We know how hard it is to be an author. Toiling for long hours to create a work of fiction is no easy task. The planning, writing, and editing alone are hard enough, especially if you also juggle your novel writing with a full-time job. Then you must decide where to self-publish your beloved book baby, also a long process, because you want to make the best decision for your burgeoning writing career.
But what people don’t see is all the work behind the scenes growing and building a fan base. It’s no easy task and is often a daily uphill battle to attract and keep an audience.
If you’ve been wondering where to publish your new novel online, never fear, we have a guide to help you! Keep reading to discover the best self-publishing platforms to grow your fanbase, as well as a few tips to get you started.
Bonus: you can earn royalties on all the sites listed below.
Fictionate.Me
Best for genre fiction
If you’re a genre writer, you’re in luck! Fictionate.Me features genres like sci-fi, mystery, thriller, romance, fantasy, and horror, to name a few.
Although this is a smaller platform (right now —it’s still growing!) than the others on the list, it means you won’t get lost in the crowd and your work can stay on the top of the lists when readers favorite or buy your work, helping you grow your network.
One of the great aspects of this platform is readers can leave likes and comments on your books, allowing you to interact with your audience! The upcoming app will also allow authors like you to gain even more traction, with new features like a following function. You will also be able to post articles, short stories, and writer updates to keep your fanbase in the know.
The site also hosts contests voted on by fans, so you can keep boosting your work while growing your audience and earning royalties.
Royal Road
Best for serialized fiction
If you’re a writer of serialized fiction in any form, Royal Road is a great place to attract readers. Royal Road has a very active reader base, and readers can interact with you directly via direct message or with comments on your work. Many authors have commented on how critical the fan base is, meaning you won’t get generic “your book is awesome” type comments! They’ll really dig in deep to leave you meaningful feedback.
Readers boost their favorites, meaning your work can be seen by even more people. The site boasts a forum as well, so you can get tips, tricks, and feedback from writers and readers alike.
Your fans can also leave starred reviews like on Amazon, which is also a huge help in attracting new readers.
Penpee
Best for short stories
If you’re a novelist but have some short stories floating around, Penpee is a great site to begin posting your stories to earn royalties and readers! Like Wattpad, this is a social reading site, meaning you must build a network of other users to really build a fanbase. Just posting and hoping for the best won’t work here.
Readers can follow your profile or your stories, keeping you engaged with your audience. When your stories are read, you can earn a spot on the leaderboards. This will help you gain the attention of the site’s readers, as the top writers are posted on the home page. Readers may also interact with you via private message, so you can gain lifelong readers and get invaluable feedback on your work. You can also use this platform to post teasers for your upcoming and established novels if you’ve published with KDP.
Now that you know where to publish your novel (or stories) online, here are a few tips to attract new readers.
- Attract readers on socials: Seek out readers on socials who are already fans of the types of books you write. A good way to do this is to find other authors in your genre and begin following and interacting with their readers.
- Publish on multiple platforms: Publishing on more than one platform means gaining even more readers. Be sure to choose a platform that has successful novels in your genre.
- Join or start your own writing group: Facebook is a haven for joining an established group or for starting your own writing group, where you can hype your book in groups of like-minded readers. You can also get tips from other successful writers on how to grow your audience.
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