@sanaawritess Hey, sweetie! I'm so sorry for the late reply. But things have been a little busy on my end, I hope you understand.
I understand what you meant about the collaboration now, and while I can't exactly commit to anything right at the moment, I'll keep it in mind for the future.
As for growing your story, I'll share whatever I learned so far. Firstly, take your time with your book's presentation. A good cover, title, and descriptive are the very first things a reader sees, so make sure they represent your story well. I'd also suggest spending some time creating good aesthetics, because when the readers are new and are not familiar or attached to the characters, the visuals help bridge the gap.
Before you start promoting your story, try posting a few chapters (around 4-5). If someone discovers your book, they should have enough content to understand your writing style, connect with the characters, and decide whether they want to continue reading. One or two chapters usually aren't enough for a readers to make this decision.
Also, I've found instagram to be more useful for Wattpad authors. Create an account dedicated to your story and start posting edits, reels, character aesthetics, and scenes that make people curious. Reels usually have more reach than posts. But you've to stay consistent. Don't get discouraged if your first few posts or reels don't get much reach, and try not to compare yourself with already established authors. Every author starts somewhere. I started from absolute zero too, and it took months of consistently writing and creating content to slowly build the small but lovely community I have now. I'm still not a huge author by any means, but I'm genuinely grateful for the readers who show up for my characters and wait for new chapters.
