While I'm not deleting my original series, (I'm actually still continuing it) I have started uploading a remastered version of my comic, with a new name, for the contest.
So far I've got 180 subs after 4 episodes, which means that even if all of them came from my original series (with 8700 subs), that would mean only ~2% have come over.
That understandable, as most readers aren't going to sub just to re-read what they've already seen, even if I have made it a bit better.
I will say though that, proportionately, I'm getting a MUCH higher level of reader engagement on the new series, with an average of 30% of my subscribers liking each episode, as opposed to the usual <1% I get on my existing one.
At just one month in, my contest entry's sub count is 2% my existing one, but pulled in 15% of its amount of views.
Heck, I even got more comments on the first episode of my reboot than I've got on ANY of my existing ones. And my new one has a higher rating as well.
Plus, I appear to be getting new subscribers coming in steadily, something which has been moving in reverse for me for months and month now, and even with the HUGE disparity in sub counts, the two webtoons are very close to each other on the popularity rankings for their genres.
So all in all, while I have no illusions of winning any money or contract deals, entering the contest has been a very positive experience for me, and I'm excited to see how the two series will compare when they finally catch up to each other later in the year, at which point I've have a real decision to make.