Noob starting to freak at the prospect of posting debut novel here!

[indysyew]

Remember when ignorance was bliss?? The more I read about others' experiences, the more I'm beginning to wonder if I'm about to make a giant mistake if I do go ahead and start posting up my debut novel So as I get into some serious deep breathing I'll aim to seize back a sense of control by following the tried-and-tested technique of asking a concrete question - Whose timezone are people referring to when they advise you should post at 5pm (or whatever)? thank you

[Kelheor]

I believe they refer to PST.
Don't worry though, there's actually no "wrong" time, it's just more or less "advantageous" time since it could hit time zones for both America and Europe, but it's not the only right time to post.

[indysyew]

Thanks. Has there ever been research I wonder where in the world Tapas readers are based?

[apexdraws]

Congrats on finishing your novel!

Just to make sure though: Are you planning on getting it professionally published? From what I've heard publishers normally won't touch something that's been posted online.

But if not, I say go for it

As for Tapas traffic, the majority (~37%) of readers are from the US according to Similarweb.

[kmlangleyauthor]

I wouldn’t worry about when everyone else says to post. Try scheduling for different times over the course of a week or two and see what works best for you and your schedule and readers everyone is going to have an opinion of what works best, but if it doesn’t work for you, then it’s not the best option for you. There’s a little bit of a learning curve the first couple days of posting, but you’ll get into a rhythm quickly best of luck!

[drcharlotterodricks]

I post at 12.30pm IST....But maximum of my readers are online after 6pm IST all the way till 3am IST. Hope this helps

[indysyew]

Thanks, it's been a long if not painful gestation Frankly I've been unimpressed with trad. publishing (moves at snail's pace; agents saying they'll do something then needing chasing - happened with three of them now) plus from what I can gather the industry seems to have been Covid-ed for the forseeable. But I have zero interest in marketing puffery required for the likes of Amazon, or dealing with Tax Office red tape ... all of which has led me to the likes of Wattpad & Tapas with a view to just giving the thing away and getting on with my life !

[indysyew]

Good advice, thank you for the ideas

[indysyew]

It does - or rather it did when I checked where IST was! - but I get the point, thanks

[elisabeth_ist]

Seconding this. If you're even considering getting it traditionally published, I'd recommend going the agent/query route first. Then, if you haven't had any luck and still want readers, Tapas is a great alternative.

(Do remember, though, that if you write another book and get that one traditionally published, your agent/editor may ask you whether you have anything else on hand. It's a long shot, but it does happen on occasion.)

[indysyew]

Thanks Elisabeth the ist ! Can I just ask for clarification quite what you meant with your ref. to having something else on hand?

if you write another book and get that one traditionally published, your agent/editor may ask you whether you have anything else on hand. It's a long shot ...

[Mobby]

remember to write a good amount of chapters before you start posting so you have a buffer Zone if you get sick or something and so readers can pay to get chapters early

[elisabeth_ist]

Sure. Basically, if you publish another, unrelated novel, sometimes agents will ask if you've written anything else that they might be able to pitch to editors. That's when you could potentially pull out any old novels that you liked but weren't able to sell. However, this doesn't always happen, and there's no telling whether your agent or editor will like your old work enough to want to publish it, too. It's mostly just something to keep in mind in terms of old work, re: whether you want to post it online or not.

[indysyew]

I had heard this applies only if you've ever sold the work before, rather than it merely appearing somewhere online for free? Though I appreciate different 'rules' may apply for traditional publishing, different comps etc.

[elisabeth_ist]

I think it depends on the agent, the editor, and the publisher!