Just to give you an example, The Boyfriend App version uploaded on Wattpad is 45K words. At the publisher's when I was being scouted, the General Manager told me they only publish works of at least an 80K word count. Basically, I had to come up with almost twice the story in a timeframe of 2 weeks. (Gasp!)

I did my best, but gave up at 60K because I just couldn't anymore (LOL) without stretching the story too far and making the pacing feel forced. Fortunately, it turned out 60K was a good compromise in traditional publishing.

This is why I told you it's better to have a good feel of your story's pacing and organic size. You wouldn't want your story to turn out stunted. You might be trimming it here and there like a bonsai for Wattpad micro-publication but, in fact, it was meant to spread its branches wide. Sure, you can synthesize and edit the whole thing once it's finished or if it has been scouted for publication, but, as my personal experience shows, you'd be lucky if the initial mold didn't affect crucial contours of your story.

Why was The Boyfriend App at 45K words only? To answer this, you need to understand how my views as an indie author were changing about word count. Take a look at my indie-publication history before I wrote The Boyfriend App:

Soul City = 53K 

Zombie Arc = 36K 

Elemental Ninjas = 59K

Elemental Ninjas 2: Lineage = 62K 

Dreamscape Beta = 26K 

As you can see, I tried to stick to the 50K mark. There was a significant difference between the first 4 books and my sci-fi story Dreamscape Beta. This is because, although I extolled POD (Print On Demand) publishing in Chapter 4, this technology isn't really as forthcoming in my part of the world as it is in the US and EU.

I'm not sure about Japan, India and China because they have Amazon. And I imagine Singapore has its own KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) Print. Two years ago, it was said that Amazon and Alibaba Group Holding were set to have a showdown in Southeast Asia, the last frontier for e-commerce. I don't know what the outcome of that square-off was but, suffice it to say, there are very different platforms, distributors and retailers on either hemisphere. Amazon isn't as omnipresent as you think. In our part of the world, there are completely different circumstances and different online shop names like Shopee and Lazada.

This is more food for thought for writers in the west because there are writers in Asia who don't really have the luxury of coordinated (1) printing presses, (2) shipping companies, and (3) online bookstores that cater specifically to indie publishers. In this regard, we envy writers in the EU, the US, the UK and Canada because their audiences are more or less connected by companies such as Amazon, Ingram, Espresso Book Machine etc. and authors can truly get to the market with speed and ease.

We blame the corrupt Customs at our airports and seaports. This is most likely the reason why few global e-commerce and shipping companies are brave enough to venture into our small corner of the world. Then again, there are parts of Southeast Asia were there's no electricity and running water so thank God for small mercies. Art and literature would have to take a back seat and, in fact, they do. They're luxury products that young artists are discouraged from creating, and that only a privileged few can appreciate.

Still, there are chinks of light in the dark tunnel of authors in Southeast Asia. Wattpad is one such platform that's constantly expanding its ecosystem and reaching out to more and more creators. In fact, my country, the Philippines, holds a dear place in Wattpad's heart because of the very warm reception of the Filipinos to the storytelling platform. Wattpad stories authored by Filipinos have been turned into TV dramas, movies and books. The latest in the long line of partnerships and collaborations is Bliss Books, my publisher, which also aims to bring great Wattpad reads into the light of publication.

Why don't you check them out here on Wattpad yourself? Just look for @blissbooksph, follow them and, if you're an aspiring writer in the Philippines, who knows? You might get discovered. If you're a Filipino reader, by all means stay updated through them on the latest high-quality reads. If you're a reader but you're looking for reads in English, I'd recommend previewing the books you plan to order because, for example, The Boyfriend App is written purely in English but other works are written in Taglish (the fusion language of local Tagalog and English).

Up Next: The Next J.K. Rowling

Stay Phenomenal!

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