Cracking the Wattpad Code: Insider Secrets the Pros don't want you to know!

Much Ado About Reads (Part 2)

In this latest installment, I talk about how to get the all elusive reads! I tackled this briefly in the first "Much Ado About Reads Pt 1". Here is the long awaited installment with practical info!

I thought that the best way to tackle the topic of reads is to first take you through the wrong way, and then follow up and take you through the right way! We'll also have fun along the way, I promise!

Ok, here goes...

The Wrong Way to Get Reads (TWWTGR)

Most of us implicitly know this, but it begs to be said because so many people continue to do this the wrong way. A bit of advice. What I've outlined here, most definitely, DOES NOT WORK. Don't even try it. It's just going to hurt you in the long run.

TWWTGR #1: Asking for reads. We see this every time. Someone goes into a messageboard and says, can someone read my book please? 

Why this is wrong: For one, Wattpad frowns upon it and a mod will close down your thread. But more importantly, asking for reads is like asking for money on the street. The moment you do it, people run the other way! It's human psychology. If you've got a book worth reading, why are you begging me to read it?

TWWTGR #2: Self advertising done wrong. This is related to #1, but I see this abused so often, it's ridiculous. Here's how to do it: Comment on someone else's book and link to your own book. "Hey guys! Check out my book (insert link here)."

Why this is wrong: Not only will you anger the writer, you've also now told that writer's readers that you haven't got manners in the least. End result: No reads for you! (No Soup for You!) LOL! I love the soup Nazi, for those of you Seinfeld fans who got that reference (bonus points for you if you did).

TWWTGR #3: Self advertising, done wronger: Self-advertise on Featured Author/Watty Award Winner/Million-Read Author's works, and do exactly the same thing. Now if you're a Featured Author/Watty Award Winner/Million Read Author, especially one who's on the front page of Wattpad currently, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The self-advertisers will flock to you like flies to poop!

Why this is wrong: well now you've just told hundreds-of-thousands (maybe even millions) of readers that you haven't got manners in the least! No Reads for You x 1,000,000!

TWWTGR #4: Self advertising, done wrongest: Self advertise on another person's work, and then say something like "Think this book is good? Check out mine. It's better (insert link here):" Yes, I've seen this happen on Wattpad, and if you don't see anything wrong with this, then you need to be re-born as a human being, because you are obviously, a sub-human. Perhaps in a later life. Until then, better luck next time. No reads for you! And since you probably aren't human anyway, you probably can't read either. See you in the next life, sub-human!

TWWTGR #5: The "False Reader" with a Timebomb. We've all encountered this. The reader that goes through our work, usually going through only one or two chapters, placing somewhat nice comments, and then... they drop the bomb! "Hey check out my work (insert link here)?"

Why this is wrong: Well now you've told everyone that you're a fake reader, guess what? No one's gonna want to read your book now, no matter how many comments you leave. No Reads for You + Exile!

TWWTGR #6: Read-for-read: "Hey! How about I read your book if you read mine?" Anyone see anything wrong here?

Why this is wrong: Can you really get to 10K reads doing this? of course not. You'd be exhausted before you knew it. You'll get to maybe 100 reads doing read for read before you burn your fingers out speed-clicking through other people's works. Also, ain't that just the dumbest thing in the world? Hey Ma, I got a hundred fake reads! I'm so proud of myself! Woohooo! :)