This past year, I discovered a new form of Social Media from a very unexpected source – my thirty-something year old son. I was sharing the new story I was writing, Dust: Before and After, with him and told him about uploading a chapter to Wattpad. He asked me if I had heard of . I hadn’t, of course. With a little guidance, he navigated me through the process of uploading Dust to it and explained that anyone who wanted to write a story could write one and upload. It is very similar to Wattpad, but these are a little more hardcore in the type of genres they write. Still, I felt that Dust would fit in the niche, and I excitedly check each day to the growing number of views.
What I found exciting was down at the bottom, there is a number that kept changing. It was readers chatting about the different stories. These are readers who follow the stories as they unfold and talk about them. The number of views for some of them were unbelievable, showing that this type of writing attracts the younger readers in large numbers. Reading is not a dying art, but an evolving one, just as the younger generation of readers is changing the way and type of genre they want to read.
I’m amazed that there is little discussion about the array of sites out there that are available. Sites like Wattpad and Royalroad are just two examples that give readers of all ages a new way of communicating. They are eBooks written by both novice writers who have a story and want to tell it, too far more experienced authors.
I have stories up on both of these sites and what I’ve found is that most of the readers are pre-teen and teenagers and that they talk… about the stories they are reading… a lot! They discuss the characters, the settings, the plots, and the dialogue. They are passionate, avid readers, and very vocal about their reflection on the stories. But most of all, they are talking with other readers from around the world! This type of reading is growing fast and I believe will become even more popular as these readers one day branch out and become writers. The biggest thing I really like is they are taking the time to discuss what they’ve read and share it with others, much like a Book Club does. So, if you were to ask me if reading eBooks is the new Social Media for children and teens, I’d have to say yes, it is. It is a growing, international Book Club that authors need to sit up and take a look at. If anything, it will grow in popularity. All I can say is: Yay, for Social Media interaction about books! I hope they keep it up. About S. E. Smith S.E. Smith is a New York Times, USA TODAY, International, and Award-Winning Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.