We’re now three and a half months into my Great Wattpad Marketing Experiment. For those of you who are following this experiment and considering taking the Wattpad plunge yourself, I wanted to give you an update so you can get a feel for how well (or not) it’s working. First, a look at
Part 1 of the experiment
The first book I put up on the Wattpad platform was Gwynneth Ever After. Actually, it’s not even all up there yet, as I’m releasing it as a serial (we’re 29 chapters in on a total of 46). Regardless, response to the story has been overwhelming, with the book drawing well over a million reads, 25,000 votes, and almost 2,300 comments. In addition, I’ve gained more than 3,200 new followers since my last update here just over a month ago.
Sales figures have been equally encouraging. While numbers dropped slightly in July, they still remain far stronger than they’ve been since I first published the book back in June 2013. (Earlier sales figures for the book can be found in my first Show Me the Numbers post).
However (and this is a big however, so pay attention, folks), I’m beginning to think that part of Gwynneth Ever After‘s success on Wattpad is due to its genre (contemporary romance). Why do I think that? The answer lies in
Part 2 of the Experiment
Near the end of June, I began publishing the fourth and final book of the Grigori Legacy series, Sins of the Warrior, as another serial on Wattpad. While this book is in an entirely different genre (dark urban fantasy), I had hoped that a number of the followers I had attracted on Wattpad would migrate to reading this book as well. So far, that hasn’t happened.
I’ve given a lot of thought as to why this discrepancy exists between the two books, and I have theory. My understanding is that the Wattpad audience tends to the younger side (think YA and NA)…and that the predominant genre on the platform is romance. One and one adding up to two (I remember very well how much I loved romance novels at that age), it’s no surprise that Gwynneth Ever After, a contemporary romantic comedy, has found its audience there so quickly.
I will add, however, that I’m sensing a shift in that audience. I’m seeing more older readers now than I did at the beginning (it’s possible they were on Wattpad all along and are just now finding me there), and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this trend continue as more established authors continue to discover the platform and bring their fan base with them.
Conclusion
While I still consider my Wattpad experiment to be successful, I will be moving forward with both feet squarely on the ground, especially where Sins of the Warrior is concerned. Wattpad is an amazing marketing tool, but (as with most other tools), it’s still not a magic wand that will launch me to overnight success. 😉 (As an aside, I also need to mention that I haven’t put a whole lot of effort into promoting that book’s Wattpad presence as yet…once I start doing so, I may see different results.)
For now, I’m still playing around with the platform and learning from my experience there. I’m constantly making adjustments to how/when I promote Gwynneth Ever After on Twitter and Facebook, and I will (in my spare time! 😉 ) be looking at similar promotion for Sins of the Warrior. I’m also curious as to what will happen to Gwynneth’s sales when the serial release is over.
Once again, stay tuned for updates (if you haven’t already, subscribe to updates using the big red box in the side bar), and leave me a comment/question below if you so desire. I promise a (relatively) quick response. 🙂
P.S. To find out more about writing on Wattpad, check out their Writers’ Page.
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