Why Wattpad doesn't do something like Patreon for its popular authors?

Xianxia · 12-09-2015, 09:42 AM

For popular authors, why not have a Donation Button?

It could be either a one time donation or a monthly Donation like Patreon?

That way, fans can support the authors and some of the most popular authors can write full time if the donation reach a high enough amount.

For example, this author is making $2057 per month from fan donation so she can write full-time. Her writing is available for all the read for free.

https://www.patreon.com/leeandmiller?ty=h

or this author: $2,057.38
https://www.patreon.com/mikebennett?ty=h

Hundreds (maybe thousands) of Chinese web novelists are writing full-time thank to such a system in China. Top Chinese web authors are earnings millions of USD each year.

The most popular Chinese web novel site (Qidian) was purchased by Tencent for $800 million earlier this year because web novels in China is now huge business.

Hundreds of millions of smartphone. Free reading on the web. Donation to support the authors. Authors get 70% of the donation money while the novel web site takes 30%.

In China, web novel websites are like Kindle in the West. They dominate the digital reading market in term of readers and revenue.

HarryT · 12-09-2015, 09:59 AM

I'd suggest making your proposal to Wattpad. It won't do any good here

.

Nate the great · 12-09-2015, 10:28 AM

Wattpad tried crowd-funding in 2013. That didn't go anywhere.

And given that Patreon exists, is there really a need for Wattpad to offer a similar service?

mattcurtis · 12-09-2015, 01:30 PM

I think this would be a smart move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

And given that Patreon exists, is there really a need for Wattpad to offer a similar service?

Well, why not offer Patreon integration?

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Wattpad tried crowd-funding in 2013. That didn't go anywhere.

And given that Patreon exists, is there really a need for Wattpad to offer a similar service?

That crowd funding and Patreon are two different things.

Crowd Funding is like Kick-Starter.

Patreon is monthly donation to support your favorite authors. Hopefully, with enough donation, that author can write full-time. A full-time writer will provide more books/chapters than a writer who is working a different full-time job.

As for why Wattpad would do something like this when Patreon already exist, the answer is simple.

Cut out the middle man and prevent Patreon from taking away Wattpad writers.

If Wattpad is dependent on Patreon, some popular authors might just post stories only on Patreon and cut Wattpad out altogether.

Also, it makes no business sense to send people away from your website. For example, I am on Wattpad. Author provide a Patreon link. I click on it. Now I am on Patreon. I browse through Patreon and discover other stuff (music, comics, videos etc...). Which means less time on Wattpad.

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 07:50 AM

p.s. The Wattpad of China (Qidian) was purchased for $800 million by Tencent. Qidian is able to attract top tier authors because authors can make really good living writing web novels. Even becoming millionaire.

http://publishingperspectives.com/20...e-web-authors/

Quote:

In fact, there are now so many web-writers in China (in the millions) that they are now “ranked,” both by their earnings and number of fans.

On the lowest level is the ordinary writer, also “known as poor guy (or poor guy writer).” They have a limited number of fans, and their work is seldom recommended to others. Their annual income is around 1,000 yuan.

Next up are the Xiaoshen (low rank god) writers with a fan base of more than 100,000 and annual earnings of more than 100,000 yuan ($16,100).

One step further up the ladder are the dashen (super god) class of writers with earnings of more than 1 million yuan ($161,200) with fans counted in the millions as well.

At the very top of the tier are the 20-30 web writers known as platinum authors or zhigaoshen (the Supreme God) class of writers. The 2014 Chinese web-writers list ranks Tangjiasanshao first, with earnings of 50 million yuan (around $8.06 million) per year from royalties, while second and third on the list both raked in more than 25 million yuan ($4.03 million) each.

Wattpad business model is ad revenue.

Qidian business model is

) Subscription (similar to Kindle Unlimited but much cheaper, think $1 a month)
2) Donation (similar to Patreon for those that want to directly support their fav authors)
3) Ad revenue

Tencent purchased Qidian because it's the biggest literature web site in China with hundreds of millions of readers. It has a profitable business. It has top tier authors writing for it.

Wattpad just has a large audience but nothing else. Until Wattpad can pay its most popular authors with full-time wages, it won't attract top tier authors. Without top tier authors, it won't challenge Amazon or the Publishers anytime soon.

In China, web novels is now the future of publishing. Maybe it is already the present since it is extremely popular with the young generation. Older generation still read print of course.

HarryT · 12-10-2015, 07:50 AM

To repeat what I said earlier in the thread, there's no point in making this suggestion here. Why don't you suggest it to Wattpad themselves?

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

To repeat what I said earlier in the thread, there's no point in making this suggestion here. Why don't you suggest it to Wattpad themselves?

It's a discussion forum so I'm discussing.

And trust me, Wattpad is aware of the issue, especially of Qidian and Patreon.

Wattpad has the potential to disrupt both Amazon Kindle and Trade Publishers when it come to genre fiction.

It just very bad at it right now compare to the like of Qidian.

Step 1: Free web novels to generate large audience
Step 2: Royalties for its most popular writers
Step 3: Attracting top tier trade authors and self-published authors
Step 4: Disrupt Kindle and trade publishers

Qidian has proven that the future of publishing in China is web novel. Wattpad is so far behind.

HarryT · 12-10-2015, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xianxia

It's a discussion forum so I'm discussing.

And trust me, Wattpad is aware of the issue, especially of Qidian and Patreon.

What was their reply when you made the suggestion to them?

Cinisajoy · 12-10-2015, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xianxia

It's a discussion forum so I'm discussing.

And trust me, Wattpad is aware of the issue, especially of Qidian and Patreon.

Wattpad has the potential to disrupt both Amazon Kindle and Trade Publishers when it come to genre fiction.

It just very bad at it right now compare to the like of Qidian.

Step 1: Free web novels to generate large audience
Step 2: Royalties for its most popular writers
Step 3: Attracting top tier trade authors and self-published authors
Step 4: Disrupt Kindle and trade publishers

Qidian has proven that the future of publishing in China is web novel. Wattpad is so far behind.

Hmm,
I am totally confused by your steps.
On step 3, most trade authors if not all have those pesky things called contracts.
Most self-published authors that are making a decent living do not want to rely on donations alone. Now I do know a few self-published that put smaller things on Wattpad. Mostly for the exposure.
On point 4,
How will this disrupt anyone? See the people that read online will read online, others prefer paper and some prefer ebooks.

I just don't see the attraction of going from making a somewhat stable paycheck to "relying on the kindness of strangers" to give me what they think my book is worth.

I also don't think the readership is there for most genres.

Oh and yes this is a discussion forum, but yours was more a suggestion for a specific company than an actual discussable topic.

Hitch · 12-10-2015, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xianxia

It's a discussion forum so I'm discussing.

Sure, but obviously, this discussion is merely for entertainment, as it's unlikely that Wattpad will be heavily swayed by the folks here.

Quote:

And trust me, Wattpad is aware of the issue, especially of Qidian and Patreon.

I'll take your word for it. FWIW, I'd never heard of Patreon before this thread. Is this the SAME Patreon that had that massive data hack, just two months ago? Was all over the tech wires? The one with the huge online data dump, on the DarkNet? (n.b., to my MR friends: just because I'm a vehement opponent of piracy doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what goes on in the DN.)

Quote:

Wattpad has the potential to disrupt both Amazon Kindle and Trade Publishers when it come to genre fiction.

Uh, no. Perhaps for teenage vampire fiction in poorly-written form, sure. For real fiction? That adults will buy and read? I don't think so.

Quote:

It just very bad at it right now compare to the like of Qidian.

Step 1: Free web novels to generate large audience

You mean, like Amazon does with its KDP Select and KU programs? For which, mind you, they pay the authors for borrows for KU?

Quote:

Step 2: Royalties for its most popular writers

Which those same authors can get, in large part, in larger numbers (more dollars) on B&N, Amazon, iBooks and KoboBooks? And even Scribd, should they feel like it?

Quote:

Step 3: Attracting top tier trade authors and self-published authors

Just like Amazon...

Quote:

Step 4: Disrupt Kindle and trade publishers

I just don't see any promise of that here. Wattpad is supported, by and large, by teenagers. That's all well and good--nothing wrong with it--but they more than anyone else feel that content on the web should be FREE. For that matter, go to Wattpad and look at what gets "liked." By and large, it's tweens and teens all supporting each other's writing efforts, like a giant 8th-Grade class at a school.

Quote:

Qidian has proven that the future of publishing in China is web novel. Wattpad is so far behind.

Hmmmm...with zero governmental support, is that correct? The Chinese government has no money in, or control around, the content? You surprise me, you do. Uh...wasn't there a huge censorship dealio there, this year? And, if I'm remembering correctly, this too is a heavy bastion of amateur writing, right? Tons of it in the romance category?

I don't think that Wattpad has any possibility of disrupting Amazon. Moreover, as Cinsa mentioned, why would ANY author decide that instead of setting his or her own price, for their books, that they'd just sit around waiting for total strangers to donate? Sure, SOME may do very well (that's always the case), but what happens if glowy vampires go out of favor, next month? Sure, millions of bucks sounds AWESOME, but the average author can't even get his/her readers to leave him a review, much less MONEY. Or use NetGalley--they get a free read, and STILL can't be bothered to leave reviews on Amazon, et al.

I don't see it. I've spent a fair amount of time on Wattpad (potential clients, and all that), and yet, most of what I see is pretty much dreck.

Offered solely FWIW. Perhaps Chinese teenagers do pay for content, unlike most American teens, but...that's what I see, FWIW.

Hitch

tompe · 12-10-2015, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

To repeat what I said earlier in the thread, there's no point in making this suggestion here. Why don't you suggest it to Wattpad themselves?

Off course there is a point since it causes good discussion were people learn new things.

What is the point of you trying to suppress discussion? And why do you do it in public, why not talk with the concerned people directly. I know why not but from your argument I cannot see why you asked this publicly.

HarryT · 12-10-2015, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Off course there is a point since it causes good discussion were people learn new things.

What is the point of you trying to suppress discussion? And why do you do it in public, why not talk with the concerned people directly. I know why not but from your argument I cannot see why you asked this publicly.