User:Brookemunday/sandbox

'People Powered Publishing' is a term used to refer to the shift from traditional publishing methods towards a more consumer-driven market. With the rise of social media and the increased interconnectivity of the internet, the need for authors to self-promote became increasingly important to the success of their work. It became common practice for new authors to build readerships before their work would be accepted by a publisher. At first this came primarily in the form of blogs and personal websites, however as demand grew, websites like Wattpad and Fictionpress were created to support these writers.

Dubbed 'Youtube for writers', these platforms allow people to produce and share written content with millions of people around the world. Some of these website's functions include: free access to a word processing program, the ability to save and upload drafts for future work, sharing content with the internet, commenting and voting on content, subscriptions to a user's favourite content providers, and messaging services. Additionally they provide exposure to publishing professionals and allow agents and publishers alike to 'scout' for potential authors. Unsurprisingly, users whose work gains the largest following is the most likely to be picked up by these publishers. However exceptions are common.