by Gloria G. Adams
Serialized fiction is nothing new. In the late 1800’s and
early-mid 1900’s, many classics like Treasure Island and The War of the Worlds
began as a series of chapters published in magazines or newspapers.
At first blush, you might think it’s only for adult books.
But Kindle Vella has an entire children’s collection, and both Sweek and Wattpad
publish YA novels as well as adult.
Besides writing a serialized novel (publishing one chapter at a time), writers also use these platforms to publish stand-alone short stories as well as serials (like soap operas and weekly TV dramas and sitcoms.)
Readers can access a great deal of content for free, but there are also paid options. Wattpad includes some books in their Wattpad Paid Stories, but it’s by invitation only.
What’s in it for writers? Promotion, recognition, and possibly building a fan base. And the possibility of royalties. Wattpad boasts a monthly audience of 90 million users. It’s a great way to connect with readers, especially for new or unagented authors. There are also some protections in place against plagiarism.
Some have found success on these platforms. Over 100 books have been published that had their origins on Wattpad.
One of these authors was Brittany Geragotelis, who tried for ten years to get published traditionally. After posting on Wattpad, she garnered nineteen million readers and Simon and Schuster published her YA book and sequels.
Nikki Kelly’s Wattpad-published romance trilogy was picked up by MacMillan in 2014.
https://www.wattpad.com/story/86532927-how-to-write-serialised-fiction
