Wattpad is a place where you can read, write, give critiques to other writers, and talk to other writers like you. Some people have gotten publishing deals because of Wattpad, but I'm not so sure about it. You can upload chapters of your book whether that be all or a little bit. Every book on there is free to read. That being said, will this wreck my chances of being published? If I post a book on there and then decide to trad publish it that is!
Will Wattpad Ruin my chances of getting published?
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If you post a book, or most of a book, on Wattpad, it's published. If you then decide to look for a trade publishing deal, you could have trouble finding agents or houses interested in already-published material, yes. It doesn't make trade publishing impossible, but it can have an impact.
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Unless your book builds up a large following there, then yes, you'll have used up your first publication rights and most trade publishers will not touch it.
Make sense, I have heard things such as wattpad having publishing rights on your book. it could be a myth, but I much rather be safe than sorry. INot to mention, some books have been edning up on third party sites :/ I'm going to take down my novel now(it only had an author note). I only post short stories and little excerpts on there for people to get a tase of my writing and for critiques. Is that okay as well. They are nothing I would publish and to help me keep up with writing. Thanks for all your help!
As long as the works you post to WattPad (or any other display site) are things you have no intention of publishing elsewhere, as they are or in a revised form, you're just fine. The biggest risk you face when you don't care about first publication rights is theft--but most thefts from display sites are simply displayed in other places without crediting the author (as opposed to being sold).
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I'm not clear from your posts if you actually had a novel you're hoping to query for trade publishing up and are taking it down, but if that's the case, if it was up, it was up and was published and you should disclose to agents that it was up on Wattpad. If it was for like, an hour or whatever, that's probably not a thing but...
I only had an author's note which explains copy right, etc and what's to come. I didn't even put up a chapter except that. It is something I might publish but we will see.
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It is not a matter of them specifically holding rights, but whether posting there is being "published", that is available to a general audience. By common standards, if your story comes up in Google, it is published.
Most publishers are not very interested in previously published work.
Most publishers are not very interested in previously published work.
I only had an author's note which explains copy right, etc and what's to come. I didn't even put up a chapter except that. It is something I might publish but we will see.
Update:Went ahead and published it. It's my first novel, I need to work on my writing, and I'll have other ideas to write! thanks so much for the help