I'm not a creeper, I swear...

In the world of writing, I encounter something new almost every single day. A new suggestion, post, blog, website, app, reader, writer, the list goes on and on. 
        Recently, I've discovered wattpad.
        I couldn't believe it! The lists of books, the amount of writers, the ease of access to just pick up your phone, tablet, or laptop and start writing. I wondered why I never heard of it before.
So, to grow my readership, I decided to start following other writers and take advice directly from wattpad:

• Follow other writers and read their work. Get an idea of what they like, and tell them what you like about their work. The more of a presence you have on Wattpad the more likely they are to check your work out. 
• Acknowledge follows. When someone follows you, send them a quick message and let them know how much you appreciate it.

        I gained some momentum and I started to follow all kinds of readers and writers, and some have followed back.
        But then, I started going to the pages of people I follow. About 90% of the writers I follow are between the ages of 12-18 (I then realized why I hadn't heard of this site before). I've entered a website where tweens (fan fiction), teens (middle/high school drama), and young adults (vampires, zombies, werewolves) rule. Don't get me wrong, some are great writers and they have a lot to offer. But I feel like an old man crashing a fun party. Not only that, going off of Wattpad's advice, I'm creating a presence. I'm engaging in conversations, telling other writers what I like about their work, etc.
        But, alas, most of them are children. The dilemma now is to stay on Wattpad and continue to grow a readership, or leave and avoid being considered a creeper.

• Pros: A lot of my work, published and in progress, is geared towards a young audience. The short stories I've posted on Wattpad are getting some interest from that age group. And since I've joined Wattpad, I've had an increase in website clicks, amazon views, and Facebook views.
• Cons: Old man creeper status.

In the meantime, I'll keep Wattpad going until I decided where to go. If the momentum is there, I'll keep it, otherwise I should leave the party.
        Because Wattpad is entirely free I've decided (for those of you who aren't 12 years old and don't have a wattpad account) to post the stories I'm posting there to my blog as well. This is so my adult readers can read some of my work and don't have to fall into the same creeper category as me.
        Thanks for reading, and as always, click the link below the cover if you're interested in picking up a copy of my book. 

It Runs at Night

5 Star Streak Broken

Reviews are tough. It takes a person with a desire to give feedback to take the time and review a product online. For many, this desire comes from one of two things: the product was amazing or the product was terrible. Then there are those reviewers whose desire is to reach people around the world and tell them the truth about the product, great, terrible, or mediocre. 

But reviews are tough. For me, they're tough because my book hasn't reached that many readers. I'm proud to say that I've reached 300 books sold, but in the grand scheme of things that isn't a lot. I'm not interested in making a profit. I'm interested in knowing what people think of my product (I wish I could give my book for free but distribution doesn't make that possible). Is it great, bad, terrible, ok, meh? And 22 reviews gives me some good insight but there's a bit missing. 

For example, 2 reviews gave it 3 stars. Their biggest complaints were that the book is too short. Does this warrant a 3 instead of a 4 or 5? Or does it say, the book was good and ended too soon? I can't really tell from those 2 reviews. Some people like short and sweet. But do most? 

This isn't a way to get more reviews, rather a way of seeking help. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can expand my readership? I feel as though I've tried a few things, but not much is working. Sadly, I don't have a lot of time on my hands to dedicate on promotion, but there has to be some efficient ways of doing this that bring in results, right? Nonetheless, I think reviews are tough. What if I'm asking for reviews and, if I do get the bulk I want, I don't like what I hear? Oh the struggles of the self publishing world. On a positive note, I'll be putting up some works in progress on my blog soon. Maybe It Runs at Night won't be the only work I self publish...

As always, click the link below the image if you're interested in picking up a copy of the book. 

It Runs at Night