Fiction Writing Platforms

Guest post by E. M. Foster

Pros and Cons of Using
​Fiction Writing Platforms

Major writing platforms attract millions of readers and writers every day, but professional and amateur writers alike argue about whether the pros outweigh the cons of promoting your work on these platforms. Should writers use these platforms? If millions of readers are out there waiting for your work to come along, should you grab hold of this opportunity? Are writing platforms a valuable resource in the long run?

There’s no easy way to answer this because every writer follows a different path. More and more authors today got their start by building a following on platforms like Wattpad and others. And with the dramatic push to the digital age when it comes to both reading and writing, these platforms are getting harder and harder to ignore.
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If you’re wondering if fiction writing platforms are right for you, here are a few major pros and cons to keep in mind as you do your research. 

Pros: 

You Can Practice Interacting with Your Audience

The digital age has drastically changed the overall publishing and marketing processes for writers. Writers’ blogs and websites, social media, and networking with other professionals have become the standard outlets and pathways for promoting your work and yourself as a writer. Understanding these elements is crucial when making your way through the querying and publishing processes, and the overall task of standing out among the crowd can be overwhelming.
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With fiction writing platforms, you get your first taste of an audience, and you learn the basics of audience interaction and engagement, as well as valuable skills such as time management and organization. However, growing with an audience still takes a practiced hand. If you have an audience on one of these platforms and you want to continue growing, take the time to do your research while practicing your skills as a writer and a marketer. Learning how to market yourself and network effectively will aid future experiences such as working with literary agents, connecting with publishers, and generally promoting yourself as the writer you’ve been transforming into. Interacting with your audience gets your readers excited about the next update on a platform, and this in turn gives you a clue as to how a published book generates publicity. 

You Can Build Your Portfolio

In general, a writing portfolio is a collection of work that demonstrates your experiences and how you’ve developed as a writer. And the best thing about a writing portfolio is that not all of your writing has to be published in official journals or magazines. It can be something you have written on a personal blog or other mediums, including works on a writing platform given that you’re writing for an audience.
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Cataloguing your writing from literary platforms can kickstart a strong writing portfolio. It also demonstrates your growth as a writer as you write more, and your audience gets to witness that. This provides valuable work and experience that builds your writing career, as writing programs, volunteer positions, and other places that provide experience for writers look for writing samples and portfolios. Additionally, if you don’t have much experience with literary journals and magazines at this point, platforms continue building on what you have started. 

Cons:

What Literary Agents Have to Say

Thanks to the sudden emergence of these writing platforms, there’s a new way to get published that many consider faster, easier, and better. Why would you spend time querying and getting rejected by agents and publishers when you can build your audience online right away and possibly get picked up by an agent or land a publishing deal after building a following? It’s true that some authors have done that with their books, but these appear to be rare cases, and for important reasons. Literary agents know there is less marketing potential for a book if it already has a following to begin with. If a complete or nearly complete book already has a readership of thousands online for free, there is less chance that taking that book, publishing it, and then attempting to sell it will be profitable or successful in the long run.
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The thing about publishing is that sales matter. It might seem shallow to think that it all boils down to money, but the truth is that it’s a literary agent’s job to find work that will be successful. Many literary agents believe that books that already have an audience have maxed out their marketing ability, especially if the book is completed. This isn’t true for all books, but in these cases the book was further expanded into a series (and also taken off platforms), meaning the marketing involves proving a piece can stand on its own and that its audience sticks around. Many times, unfortunately, agents don’t want to take that risk. 

The Challenges of Being Found 

Another drawback of writing on these platforms is the sheer amount of work published each day. It becomes frustrating when you try to get others to see your work when thousands of books are published each day, and the books that aren’t worth your time may drown out the well-written pieces. It’s impossible to read through every book on every platform. If readers miss out on great pieces, agents will do the same. And if agents don’t look at platforms to begin with, chances are your work won’t be seen by them at all, even if that’s what you want.
Fiction writing platforms don’t guarantee success, but they shouldn’t be discounted either. Every writer has a different path, and if you want to write for fun or reach an audience on a platform, then you should go for it. Even if you’re serious about writing, you can still build an audience, but weigh the pros and cons of using these platforms.

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E. M. Foster is a fiction writer and Pushcart Prize-nominated poet from Florida. She is currently preparing for a Master's in Creative Writing at the University of Cambridge, St. Edmund's. She is a reader and Creative Nonfiction Editor for Farside Review, reader for Sepia Journal, and writer for Coffee House Writers. Her work has appeared in The Aurora Journal, Sledgehammer Lit, and others. Find her blog and portfolio at fosteryourwriting.com.

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