THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS

[knittedturtle]

Hello everyone, How are u doing :)
This is my first post and I am a bit insecure about the whole topic too, so bear with me.

I came here asking for advice as an amateur author. A while ago my life has been hella hectic with everything going the wrong way (Still is), so I have decided to try to achieve one of my many dreams of writing a novel.

Both of my novels are not really that bad and some people enjoy reading them, but still the heavy workload of my job in real-life and also writing has been eating at me slowly. just for you to know the whole picture the work environment in my country is shitty as hell, and I make barely 100$ a month.

But suddenly a lifeline appeared. Webnovel has contacted me to sign a contract for one of my novels. I can say I did some research on it. There were a lot of holes in the contract that didn't make sense to me. For example, they talked about leave of absence but never really clarified more about it. It also said you will have to post a certain amount of words per chapter daily for 12 calendar months. Not only that, I have read some reviews from authors who did get a contract and went with it and it was mixed some said they were properly getting paid the amount they were said they would while others stated it was the best thing to ever happen. It's also based on how many people read your chapters since it's a pay-to-read chapter site (At least that's what the contract said).

People warned me that Webnovel has a bit of a shady reputation when it comes to contracts. They mentioned something about Webnovel potentially taking away the rights to my novel and preventing me from continuing to post it elsewhere or even gaining anything from future works based on the novel like mangas or anything like that.

However, I thought of another idea. How about posting the chapters exclusively on my Patreon with a minuscule amount of money as a monthly subscription instead of making people pay a lot of money just to unlock the chapters on Webnovel. This way, I won't have to sign any shady contracts or make the novels exclusive to only WebNovel but also I will be able to earn some money to lessen the workload, work fewer days and write more in the future.

But I am afraid that I might lose all the readers, followers and earn nothing. And the love, time, and work I have put into my novels until now will be for naught

So, here I am. Seeking advice from you, fellow authors and readers, what should I do?

 

[SailusGebel]

Don't sign the contract.

 

[Temple]

1. Don't do anything related to Webnovels.

but still the heavy workload of my job in real-life and also writing has been eating at me slowly

You'll grow to hate writing if it becomes borderline slave labor via webnovel contract. Just offer part of your life to the gods of capitalism. Please keep a part of yourself to you.

2. Most people don't earn on Patreon. You have to plan it very well to up your chances of earning on Patreon. More importantly (though this isn't important if your goal is earning), there are only certain stories that will earn. Very few people can write what they want that's not meta (the usual tropes) while still earning. What I'm saying is, don't compromise what you want to write vs. writing differently to earn. This goes back to no. 1 on what to offer the gods of capitalism.

 

[Deleted member 113259]

How did you get Webnovel's attention? This gives me an idea for selling out...

 

[Corty]

Webnovel contracts are sweatshop, slave-contracts.

Also, the moment you sign it, you hand over your IP in its entirety. It will no longer be your story, they can adapt it in any way shape or form. Always read the fine text.

 

[ForestDweller]

Very few people can write what they want that's not meta (the usual tropes) while still earning.

I thought my story's pretty meta (isekai harem) but I only got less than 100 bucks every month.

 

[Temple]

I thought my story's pretty meta (isekai harem) but I only got less than 100 bucks every month.

You're already lucky at that. Thousands write meta, but only very few earn anything. Fewer even reach a hundred bucks a month.

 

[Sabruness]

just say no to webnovel. if you absolutely have to pick one of the two, patreon is the less odious one.

 

[knittedturtle]

How did you get Webnovel's attention? This gives me an idea for selling out...

I didn't do anything specifically, I just wrote my novel and released chapters as frequently as I can, and they contacted me after the novel had about 20k views there

 

[Deleted member 113259]

I didn't do anything specifically, I just wrote my novel and released the chapters on a good basis and they contacted me after the novel had about 20k views there

so contact info is something that needs to be considered, eh?

 

[knittedturtle]

1. Don't do anything related to Webnovels.

You'll grow to hate writing if it becomes borderline slave labor via webnovel contract. Just offer part of your life to the gods of capitalism. Please keep a part of yourself to you.

2. Most people don't earn on Patreon. You have to plan it very well to up your chances of earning on Patreon. More importantly (though this isn't important if your goal is earning), there are only certain stories that will earn. Very few people can write what they want that's not meta (the usual tropes) while still earning. What I'm saying is, don't compromise what you want to write vs. writing differently to earn. This goes back to no. 1 on what to offer the gods of capitalism.

so contact info is something that needs to be considered, eh?

No, you will be contacted on you email address that you created your account with and will also receive an alert when you log in on webnovel.
also in Inkstone, next to your story, It will say ready to sign and sign a contract.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

*Leaping out of the internet in slow motion*

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo...............

 

[knittedturtle]

1. Don't do anything related to Webnovels.

You'll grow to hate writing if it becomes borderline slave labor via webnovel contract. Just offer part of your life to the gods of capitalism. Please keep a part of yourself to you.

2. Most people don't earn on Patreon. You have to plan it very well to up your chances of earning on Patreon. More importantly (though this isn't important if your goal is earning), there are only certain stories that will earn. Very few people can write what they want that's not meta (the usual tropes) while still earning. What I'm saying is, don't compromise what you want to write vs. writing differently to earn. This goes back to no. 1 on what to offer the gods of capitalism.

just say no to webnovel. if you absolutely have to pick one of the two, patreon is the less odious one.

Don't sign the contract.

I see many people talking on Webnovel forums about how exaggerated is the amount they have to pay to unlock each chapter. So, I was thinking something like a 5$ monthly subscription on my Patreon to access all the chapters will be nothing. On one side, it will make my situation a lot better and I will avoid signing any contracts with Webnovel, and on the other side, they won't have to pay much.

 

[Temple]

So, I was thinking something like a 5$ monthly subscription on my Patreon to access all the chapters will be nothing.

$5 is the normal tier for webnovels on Patreon. It's another question if you'll have patrons. If you want to earn money, then treat it like you're planning a business. Like what do people like? What will set you apart while still giving the same thing that people want? Promotions, marketing yourself, etc. You'll probably need to be on RR for that.

 

[Rhaps]

I have a saying:

Webnovel is the devil
Royal Road is paved with toxin
Honeyfeed is sweet
Wattpad is Wattpad
Scribblehub is a Smut Hub

Out of all the web novel websites, DO NOT CHOOSE Webnovel.

 

[Redemit]

Do you like having your soul?

 

[knittedturtle]

I have a saying:

Webnovel is the devil
Royal Road is paved with toxin
Honeyfeed is sweet
Wattpad is Wattpad
Scribblehub is a Smut Hub

Out of all the web novel websites, DO NOT CHOOSE Webnovel.

Word of wisdom indeed

Do you like having your soul?

I am so close to losing it anyway, if I keep going like that. That's why I am asking for the lesser of two evils

 

[Simo]

If you plan on going for Patreon, it would best for you to expand where you post your story. Here, RR, and even Webnovel. At least that’s what I did. Stil to a schedule, for example, continue uploading chapters daily until you grow a somewhat significant following before you lower it to let’s say 4 chapters per week, while on Patreon you offer chapters in advance, maybe do dailies on that.

Again, this is just what I did, so it might not necessarily work for you, but it’s worth the try. What really helped me gain followers and Patrons are the “Rising stars” on RR and the front page of SH. After that, just stay consistent, and good luck!

 

[Lloyd]

Self publish on Amazon

 

[J_Chemist]

Adding my chips to the "Do not sign that thing" pile.