Wattpad

I first heard of Wattpad several months ago through author (and fellow homeschooler!) Michelle Isenhoff, who uses the online reading and writing community with the same skill and energy that she gives to every aspect of her writing career. It sounded like a great idea, but, at the time, I was suffering from social media overload and was not up to facing yet another learning curve.

Recently I was again reminded of Wattpad when I read “People-Powered Publishing Is Changing All the Rules” and considered just how much fun it would be to serialize a story.

Wattpad is a virtual, ever-changing library for both readers and writers. Unlike some other book-oriented social media sites, Wattpad allows writers to share not only finished and complete stories but also serials, excerpts, and even works in progress. Twenty-first technology makes possible a dynamic, real-time connection between readers and writers on a scale that Dickens could have only dreamed of:

“Books serialization was once standard in the publishing industry. In the 19th century, authors would release their work to periodicals in stages. Charles Dickens is often cited as the exemplar of the publishing model, but Alexander Dumas, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins also popularized serialization.’

Although out of fashion for many years, the rise of the mobile and social web has brought serialization back in vogue. Using the strategy, authors can keep readers excited about a story, gather feedback in real time and generate buzz. The piecemeal approach also suits modern reading patterns, as people increasingly consume shorter content on mobile devices, often on the go.” Read More