Storytelling Redefined
I listened to a Joanne Penn podcast on www.thecretivepenn.com about
Wattpad, a new social platform for readers. Wattpad has 24 million
users, the majority are readers, with only 10% authors. Average session
length is 30 mins, and 85% read via mobile devices.
It
is a very popular site for teenagers, fan fiction is hugely popular,
search One Direction on the site and you will see hundreds of stories.
It has been described as the YouTube of writing because
of the way it enables authors to share their work with the world.
Wattpad also has a global growth. US, Canada and UK are the largest, the
Philippines stands apart. Wattpad is the #1 app and it is driving the
physical bookselling bestseller lists.
Authors
can upload either the completed or working version of their books for
readers to read. It is not possible to upload a book as one single file;
it has to be done on a chapter-by-chapter basis. Then your followers
get notified the moment a new chapter is shared. The notification
appears on the phone, tablet or computer. Then the best part; followers
make comments and vote for your work.
I interviewed Bruce Elgin, on my website www.theindiejourney.com about
his experience on Wattpad. Bruce’s novel Schism has been read over
117,922 time, has 4521 votes, 1732 comments and was selected for the
Wattpad feature story.
I asked Bruce - Have you found Wattpad a useful platform for your work? Bruce
replied: I love Wattpad. I am a total dork for Wattpad. How else can a
writer get fans from every corner of the world? When I started on
Wattpad I was brainstorming ways to get the word out about Schism. I
had some casual fans from Voodootown, but didn’t know who most of them
were. But, on July 18, Schism will be a featured story on Wattpad and
hundreds of thousands of people (who already love to read!) from every
corner of the world are going to check it out. And for everyone that
votes for even one chapter, I will know who that person is and can thank
them personally. Add to that the ability to talk with readers as they
read and we’re looking at a brand new paradigm of reading.
I asked him if he have you seen an increase in your book sales, from launching it on Wattpad, if yes by what percentages? Bruce: Yes! It’s small so far, maybe a 30% increase, but with Schism being featured, I think the bump will get much bigger.
I
have posted chapters of my first novel War Kids on Wattpad, and found
that the readers are very supportive and they have given me useful
comments. It is great to have a direct connection with the readers.
Hayley Lawson is the author of War Kids. She has written a young adult contemporary novel set in Syria; a story about the Syrian Civil war though the eyes of children.
She
was born in Lancaster, England. Growing up in a single parent household
with five other siblings; was hard, and also character building.
As
a young child she found a passion for drawing, and continued this into
adulthood, graduating from the University of Central Lancashire, England
with a BA(Hons) in fashion design.
At
aged twenty seven, Hayley and her husband packed up their belongings
for a lifelong dream to move to California. Her America dream was
complete with the birth of her daughter. Her love for traveling,
continued after the birth of her daughter traveling around America with
the family, and the best travelled dog.
A
new job positioned opened up New York, and the family decide to
relocate to Long Island, NY, which is where she currently resides.
On August 21 she was moved by the images of the Syrian conflict, and embarked on an unlikely journey of writing her first novel.
All profits from the book will be going to the save the children charity.
When
fourteen-year-old Jada wakes up in a hospital, the last thing she
thinks is that her life has completely changed forever. But when the
very real civil war forces her to flee from every open space, she must
use the firearm skills her father taught her to reunite with him and
protect herself. Armed with a single gun and a key to an unknown locker,
Jada crosses Syria on a journey with a group of children called the
Fearless Freedom Fighters. With the leader, Zak, they mount a plan to
rescue their fathers while they try to cope with the merciless murders
of their families. As Jada and Zak lead the group together, love
blossoms, but with soldiers hot on their tail, they need to stay
vigilant in the face of war.
Reviews from Wattpad
Very interesting story, very powerful. I can really feel the emotion...Peter
This
book really touches my heart because there is so much truth is in this
book. The detail is so brilliantly displayed, its beautifuly written.
There are pretty intense chapters, its good... scrap that its excellent.
Loe the work ...although I am upset. I know this is a fictional story,
but I just can't help but feel extremely bad for all the lost lives
especially the innocent and young ones...Saddy
A REMARKABLE BOOK, DEMANDS TO BE READ Goodreads review from Joe Eliseon
Buy Now @ Amazon | Smashwords | CreateSpace
Genre - Young Adult
Rating – PG-13
More details about the author
a Rafflecopter giveaway
1 comments:
This book has certainly piqued my interest. I am adding it to my reading list. Thanks!
Post a Comment