I was not familiar with Wattpad, this online storytelling community, before reading this very comprehensive guide and after finishing it I am considering becoming a member as soon as possible. The author guides you step by step from getting started and the absolute essentials to paving your way to publish your own story. We need more initiatives like Wattpad as there are plenty of aspiring writers out there who until now lacked a platform where they could display their work. The author gives really thorough instructions and you will have no problem keeping track of the text.

I had always thought Wattpad the vehicle for fan fiction, but after reading the essays contained in this reference, I see how much more there is to the platform. The essays contained in The Writer's Guide to Wattpad are entertaining, informative and encouraging. I will be adding this to my writer's reference recommendations, and as a suggestion for writer's groups. I think it's important to explore a variety of methodologies for sharing your work, and Wattpad looks to be a strong and well read platform.

The Writer's Guide to Wattpad is a handy book explaining what Wattpad is (a free forum for writers to post their stories and for readers to read those stories) and how to maximize its potential as an author. I was not familiar with Wattpad before reading this book, and it taught me a lot!

Each glowing chapter is written by a different Wattpad user and covers a specific topic to help an author succeed. Topics cover things like getting started with Wattpad (even advice on choosing a good username), interacting with the readers, and how to design a great cover for your story. Later chapters get into ways to use work from Wattpad as a tool to launch other books, campaign for movements, or even make advances into Hollywood.

I would have liked to have seen a bit more on some of the negative aspects of Wattpad -- there are drawbacks to any platform, and those things are nice to know about when contemplating trying something new. Overall, though, this was a really informative book and I'm sure I'll refer to it's lessons as I plunge into the Wattpad world.

3.5 stars -- a good solid book.

Thank you to NetGalley and F+W Media for providing me with a DRC of this book.

As a reader, I've never found Wattpad to be particularly engaging or intuitive, but as a writer, I've been curious about the benefits. This book answered a lot of questions I've always had about the platform. Not being in the target age group, it makes sense now that I'm not drawn to the site or the content, but this book gave in-depth information about many facets of the site so I could make an informed decision about whether it would be useful to me as a writer.

As I don't write YA fiction or works that would appeal to the 16-25 year old age group the site targets, the answer is "No," the efforts of building a following on the site wouldn't be worth it for me. However, that doesn't mean this book wasn't informative. It saved me a lot of effort I might otherwise have wasted.

For someone whose writing targets those age groups, this book is a useful tool for learning the ins-and-outs of the website. Is a lot of this information available elsewhere for free on the web? Of course it is. But the benefit of this book is the way it lays out out the information in a progression from posting your first story through building your author brand to taking advantage of some of the partnership opportunities. The personal stories provided by the contributors in each chapter provide even more insight.

In the writing communities online, I've heard both positive and negative things about Wattpad. Armed with the knowledge I gained from this book, I'm now better able to evaluate those comments

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is an excellent resource for new writers and those frustrated with typical ebook distribution channels.

Wattpad allows writers to have a personal relationship with their readers while building their fan base and social media presence. While it is free and easy to create content, this book shares tips for increasing the benefits of using a non-monetized platform.

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is a loosely connected series of essays by real Wattpad users. Here are just a few of the over 20 articles. Wattpad readers are 23 times more likely to read a book with a cover. One essay gives concrete steps for getting a cover for $6 or less. One chapter covers the importance of choosing your Wattpad user name. Another explains how to use serialization to your advantage. Understanding your genre, fan base and competition is the subject of several essays. 90% of Wattpad users are young Gen Z or millennials. Those readers could be your lifelong fans. Cultivate them by responding to constructive comments and take the high road by ignoring unkind or irrelevant comments.

With over 65 million Wattpad users, it is hard to ignore it as a platform for writing success. It is a great tool to teach writers what works and what doesn’t as decided by readers rather than jaded or money-motivated publishers and agents.

The Writer’s Guide to Wattpad is a useful resource both on how to use Wattpad and whether its democratic feeling is correct for your writing or personal style. My only issue with the book is the format of providing 25 essays by multiple authors with no short intros connecting them together. 3 stars!

Thanks to Writer’s Digest Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy

It’s good to have this information compiled, but seems odd to have it as a book to purchase when it is freely available on their own blog.

You can find most of this information with a simple web search. Much of it is already on Wattpad's blog. Not necessary to purchase this.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO WATTPAD teaches readers how to use this intriguing online story-telling platform to bring their writing before millions. Wattpad allows users to release stories and chapters one at a time to secure real-time feedback from other users. Through its Stars program, it also connects skilled writers to brands, publishers, and the film and television industries, expanding the opportunity to get the word out about their work. This info-packed guide is edited by Benjamin Sobieck, director of digital business strategy for F+W Media and a Wattpad Star with almost a half-million reads of his stories. 5/5

Thanks to F + W Media and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#TheWriter'sGuideToWattpad #NetGalley

Wattpad has these exact pieces of advice on the platform's own blog. As a free resource this is great, but certainly is not something I would suggest to anyone for purchase.

I’ve used Wattpad in the past both as a reader and a writer and while I enjoyed the experience and found the interface easy enough to use, I was far too lazy to spend the time meandering around and working out how to get the most out of it. This book was brilliant in that respect, making up the shortfall of knowledge that I didn’t have time to work out for myself. I may well try Wattpad again at a future date.