“In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody.”
— Oscar Wilde
I have heard the publication argument since sophomore year of high school. To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish. That there should be the title of a book that debunks the myth what is the best publication style: self-publishing or traditional publishing.
In deep regard for the empty pockets of broke and novice writers, the pro self-publication people often ask, “Why spend an inordinate amount of money when you can just publish through Amazon?” Or they reassure that, “Instead of paying, you can be the first to market your book, edit at your own leisure, and control the pace of your work.”
Alternatively, after somebody self-publishes and is met with poor views, the Karens and Susans of the world seem to emerge from nowhere to call him or her out. They claim, “you need an expert to look at your work or it ain’t going anywhere.”
While I can provide you an opinion piece that expresses where I stand on the debate, that is not the nature of my article. Instead, I want to tell you about my journey of amateur self-publication—along with its pitfalls and promises. I want to shed light on how a self-publishing platform helped nurture my love for writing and editing and boosted my morale as a middle schooler and how such a website could enrich and impact you.
The History & Strength of the Wattpad Program
The program I used in my youth was Wattpad—an online social networking space for readers and writers to publish user-generated stories under a plethora of genres, including general fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fan-fiction, spiritual, humor and teen fiction. It still serves as a social community for amateur and professional writers alike and the writing can be anywhere from half a page to an entire volume (i.e. endless).
Founders Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen began creating the storytelling community back in 2000 as a part of their Computer Engineering program at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Wattpad reached competition in 2006, but by 2007 they were failing due to a low amount of users. But once again, Steve Jobs came to the rescue with the launching of Apple’s iPhone and App Store in 2008. From there, the Wattpad app and website skyrocketed in popularity.
Today, according to BBC, Wattpad has reached more than 80 million readers with approximately 4 million writers who are active on the website each month around the world. It has reached 600 million users, 1.5 billion reads, and even achieved a People’s Choice Award in 2019.
2019 Photo by Good e-Reader
<https://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/2019-was-a-year-of-continued-genre-disruption-on-wattpad>
I could go on about its success, but let me tell you about why I cherish it so much:
When I was 13, I would write for hours and hour every day, yet I would consistently feel discouraged because I had no audience, no source of constant inspiration and no reason to pursue writing really outside of school assignments. That was until the day that my friend shared a Twilight fan-fiction with me (NOT Fifty Shades of Grey, just to clarify) from Wattpad.
Upon seeing how an average teenager like myself could write a simple fan fiction and amass 186.8 thousand or so views was something very unheard of at the time. Personally, it became the epitome of hope. Almost instantly, I was set on becoming a Wattpad writer. So, in my eighth grade year, I became the author of several chapters of an inspired piece about cyber bullying called iVictim, which achieved 972 views and received 30 Wattpad Stars nominations.
In reality, that isn’t a whole lot, but at the time I was overjoyed to even obtain some kind of following. The truth is that although it is merely a social media platform, there is lots that I have learned simply from having spent time writing whatever came to mind in my spare time.
Learning Self-Publication Through Wattpad
Photo By: Alyssa Chartrand
Though I do not use it as much now that I am in college, Wattpad taught me so much more than just writing for leisure. I was bestowed my first chance of being my own editor. I held the complete freedom to post, edit, and share work that was personal to me. In addition, Wattpad provided me the opportunity to learn the ropes of future, professional self-publication. Today, I am offering you rope climbing lessons. This is by no means an advertising of the company or app, I am simply using Wattpad as an example of how to mold yourself into a successful self-publisher:
First, if you decide to use a program like Wattpad, you are offering yourself an opportunity to learn and grow. As mentioned, you are in total control of the genre of your work, the age group (or intended audience), the language and the story itself. You can decide for yourself if your work is ready to be seen by the public as well as what grammatical, structural, or linguistic issues that may have occurred.
Second, you are providing yourself a place to create art. Like physical and e-book copies, there is most certainly a spot to place a book cover. You can use Wattpad’s customer cover maker through Canva or Adobe Spark. After creating your own story content, you can dazzle your audience with your own artistic merit (how cool is that?!).
Third, you have the opportunity to look at thousands upon thousands of books related to your genre written by people just like you. As it has been drilled in your head since preschool, reading helps make better writers. It’s just true. You always acquire more knowledge as you read, so why not utilize that information and inspiration to produce your own work?
Fourth, you can create a following just as you would on any other social media outlet. This means that you have the option of sharing your work with complete strangers or in adding friends who also have accounts on the site. This might make less nervous the anxious writers and give courage to whichever writer decides to add their friends. Personally, I find it better to write to a real audience then the empty abyss in my mind.
Fifth, you can upload and delete as many drafts or final products as you want. You can leave no trace of the stories you are not comfortable with or you can start a series of chapters or books that appeal to a Wattpadian user.
Sixth, you can freaking get discovered. You think that’s too far-fetched? Ever seen the Netflix Original film, “The Kissing Booth”? I have not and heard it bombed its Rotten Tomatoes’ score, BUT—it was an original Wattpad story. Surely, there are a lot more efficient ways to get published and become established. Nevertheless, it is cool to have that inkling of hope nestled in yoru soul.
Seventh, bearing in mind the same idea as number 6, you can also aim to make yourself better than you are right now. With the Watty Awards nominations and weekly/monthly competitions, those who crave victory and success can embark on a challenge through Wattpad (or similiar programs).
Eighth, you can achieve feedback from other people from your writing. Years after I published iVictim, I had at least four people inbox me, begging me to finish the story I had started. In some other works, I received feedback pinpointing small grammatical and punctuation flaws. This kind of feedback can be HUGE.
These are just a few ways in which self-publishing can be transformative for writers. Surely, traditional publishing can be beneficial, but programs like Wattpad teach users that you have the power to convey your own story. It encourages us to think that we are smarter than our doubts and can thrive from the positive feedback of others. If you feel that you have not had the opportunity to showcase your ideas or talent, consider self-publishing via an online platform. You don’t have to do your most personal and prized works, but maybe you will discover the value of self-efficiency.
The Writer's Desk 
Hi, Dr. O here. Great job! This was an excellent first post. I’m invested in the blog and the subject.…