Engage with the Next Generation of Writers! Wattpad is an online storytelling community where users can post their writing, such as articles, stories, novels, fan fiction, and poems. This platform offers writers the chance to connect directly with readers, fans, and story enthusiasts. With the ability to release stories and chapters one at a time, authors can receive continual encouragement and real-time feedback on their work. The Wattpad staff supports successful writers through their Stars program, which provides them opportunities to work with successful brands, publish to print, connect to film and television industries, and more. The potential of Wattpad for writers is limitless, and, for the first-time ever, the staff, writers, and stars of Wattpad have created the guide to help you launch and sustain a successful writing career through this platform. In The Writer's Guide to Wattpad , you'll learn how to:    • Get started using Wattpad, prepare your writing to be published, and develop a unique cover design.    • Interact with readers, use multimedia to enhance and tell stories, and leverage social media to create a stronger platform.    • Attract the attention of an agent or publisher and sell copies of your work elsewhere.    • Tap into the brand of Wattpad to understand their Stars Program, brand campaigns, and what success looks like. Written to be accessible to beginners and veterans alike, The Writer's Guide to Wattpad is your essential companion to navigating the Wattpad platform and brand, and leveraging your writing to millions of users worldwide. Benjamin Sobieck likes to say he's done a little of everything in the writing/publishing world except sweep the floors, although he's pretty sure he's done that, too. He's served for ten years as an editor and product manager for F+W Media and other publishers, working with a variety of enthusiast books, magazines, TV shows, digital content, and e-commerce. His Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective novel trilogy on Wattpad won a Watty Award, the world's largest online fiction writing contest. As a member of the Wattpad Stars, he partnered on branded campaigns with FOX, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and many others. He is also the author of The Writer's Guide to Weapons , published by Writer's Digest Books, and offers a similar blog at crimefictionbook.com. Ever the tinkerer, he is the creator of The Writer's Glove® (thewritersglove.com), used in forty countries and featured by Glamour magazine, and Writer's Block Coffee (thewritecoffee.com). Sobieck lives in Minnesota with his wife and two children. His favorite color is blue, but Wattpad orange is a close second. Find him on Wattpad at @bensobieck. The Writer's Guide to Wattpad The Comprehensive Guide to Building & Sustaining a Successful Career By Benjamin Sobieck F+W Media, Inc. Copyright © 2018 F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4403-5293-5 Contents FOREWORD (Anna Todd, @imaginator1D), 1, Part 1: Getting Started, 7, 1. WHY WATTPAD WORKS (Benjamin Sobieck, @BenSobieck), 8, 2. HOW WATTPAD WORKS (Kevin Fanning, @kfxinfi nity), 16, 3. THE WRITING PROCESS AND WATTPAD (Neilani Alejandrino, @sweetdreamer33), 22, 4. PREPARING YOUR WRITING FOR WATTPAD (H.J. Nelson, @hjnelson), 34, 5. DESIGN A GREAT WATTPAD COVER FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF LUNCH (Jakayla Toney, @Ms_Horrendous), 43, 6. CREATING USERNAMES AND CRAFTING A WATTPAD IDENTITY (Katie Hart, @Lilohorse), 53, Part 2: Crafting Your Platform, 63, 7. TAKING THE LEAP: PUBLISHING YOUR STORY (M.C. Roman, @MCRomances), 64, 8. WHEN AND WHY TO CHANGE A STORY (Jordan Lynde, @XxSkater2Girl16xX), 76, 9. INTERACTING WITH READERS: YOUR OTHER JOB AS A WRITER (Lauren Palphreyman, @LEPalphreyman), 84, 10. TURBOCHARGE STORYTELLING WITH MULTIMEDIA (Jenny Rosen, @jr0127), 95, 11. 10 SECRETS TO GETTING READS, VOTES, AND COMMENTS (Debra Goelz, @BrittanieCharmintine), 107, 12. PLUG INTO OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS TO MAXIMIZE WATTPAD (Rachel Meinke, @knightsrachel), 116, 13. NETWORK WITH OTHER WATTPAD WRITERS TO BUILD COMMUNITIES (Kelly Anne Blount, @KellyAnneBlount), 123, 14. WRITING OUTSIDE OF ENGLISH (Ariana Godoy, @cold_lady19), 132, 15. FANFICTION: WATTPAD'S WILD FRONTIER (Noelle N., @hepburnettes), 141, Part 3: Building Your Wrting Career, 151, 16. DEFINE SUCCESS, OR IT'LL DEFINE YOU (Benjamin Sobieck, @BenSobieck), 152, 17. USING WATTPAD TO LEVERAGE SUCCESS IN TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING (Sara Sargent), 161, 18. SELLING BOOKS AVAILABLE OUTSIDE OF WATTPAD (A.V. Geiger, @adam_and_jane), 170, 19. WATTPAD AS A TOOL FOR ADVOCACY (Tahlie Purvis, @TahliePurvis), 179, 20. THE WATTPAD STARS PROGRAM (Tim Johnson, @Tim), 186, 21. FROM WATTPAD TO HOLLYWOOD (Tim Johnson, @Tim), 192, 22. WIN OR LOSE, CONTESTS OFFER BIG OPPORTUNITIES (Amber K Bryant, @amberkbryant), 200, 23. WRITING FOR WATTPAD CAMPAIGNS (Darly Jamison, @Monrosey), 209, 24. THE WATTYS: ONE AWARD TO RULE THEM ALL (Kara Barbieri, @Pandean)