Swoon Reads Review

Swoon Reads

This is not a social site for writers.  This website was originally designed by Macmillan (with Fiewel & Friends) to enable readers to highlight the YA Romance novels they should publish, however,  they've now opened their site to all YA genres.

Feedback:  I originally posted my novel Drift to the site in January 2014.  It didn't make it to the short list but those that read it left some positive and insightful comments.  These readers were people who love YA fiction and I found they feedback invaluable in my future edits.  I also could see how far I kept them reading into my novel.

Reading:  You can influence what stories will get published by voting (ratings from 1 to 5).  The stories with the most love hearts will be picked up the by publishers for consideration.

Publishing deal:  You can only submit your manuscript for consideration if it has not been published for sale elsewhere.  Visit their website for the full details but here is the summary of the deal:

"If your manuscript is chosen for publication, we will offer you a $10,000 advance against royalties in a standard Macmillan publishing contract for all rights in all languages, including an option on your next young adult or new adult book."

Pros:

• Feedback from YA fiction readers
• Chance to get published

Cons:

• You can't edit your manuscript once submitted (make sure it is fully edited before submitting).  The site is really for querying MacMillan but the process is more insightful than the old fashion query method where unless you hear back you haven't a clue how well your manuscript was received.
• Not for work published for sale elsewhere

I have continued to edit Drift so there is a change that I could submit the manuscript to Swoon Reads again. 

Link:  https://swoonreads.com/

WeBook Review

WeBook

Once upon a time, this was the best writing site.  It is probably nostalgia that has kept it on my list.

I love this site because it was the first site where I posted my writing online and met some lovely readers.  It feels like an old friend and I loyally can't abandon it completely. 

RIP:  Sadly, the website traffic has waned over the years and it seems to be dead accept for the monthly competitions.  I think the issue is that they have not bothered to update the site in over 5 years. 

App:  No, this is the major let down.  Mainly, the promised app has never come into fruition and the website is not mobile friendly. 

PageToFame:  I haven't used this feature in a long while.  Writers could submit pages from their novel.  Readers would rate them (1 to 5) if they felt it ought to be published.  Readers got awarded badges if they had a good eye for a good story.  You had to pass rounds and each round you were able to submit slightly more text.  Winners would be considered by a publisher.

AgentInTheBox:  This was a fantastic feature.  At one point you had to pay to use it but it has been free for a long time now.  You searched their directory for agents currently seeking manuscripts that match yours.  Then you could send them a query. The facility kept track of what you had sent and their response.  This feature also helped you manage your files so you could send to meet their requirements very easily. It made the process so easy!  I actually did get a request for my full manuscript from one agent, thanks to this service.   

Badges:  I can't lie, the geek girl in me loved getting rewarded with badges for writing reviews and posting stories.  You got badges for your participation but writers could reward their readers with badges depending on the sort of comment left i.e. Motivating, Constructive, etc.

Pros:

• Connect with agents
• Enter competitions
• Badges

Cons:

• Low activity
• No apps (the website is awful on a mobile

I think I will add a book to let my friends know where I have gone should they return to find me.

Link:  http://www.webook.com/

Movella Review

Movella

I ranked this number 3 in my favourite sites for writing.  It was designed for mobile use and they certainly have achieved that with the highest number of supporting apps for their website (unless you are a Windows user). 

This site appears to be aimed at teenagers, so you will find a lot of fan fiction!

Blog:  This is a great idea.  You can blog on Movella.  This sounds like an excellent way to keep in touch with your readers but also to give reviewers a louder voice.

Community:  My first attempt at this site I met a very self involved guy who very critical of everything I wrote and not in a constructive way.  He was bossing me about on what I had do - instead I was just put right off.  I don't like pretentious people. 

However, I doubt he represents the rest of the community and I'm hopefully he has moved on.  I've headed back to give the site a second chance and meet some nice people.

Writing:  I don't find this the most user friendly site for creating or updating your stories.  There is a limited number of covers so you really need to make your own.  You can add a YouTube video at the start. Writing the chapters feels very much like a forum post.

App:  It has a lot of apps.  The main one enables you to read on the go and apparently update your writing (but I can't figure out how).  However, I find the app tricky to navigate like the site but maybe if I used it more I'd get used to it.  You can also get apps specific to your tastes like poety or OneDirection fan fiction - if that's your thing. 

Pros:

• Blog
• Competitions
• Mumbles - a global status update
• Easy to share on various social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pintrest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, etc)
• Lots of apps (iOS, Android)
• Very active

Cons:

• Juvenile users (I'm giving it another try and hope this has changed)
• Limited choice of covers
• Unattractive interface for writers
• No Windows app

Figment Review

Figment

I gave this site second place. 

This site deserves more of my attention but for some reason I have never really gotten into it, although that could change for 2017!  It is aimed at teens and young adults  so you can't really post your stories here if it contains adult content.

Writing:  I think this is where Figment loses me.  The site is very user friendly but when you want to post a story the first section "Content" always throws me - is it the blurb, the first chapter... to me, it's not clear. 

Covers:  The choice of available covers are very dull and uninspiring.  However, you can upload your own cover.  As their selection was so boring, I found myself going off to work on a cover before I could even get started.

Badges:  OMG!  If I knew about badges I would have been on here ages ago.  I'm so excited!  This is why I want to give Figment another chances.  When I played City of Heroes, collecting the badges became one of the most rewarding elements of the game (almost as exciting as being a superhero  with super powers).  You get badges for writing, reading, socialising - you know once you start, you have to collect them all!

App:  No, there isn't an app for this site but they claim they are working on one.  However, the website has been adapted for mobile use, just visit m.figment.com

Pros:

• Badges
• Easy to update stories
• Social media
• Easy to read stories and add to your library
• Very active
• Reach YA target audience

Cons

• No app
• Limited cover choices
• Not suitable if your target audience is adults.

Link:  http://figment.com/

Surface Pro 4

For Christmas, my husband brought me a Surface Pro 4. 

I've been wishing for a Microsoft Surface laptop since they first came out but thought I'd never afford one.  You can imagine how happy I am.

 

I am smitten with my pro. I love how versatile it is.  I love the pen and it is a real novelty to be able to handwrite and see it turn to text.  The keyboard is very comfortable and responsive.  I love how there is a USB slot big enough for my Kingston 3.0 memory stick (which holds all my photos and storage).  I enjoy being able to switch between using it as a laptop or as a tablet. 

The only downside is that MS Office doesn't come with the laptop - I only have a one month free trial, then I need to either buy a subscription or a year of the product.  As Word is the main program I use for my writing this is annoying. The Cloud version doesn't have all the features of the full version that I am familiar with.

I tried searching the MS Store for Writing apps and was disappointed by the lack of options.  I also tried searching for free games and couldn't find anything that took my fancy.  If anything impresses me, I'll blog it.

For productivity it is a gorgeous laptop.  It does everything I could wish.  Perhaps, the lack of distraction will be a blessing in disguise for my writing.  Let's see how many novels are written by Christmas 2017. 

Wattpad Review

Wattpad
This site has won me over - it is my top recommendation for social writing site for writers/readers.

Throughout 2016, this has become my favourite writing website.   It is a breeze to navigate on the site and on the apps.  This site has now become the first place I go to write - before even my Word Processor!

Social:  The community are easy to communicate with.  There is a forum and private message facility but most of my interactions have been on Writers/Readers personal page.

Feedback:  Commenting on writing is easy.  If you have the app (iOS/Android/Windows) then you can comment inline whilst reading.  You can also share to social media like Twitter of Facebook and can quote part of the story.

Readers:  People who like your writing can comment, vote, add your story to their  reading list, share on social media and even follow you.  When you post on your personal page you can tick a box to notify your followers, this enables you to send them updates such as what stories you are working on and when they can expect updates.

App:  Not only is their an app to make using the site on the go easy, there is also a second app for creating covers (iOS/Android).  The free images are pretty good, I've managed to find something relevant for all of my stories.  This is great when you just want to get on with posting you writing.  Often, when I have more time, I will create another cover without using the app. 

Multimedia:  You can add videos and images to your chapter title and within your chapter.  I've really enjoyed being able to create a playlist for my readers and to add images.  In addition, you can create a cast list for your characters - I've not tried this but it can really help readers see how you envision your characters looking.  Some people create trailers for their story!

Writing:  This is the most important part really.  I've found the site very straight forward to create a story and to update it with chapters.  Editing is easy to do but if you make lots of saves in a short space of time it can confuse the server as to which version to show.

Pros:

• Mobile app (Android/iOS/Windows)
• Cover creator app (Android/iOS)
• Easy to share with social media
• Reading lists
• Followers
• Revision recovery
• Multi media stories - add video, pictures and/or a cast to stories
• Very active
• User friendly interface

Cons:

• Need a good internet connection
• No cover app for Windows
• Competitions seem to all be for USA residents only

Customer Service:  I've had issues editing my stories, where it doesn't save the changes.  I emailed this support team (who were great) and they explained that if you save often and have a slow internet connection, it can revert to an older version but not to worry.  The correct version can be recovered from the revisions history.  This was a little annoying but since updating my broadband provider, everything had been much better.  Being able to restore old version is an excellent feature, I don't know about you but I have deleted stuff that I wish I hadn't and this feature means it is never permanently gone.

Link:  https://www.wattpad.com/home

Great Sites for Writers

Have you set yourself any writing goals for 2017?

My goals include posting my writing online on a regular basis.  I'm hoping that posting regular will gain me the attention of some loyal readers who will give me the feedback I need to improve my novel further. 

As a result, I'm considering my options.  Here are the sites I shall be reviewing.  They are listed in the order I have ranked them:

1. Wattpad:  https://www.wattpad.com/home
2. Figment:  http://figment.com/
3. Movella:  http://www.movellas.com/
4. WeBook:  http://www.webook.com/
5. Swoon Reads:  https://swoonreads.com/
6. Opuss:  http://opuss.com/home/
7. Sribophile:  http://www.scribophile.com

None or these sites require you to pay a fee to use.  However, some have a fee for certain features (i.e. WeBook and Scribophile).

Swoon Reads isn't actually a social site for writers but when I come to write my review you will understand why it is listed. 

One day, I'd love to create my own writing site. I'd take all my favourite bits from these sites add them together with some of my own ideas and make a site everyone can enjoy.  I'm so pleased these sites are out there but I can see so many opportunities to take the concept further.  If only I had the know how... 

As for the full review of the above listed sites... I plan to post one each day.  Let me know your favourite writing sites - Do you enjoy the above or have I missed any.  I'm also happy to discover new ones.