I agree with not stretching yourself too thin. Many of these sights have a social element such as comments. And you need to be active on a platform to build an audience (in my experience.) And I also agree that a personal website or blog will not get regular readers. This is the social media age. No one "surfs the Web" anymore. They Google it. And visit social media.
I have written on Medium for almost four years. Short fiction can do well there, if you cultivate a loyal following. Serial fiction bombs for me on Medium. I have tried several times with dismal results.
The platform seems to be in decline. My readership is about a third of two years ago. And I find it harder to find quality stories to read. Many writers were discouraged by an 80% cut in writer payouts two years ago (for most writers) and are jumping ship (many of my favorite writers from a couple of years ago have left or gone inactive.)
I have been posting a novel on Royal Road for a few months and it has been slowly growing in views. It is not the usual GameLit or reincarnation stories that are popular on RR, so I happy with its progress. You have to use Patreon to monetize. But I am not opening that can of worms until I have more followers.
I have been on Substack for over a year. My short fiction (and humor) does well there. The jury is still out on serial fiction for me. I have a running serial that gets little attention. I am also posting my second novel as I write it. But it only gets a handful of views.
Each platform has a unique, loyal audience. And there seems to be little overlap, so it is fine to post the same stories on more than one platform.
I’m currently on Substack, Medium, and have started composing original work for Ko-fi. If I’m able to churn out more fiction in the future (since my life is fairly busy right now), then I’d consider some of the other platforms. I can sustain what I’m using and I’d rather concentrate on doing a few things well.
It’s hard because I like Substack and the “reward” for good work. It just doesn’t pay. Medium seems to favor the same meta articles and tips to make a million pieces. I make some pence off Medium but not much. I’m hoping that I can just use it as skill-building to benefit Substack.
Which of these do you currently post on, besides substack? I tried Wattpad once and my story never showed up in the 'new' list for my tags, you had to search for it by name for it to appear, so I decided to avoid those platforms
Have you ever heard or had experience with Simily? I've enjoyed reading stories on their. Seems to have a similar system to Medium, except it's primary focus is fiction writing
I have my work on Simily, Medium, and Substack. I'm also dipping my toe into Reddit. I tried Wattpad many years ago (I think when it first started). I never finished the novel and have long since deleted my account. I've read some complaints about Wattpad being mainly for teens who are into cheesy romance and One Direction or BTS fanfics. I know there are a few gems, like yours, on Wattpad. Maybe I should give it a go again.
Currently I only write on Substack, though I am trying to dabble in Medium (with no great success). I never heard of Tapas or Inkitt. Will look into it. I’ve learned that expanding your horizon is the key to more success, so I’ll have to learn to be more proactive in that regard.
Ah fellow Wattpadder! I still have my account but don't use it. Gosh it's easily been 10 years I think. I tried Inkitt and didn't see much movement. I like Substack because you can build an email list. I thought about Medium but geesh, just seems like my stories would get lost in the crowd. I wanted to try Royal Road but haven't gotten around to it. Thanks for making this list though, It's been helpful to read your thoughts on each.
"Readers can only ever enhance the writing experience. Readers are the other side of the coin: without them, writing is a one-way street that never quite reaches its destination. A dance without a partner."
Also you are right. Medium and Quora are more geared towards non fiction writing.
Hi Simon and all who contributed to this great topic,
I am new to web writing and appreciate the time you spent, Simon, discussing your experiences and the nine useful platforms for writers. I write for the pure joy of bringing pleasure to those who read, who, in turn, inspire my writing because of their enjoyment. So I began posting a novel I am writing, A Miraculous Journey With Thor And Hisstory on several platforms, Medium, Substack, Booksie, QuoteV, Wattpad, Royal Road, and my own website. When people ask for some detail about it, I write, "In the grand tradition of heroic figures from Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 fighting for freedom of thought under a tyrannical regime out to destroy the defiant, comes the young orphan Thor and his pet serpent Hisstory challenging the norm." Here's a review I received: Great original writing! Brilliant, smooth usage of language with overwhelmingly thorough attention to detail. I could go on and on. And this just my humble opinion as a writer. From a reader's point of view: A feast for all senses! It's thrilling and complex, spike with magic, wisdom, humor and heart! In my opinion, your are already up there competing with the greatest writers in this genre. Can't wait to read the next chapter. Keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing!!!💙 That review was so gratifying, but mostly I get people clicking without knowing if they read it. I haven't had much luck so far. I invite you to have a look. I think you'd enjoy it. I'd appreciate your candid comments. It's so hard to reach people in this rapidly spinning web environment, but I believe it's important to support each other in our endeavors. Best wishes, Hisstory Haven
I agree with not stretching yourself too thin. Many of these sights have a social element such as comments. And you need to be active on a platform to build an audience (in my experience.) And I also agree that a personal website or blog will not get regular readers. This is the social media age. No one "surfs the Web" anymore. They Google it. And visit social media.
I have written on Medium for almost four years. Short fiction can do well there, if you cultivate a loyal following. Serial fiction bombs for me on Medium. I have tried several times with dismal results.
The platform seems to be in decline. My readership is about a third of two years ago. And I find it harder to find quality stories to read. Many writers were discouraged by an 80% cut in writer payouts two years ago (for most writers) and are jumping ship (many of my favorite writers from a couple of years ago have left or gone inactive.)
I have been posting a novel on Royal Road for a few months and it has been slowly growing in views. It is not the usual GameLit or reincarnation stories that are popular on RR, so I happy with its progress. You have to use Patreon to monetize. But I am not opening that can of worms until I have more followers.
I have been on Substack for over a year. My short fiction (and humor) does well there. The jury is still out on serial fiction for me. I have a running serial that gets little attention. I am also posting my second novel as I write it. But it only gets a handful of views.
Each platform has a unique, loyal audience. And there seems to be little overlap, so it is fine to post the same stories on more than one platform.
I’m currently on Substack, Medium, and have started composing original work for Ko-fi. If I’m able to churn out more fiction in the future (since my life is fairly busy right now), then I’d consider some of the other platforms. I can sustain what I’m using and I’d rather concentrate on doing a few things well.
It’s hard because I like Substack and the “reward” for good work. It just doesn’t pay. Medium seems to favor the same meta articles and tips to make a million pieces. I make some pence off Medium but not much. I’m hoping that I can just use it as skill-building to benefit Substack.
Late to the party here, SImon.
Saw this on the bird site:
https://irishwritersunion.org/web-serial/
Which of these do you currently post on, besides substack? I tried Wattpad once and my story never showed up in the 'new' list for my tags, you had to search for it by name for it to appear, so I decided to avoid those platforms
Have you ever heard or had experience with Simily? I've enjoyed reading stories on their. Seems to have a similar system to Medium, except it's primary focus is fiction writing
I have my work on Simily, Medium, and Substack. I'm also dipping my toe into Reddit. I tried Wattpad many years ago (I think when it first started). I never finished the novel and have long since deleted my account. I've read some complaints about Wattpad being mainly for teens who are into cheesy romance and One Direction or BTS fanfics. I know there are a few gems, like yours, on Wattpad. Maybe I should give it a go again.
Currently I only write on Substack, though I am trying to dabble in Medium (with no great success). I never heard of Tapas or Inkitt. Will look into it. I’ve learned that expanding your horizon is the key to more success, so I’ll have to learn to be more proactive in that regard.
Ah fellow Wattpadder! I still have my account but don't use it. Gosh it's easily been 10 years I think. I tried Inkitt and didn't see much movement. I like Substack because you can build an email list. I thought about Medium but geesh, just seems like my stories would get lost in the crowd. I wanted to try Royal Road but haven't gotten around to it. Thanks for making this list though, It's been helpful to read your thoughts on each.
Wonderful insight:
"Readers can only ever enhance the writing experience. Readers are the other side of the coin: without them, writing is a one-way street that never quite reaches its destination. A dance without a partner."
Also you are right. Medium and Quora are more geared towards non fiction writing.
Hi Simon and all who contributed to this great topic,
I am new to web writing and appreciate the time you spent, Simon, discussing your experiences and the nine useful platforms for writers. I write for the pure joy of bringing pleasure to those who read, who, in turn, inspire my writing because of their enjoyment. So I began posting a novel I am writing, A Miraculous Journey With Thor And Hisstory on several platforms, Medium, Substack, Booksie, QuoteV, Wattpad, Royal Road, and my own website. When people ask for some detail about it, I write, "In the grand tradition of heroic figures from Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451 fighting for freedom of thought under a tyrannical regime out to destroy the defiant, comes the young orphan Thor and his pet serpent Hisstory challenging the norm." Here's a review I received: Great original writing! Brilliant, smooth usage of language with overwhelmingly thorough attention to detail. I could go on and on. And this just my humble opinion as a writer. From a reader's point of view: A feast for all senses! It's thrilling and complex, spike with magic, wisdom, humor and heart! In my opinion, your are already up there competing with the greatest writers in this genre. Can't wait to read the next chapter. Keep up the good work, and thanks for sharing!!!💙 That review was so gratifying, but mostly I get people clicking without knowing if they read it. I haven't had much luck so far. I invite you to have a look. I think you'd enjoy it. I'd appreciate your candid comments. It's so hard to reach people in this rapidly spinning web environment, but I believe it's important to support each other in our endeavors. Best wishes, Hisstory Haven
Curious if you considered moving your blog/site to substack via RSS feed option before you “nuked” it.