised chapters of my book on Wattpad. I don't know too much about it, but I'd like to know if I could still publish it traditionally in the future despite already having it on that website. But I'm also not sure if it's worth my time. I'm also aware that most people on that site might not be worth the writing hours. I'm honestly not sure. I want that novel to be one of my "great" works so I don't know if releasing it so early would be a wise decision. But then there's also the matter of gaining exposure and the like.

I was just curious if anyone here has any experience or advice with that site, or any online publishing in general. A huge thanks to this community once again, you've helped in more ways than one in the past! I'm glad to be back. :D

I don't know anything about Watttpad but I think if you publish much of it there it would make it less attractive to a traditional publisher.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Most of the stories begun on Wattpad and similar sites (including personal blogs) are never finished. So you get the added delight of not finishing in public.

Most stories on Wattpad etc. are seen by next to no one. That's not quite no one, but it's next to it.

Why do you want to do this? Exposure? Gain readers? How many books have you read in that format?

The logic of it mystifies me. If I don't know the author, I read a chapter online. It doesn't interest me and I never return. No gain for the author there. Or, it does interest me and I have to wait weeks or months for the next chapter, during which time both enthusiasm and even memory drain away. Doesn't seem like a great way to promote a book.

Now, if I already had a readership, they might want to stay with me, especially if I were disciplined enough to deliver steady copy on time. And skilled enough that nothing in Chapter 28 contradicts what I said in Chapter 6. And I'd never go back to edit any of the earlier chapters. Okay for some, I suppose, but that ain't me.
 
Most of the stories begun on Wattpad and similar sites (including personal blogs) are never finished. So you get the added delight of not finishing in public.

Most stories on Wattpad etc. are seen by next to no one. That's not quite no one, but it's next to it.

Why do you want to do this? Exposure? Gain readers? How many books have you read in that format?

The logic of it mystifies me. If I don't know the author, I read a chapter online. It doesn't interest me and I never return. No gain for the author there. Or, it does interest me and I have to wait weeks or months for the next chapter, during which time both enthusiasm and even memory drain away. Doesn't seem like a great way to promote a book.

Now, if I already had a readership, they might want to stay with me, especially if I were disciplined enough to deliver steady copy on time. And skilled enough that nothing in Chapter 28 contradicts what I said in Chapter 6. And I'd never go back to edit any of the earlier chapters. Okay for some, I suppose, but that ain't me.
I don't know, I've seen a couple of folk that manage to do it and gain a following. I just really don't know of much other ways to gain exposure. It kinda feels that by the time I actually get a book published, I'll have no audience to buy it. And I've gotten a few reccomendations by other people to use it, but not rely on it.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk
 

Russ

Istar
I don't know, I've seen a couple of folk that manage to do it and gain a following. I just really don't know of much other ways to gain exposure. It kinda feels that by the time I actually get a book published, I'll have no audience to buy it. And I've gotten a few reccomendations by other people to use it, but not rely on it.

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

Getting an "audience" or a platform can be very hard. I think you first need to decide if you want to try traditional publishing or dive right into self publishing. Once you make that choice I think it would help direct how to build your audience.
 
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