The Sea Glass Awards [Complete | On Break]

🐚 Tips and Tricks

So ... you've got a complete short story on your hands, maybe even a collection.

Now what?

We're here to supply you with some tips and tricks to gain exposure for your short story on Wattpad. This doesn't guarantee being featured or gaining reads, but you never know how far you'll go unless you take the steps to get there!

Tip #1: Apply to Wattpad Reading List and Community Profiles

There are many ambassador-run profiles out there and quite a few are dedicated to short stories! You can also find a few communities (like ours, hehe) that feature selected works in monthly lists.
The first step is to click on the profile and make sure your content is well-edited and fits their niche. You wouldn't want to submit a romance story to a horror profile!
Next, you'll want to look at the guidelines that can be found in the profile guide of the account as well as the reading list chapter to figure out which one fits your story best. 
After that, get on that google form and fill it out to the best of your ability! We believe in you!

To help you out, we've compiled a short list of profiles that are great choices for short story applications (if we don't include some genre profiles, they may not have a reading list for short stories or we didn't know about it!):

WattpadShortStory (Need I say more? Reading lists are genre specific)

CoffeeCommunity (A chill profile for short stories and poetry. Reading lists are unique based on content and whether your short story is single chapter, multiple chapter, or a collection)

Fantasy (For the fantastical stories! The reading list specific to short stories is titled 'Quick Reads')

adventure (For the adventurous ones! The reading list specific to short stories under 5k words is titled 'Short Trails')

DystopianApocalypse (Future world in shambles? Check. The reading list specific to short stories/collections is titled ... wait for it ... 'DystopianApocalypse: Shorts and Collections' :)

StoriesUndiscovered (The reading list specific to short stories is 'Lunch Hour Shorts')

KirukkanGuild (Yes, that's us! A community profile with a monthly featured list. Apply in our profile guide ;)

WackyWriters (A community profile with two monthly lists that are refreshed each month)

newlywrittenbooks (Submissions must have less than 5k reads. The reading list specific to short stories is titled 'Big Ideas | Short Stories/Imagines/One Shots')

*dusts hands off* That's a nice-looking list, if I do say so myself. Onto Tip #2!

Tip #2: Enter Other Awards

Most awards will have a category for short stories! This is a great place to ... sometimes get feedback? Awards can be really hit or miss depending on who runs them, but all it takes is five minutes of your time, a shout out on your message board, a couple of follows, selling your sou--wait what?! Maybe riskier than we initially thought, but you may find a new reader or even--dare I say it? Win the award! :D

Tip #3: Review Shops

This is not for the faint of heart. I repeat: not for the faint of heart!
There are some generous souls on Wattpad who will review your story ... though sometimes they're dragons in disguise and will flame you instead. 
For a mere fee, they'll give you criticism that is (hopefully) constructive which will provide ammunition for any editing you wish to do. At the very least, you get reads! Yay!
I would recommend our community review shop but uh- *looks at my pile* I am currently going at snail pace and we're closed for catch up xD
Feel free to drop recommendations in the comments!

Tip #4: Book Clubs

This tip works better if you have a collection rather than a single short story. Book clubs are like structured read for reads and I adore them. 90% of my Wattpad friends are book club friends, so if you have the time to commit, then I highly recommend DreamlandCommunity's in particular. Meet new people and get your works out there!

Tip #5: Discord

Warning: Highly Addictive
So you know those things called the Wattpad forums? Yeah, I never knew about those until they were dead because I'm a toddler in Wattpad age.
What I do know about is Discord. Specifically, Discord servers dedicated to the Wattpad crowd. KG's server is linked in our bio. My other favorite is the Dreamland discord. It's a fantastic platform to connect with other writers, text in real time, exchange writing advice and knowledge, and have fun!

Those are all the tips! We hope these will help you and your short stories flourish. All the best in your writing journeys!