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[YADS] Avalon Novels

alvin123

Author of Hell to Pay (Blood for S)
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http://www.avalonnovel.com/novel/pc/index.jsp

It's just like Radish Fiction from what I see.
Recently, the site administrator sent me a message on Penana. He said absolutely loved a recently posted work and invited me to the site. Said he was giving VIP mode. (Apparently it's when you write and upon cashing out your coins, you don't pay the 30%). When something appears to be too good to be true, I get skeptical. I accepted the invite though, reading his messages carefully. Nothing about me paying: +. Nothing about asking for money from me: +. Because I refuse to pay any vanity services haha. (I've been a member here for a long time xD. I know better). Don't have the money to waste on any scam whatsoever.

-He said it's still in Beta and wanted me to join others in testing the site.

However, the only things that bother me are:
1. No https? Even my personal website, made from wix's engine, is secured...
2. Grammar errors found in the FAQS. (Maybe it's my browser. Someone check for me). http://www.avalonnovel.com/novel/pc/faq.jsp It bothers me too much, sorry. This is what made me hit the X button and then submit an application to Radish a few hours ago. (Though I'm iffy on the model. I need to see for myself.)
3. Why is the reading platform is mobile only?
4. No forum? No comments system? What if I make a mistake? Readers should have easy access to leave comments to help improve the platform. The one in IOS and Google Play won't do.


Overall, should users Run Away or give it a good if they're up to it? I'm not trying to ruin a website's reputation; however, I must bring it up to Absolute Write and get it in the achieves. One day someone may Google if this is legit. Absolute Write posts always help me out in this regard.
 
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VeryBigBeard

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Without digging too deep, this looks like YADS even if there's a kinda nominal payment system. Basically Wattpad but without the established audience, which renders the payment system a bit irrelevant. My guess on its chances of competing with Wattpad would be somewhere between 'non-existent' and 'not good'. Wattpad runs on ads. I get the feeling Avalon Novels is running on hope, possibly of more than one kind.

The whole site is a bit odd, to be honest. It just looks very sloppily put together. Even the "Terms Conditions" (as the company puts it) look generic and are riddled with errors. I'm not a lawyer and can't really parse them, but there's not even an obvious license grant to make it clear Avalon Novels is allowed to actually publish the work without being in violation of the copyright they assure you you own.

As with Wattpad or any YADS, the danger is you burn your first rights. The thing is posted. Some of its potential audience has seen it. You're burning your most valuable rights hoping someone sees enough potential in it to buy your less valuable rights and market it better. There have been some sporadic success stories with Wattpad and other fiction communities, but they're the exception to the norm and dependent on those sites being far, far more widely used than a badly-executed and possibly under-capitalized start-up is likely to be.