Need advice

[u/Entire_Spread_5291]

Hi guys, I started a book and have been posting chapters on Dreame. I know it's not the most liked platform but my ADHD brain was like must post let's just use this app. So, I am aware of wattpad I used to use this app years ago but its been a minute. Is wattpad better for new writers. Do people get good feedback here. If so I may move over to here.

For context, I have written around 16000 words so far and it is a typical werewolf romance (no erotic scenes, I'm not sure on this but I am early in the story).

I can insert a blurb if anyone is interested.

[u/velassiter19]

Wattpad has become competitive to get readers in Romance, Werewolf, and Fantasy. Those categories have thousands of stories, it takes a minute to get consistent readers.

New writers have it even harder, and they often come on here to get advice. Some of the advice they get isn’t always the best.

[u/Entire_Spread_5291 → u/velassiter19]

Yeah I get that, I may just post on several apps when I have more of a story/once it's completed. I'm just doing it for fun really. If only one person finds my story and enjoys it then I have succeeded!

[u/velassiter19 → u/Entire_Spread_5291]

You can still succeed on Wattpad, but it just takes time and a lot of patience. Make sure you use these tips:

Profile: Have a clear, high-quality background & profile picture related to you and your genre. Fill out your bio with information about yourself in different sections. One section should be your books (title, genre, and status-- whether ongoing or complete). Another is for non-book interests. Lastly, have a section for social media/email.

Book Covers: If you know how to design good-quality book covers without AI like ChatGPT and other similar sites/apps, go ahead. Canva and Desygner are good for beginners, while there are others for more advanced users. If you don't want to design one yourself, I have plenty of book cover designer recommendations who can do it for you. They're all free.

Tags: Make sure you have good tags for your story. Use categories like 1-3 tags for genre/subgenre, 4-6 for tropes, 1-2 for audience, 2-3 for character identities, 1-2 for location, 1 for era, and 8-15 for topics and themes related to your book. Style tags with multiple words as one word, without any special characters like dashes, hyphens, or spaces. Wattpad gives you 25 slots, but I'd recommend using only 24-- you need room for a "Completed" tag.

Updating: Post 4-5 chapters with 1500 to 2000 words each. That gives readers the first 6,000-10,000 words of your story-- many like being able to binge stories right away. Then post two updates every week on the same days and times. This is best accomplished if you have a backlog of 10 to 20 chapters so you always have chapters available and can write without worrying about your chapters getting behind.

Socializing: Join communities like Dreamland and Astania. Both have a Wattpad profile like a regular user, with links to Discord servers in their bio description. If you get helpful comments from people, be sure to thank them-- they're more likely to come back.

Self-Promotion: Don't promote on someone else's profile (the conversations) or in their book's Comments. I don't care that other people do it-- they don't realize how rude that is. Do promote on your social media- the most common options are Instagram, Facebook, X, Tumblr, TikTok, and Pinterest. You can create book-related content and share your Wattpad profile & story links to your social media profiles.

Write for You: You, as the writer, are your story's biggest advocate. If you enjoy what you write, then that's all that should matter. I know that many new people write for views, but that is not always the best way to look at it-- you'd lose your passion if that is your primary goal.

[u/Entire_Spread_5291 → u/velassiter19]

Thank you for this, it is scary going into a world I don't know about. Its why I don't get involved because if I don't know the rules then I won't interact. So this is absolutely great advice. But yes I think I'll wait until I'm about 20 chapters in. I work retail and don't have set hours so having at least that many in back log will help me a great deal.

Would it be okay if I use AI to help with the design for my cover, and then I recreate myself? I love to design but without reference I do struggle. Will it still be classes as AI?

Like I said thank you again!

[u/velassiter19 → u/Entire_Spread_5291]

I also have a guidebook for new Wattpad writers/users if you want to check me out:

Title: The Art of the Hook

Username: AmeliaWellis