Wattpad writers, for the most part, make no money on their stories.  Unless they are in a special program through Wattpad, they never see a dime.  The only payment we receive is through positivity from the reader and votes.  The best thing we get is loyalty and it's priceless to us.  There is a paid program but it's very tiny and only a select few of writers are invited.  If you're reading the story for free then the writer is giving it to you for free. There are a few ways to pay writers through encouragement and positivity and in this chapter I will explain how this can be done.  It doesn't cost a dime and it's the kindest thing to do for someone that's freely sharing their work with you.

Posting a book on Wattpad takes courage.  Many of us fight with insecurity and it's truly scary to allow people into our imaginations.  They ask themselves if readers will make fun of them or say negative things that hurt.  Yes, those things do happen to all of us and we do have to be prepared for that, but as a good reader, you can help balance out the negativity. 

As with every other platform on the internet, there's an Algorithm. The algorithm determines many things, but from what I understand it determines your rank and how easily your work can be found.

The Wattpad algorithm is still a bit of a mystery to me, but I do believe there are three things that matter most to it.  The number of reads, comments, and votes.  If the algorithm sees there is engagement inside a story it picks it up and the story has a chance to climb the ranks.  There are a few other factors but I'll go over what I have learned in chapters geared toward the writers.

Voting

It's okay to be a silent reader and just enjoy the stories, but it's not always best for the writer.  Some people see a huge gap between reads and votes and determine the quality of the story by those two numbers.  This can be somewhat unfair to romance writers who have mature scenes, readers are more likely to be quiet and not interact.  The only people that see your vote are you and the writer.  Since the newsfeed is gone it won't show up anywhere else for other users to see.  You're just adding another vote to help the writer out a little.

You should never vote on a story you don't like, but if you're going to read the entire thing why not?  There must be a reason you didn't abandon the book so why not vote?  You can vote for each chapter and determine your vote on whether or not you liked the chapter, but be careful, just because you thought it was boring it may end up being a useful chapter in the end.   Voting is literally just tapping the star at the bottom of the page and doesn't take much effort from the reader.  Just think about the effort and time the writer put into the chapter for your enjoyment and you'll see the vote was an easy thing to do. 

Commenting

Right now we are going to go over interaction.  Please keep in mind this is about community, not just feedback.  If a line in a story made you laugh then comment and let the writer know you enjoyed that line.  It helps the writer with the algorithm each time a reader comments.  It could even just be an emoji or one word, but it helps.  If you can comment on every chapter you've paid the writer in full.  It does amazing things for us and it helps build the writer's community and confidence.  Go on and have a full conversation with another reader, make friends, and communicate with the writer.  We love it and I can tell you the first thing I do in the morning before I even get out of bed is look for comments in my story.  Encouraging words is what keeps us going.  You may even find other great stories a little easier as you build a following of your own and follow others.

Following

Following is a great tool for the reader.  You'll be updated when your favorite writer posts chapters and new stories and you may even see an opportunity to meet other readers.  Some people complain because they don't like announcements that have nothing to do with books or upcoming events, but this is a social media platform and people should be able to interact as they see fit. 

Sharing

If you stumble upon a story or a writer that amazes you, tell your followers.  Help guide your community to their work.  You can also share books out into your other social media platforms if you think your friends might enjoy the story. 

Create reading lists, but be careful how you title the list.  It's not just seen by you but anyone that visits your profile.  The writer also gets a notification and the title of your reading list is given to them.

All of the above things mentioned are great ways to show your appreciation to a writer who may have dedicated years to one story.  As I said, it's okay to be a silent reader, but maybe just put yourself in the writer's shoes for a moment and ask yourself if it's really all that fair.  You just enjoyed their book for free and it's important to encourage writers as much as possible. I don't mind silent readers, but some writers take it as readers that don't think their work was worth the time. 

When you're finished reading a story visit the writer's profile and see if they have more work available to you.  You might be surprised how many they have completed, I have written over 40 and at the moment I have over 35 completed stories on my profile.  You should also keep in mind the writer may have grown a lot with time and their most current work is amazing.  Just don't give up on them after just one story.

Some works are left unfinished and there are lots of reasons why, but sure if there was more positivity maybe we would stumble on less incomplete works.