Is It Worth it to Write a Web Fiction?
Is It Worth it to Write a Web Fiction?
First, I think there should be somewhat of a disclaimer. Only you, the author or potential author, can determine whether writing something is worth your time, energy, and creative ability. Every author writes for a different reason. Like the rest of my blog, this post is going to focus on the business aspects and perform a cost/benefit analysis in writing a webserial/web fiction. In this post, I’m making two assumptions. First, we’re going to assume that the work is unique content and not fan fiction. Second, I’m assuming you’re an indie author and not part of a major publisher. Obviously, the calculus changes depending upon the individual’s situation. Also, I’m going to shamelessly hyperlink my own pages in this article where I have one. The rest will be links to the actual pages.
So, is it worth it? Short Answer: Yes, and I’ll explain why:
The History Behind the Term Webserial/Web Fiction
As a reminder to the readers, let’s dive into what it a webserial or web fiction. When I tell people that I’m writing a webserial, they seem confused by the term so I’ll take the opportunity to describe what it is. As implied by the name a web fiction is a work of fiction that is posted to the web. It can be posted in a hosting website like RoyalRoad or Wattpad, a CMS (more later), to a subreddit on Reddit, or on a personal blog. Usually, a web fiction is a story that has a determinable end and it follows the natural progression of a normal story. In contrast, a webserial is meant to continue endlessly until interest dies, the author has discontinued the work, or the arc has come to a natural conclusion.
Where do WebFics Live?
Like I hinted before, there are a variety of places that people like to post their webfics. Generally, it breaks down into four categories:
Blogs
Content Management Systems (CMS)
Forums/Subreddits
Story Hosting Websites
Blogs
This is pretty self-explanatory. Many writers decide to use a webserial to monetize their blogs. There are plenty of articles covering how and why to monetize a blog or website but know that most people monetize through ad placement or affiliate agreements.
Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS are software applications that are used to manage the creation and distribution of digital content. Popular choices include but are not limited to:
Forums/Subreddits
This is another self-explanatory choice and the oldest and most traditional way to post a webserial. In the early days of the internet, amateur writers used forums to post their work and practice their writing. Reddit is kind of its own thing but follows the general layout of a forum and that’s why I’m including it here. Popular choices include but are not limited to:
Story Hosting Websites
These websites are designed to host stories. They work similarly to blogs except they usually have better interfaces and apps. Some have unique methods of monetization or ways of promoting. Popular choices include, but are not limited to:
Benefits
There are seven benefits to writing a webfic. Most of these are only beneficial if posted to a CMS, blog, or story hosting website. It’s necessary to find an audience. For a brand new indie writer, it can be extremely difficult to build a native community on your own.
Experience
Critiques
Support & Encouragement
Reviews
Beta Reading
Marketing
Monetization
Experience
Experience is important to a brand new indie author. Few people start writing and the book immediately becomes popular enough to make writing a full-time commitment. To those people, I say congratulations. You’ve done something that very few people have done, and you should be proud of your accomplishments. For everyone else, if you want to build a community, your writing needs to be good enough to build and retain the readership. Just like anything else in life, it requires practice.
Critiques
Critiques are important for any developing writer. Often, an idea that sounds good in our head, comes out garbled and miscommunicated on the page. Editors can be hard to come by in the beginning for an indie author and often these early critiques take the place of a good developmental editor. Since developmental editing is easily the most expensive form of editing an author can receive, this feedback has a tangible monetary benefit.
Support & Encouragement
Support and Encouragement are also important for new writers. When I was writing my first book, I posted chapters to RoyalRoad. The daily feedback and encouragement were what helped me move forward and continue writing. Now, that I have a dedicated team of editors and beta readers, they have become my source of support and encouragement. I don’t know that I would have finished my first book without the RoyalRoad community. I don’t know that I could’ve finished book two without the support network I have now. It’s strange but somehow the validation of strangers can be stronger than that of your friends and family. After all, you constantly wonder if your friends and family are telling you that your story is good only because they love you.
Reviews
Reviews are essential to the indie author. Amazon ranking lives and dies by the number of reviews you get. No one is clear what the exact number is for Amazon to pick it up into its recommendation engine, but it’s clear that it plays an important part in getting your book recognized. As a side fact, many writers have speculated that Goodreads ratings and reviews play an important part in the algorithm as well since Amazon owns Goodreads.
Beta Reading
Beta reading is similar in importance to your critiques. Beta readers are a good way of getting free editing. However, your beta readers shouldn’t really be catching developmental errors, but I have found that questions in the comment section have been extremely helpful in helping my own writing process develop. Many times, I have thought to myself
“You know, I didn’t think of that”
In and of itself, that’s a useful thing but Beta Readers are also there to catch the copy & line edits that need to be made. If you intend to go the traditional publishing route, or even want to negotiate a better rate with an independent editor, a cleaner manuscript is a cheaper one.
Marketing
Finally, we reach the subject that I’m most interested in when discussing the use of webfics and webserials. A webfic can seem like a waste of time but over the last two months, I’ve been collecting data on the referral of web traffic from my various posting platforms. For some, the data is still out. After all, I only just started on Twitter but I have been posting to reader/writer groups on Facebook and buy ads there. Despite that, here are the results for the web traffic to book 1 in my series:
Geniuslink data for the last 30 days for Evolve: The Scourge Wars Book 1
I use GeniusLink to generate this data for the past 30 days. You can see that Royalroad, where I post my webserial, generates a little less than half (about 45%) of all recorded traffic to my book. All things being equal, this is a significant amount for a comparatively little amount of effort. Obviously, engagement is important just like in any other platform, but Royalroad has a handy feature that sets it apart when you post your webserial.
As soon as you post it hits the front page.
It’s free advertising and I think most indie authors underestimate how important that is.
Monetization
Finally, webfics and webserials can be a major source of income. Very few stories can reach the level where they generate sustainable income, but after looking at the top 10 best-rated stories on Royalroad, I found that on average, the stories earned $2,488.66 USD per month (after taxes) on Patreon. That’s a number that not many can turn their noses up at for posting chapters whenever you feel comfortable. Additionally, many webserials will release their work as volumes on Amazon and double (or even triple if you count audiobook) dip on their sales.
As a side note for new writers, be sure to check the platform’s Terms of Service and read their contracts carefully. Some platforms have restrictions on where you can market or publish outside of their platform.
In summary, I think it’s a great idea for indie authors to start their own webserial and I’ll leave you with one last thought. Pirateaba, the author of the Wandering Inn webserial has these stats:
$9497 a month on Patreon (after taxes)
530 reviews of combined reviews on Volumes 1 and 2 of her story on Amazon
#313 Amazon Best Sellers Rank for Volume 1’s audiobook
Let me know what you think in the comments below.