: Got a message from an Author Liaison representative representing Webnovel about the story I wrote. Any advice? I just published a story on fiction press, and although it only has 9 views, someone

@Murray831

Posted in: #Publishing

I just published a story on fiction press, and although it only has 9 views, someone from Author Liaison representing Webnovel sent me a PM through the site. Some googling showed that this seems to be a legit thing, but I know that I am not a very good writer. At all. Most of my stories get next to no attention, and only one has ever gotten feedback, and that one was not this one.
I did look through the message a few times and I think it might have been just a copy+paste thing or even a bot. the first thing that tipped me off is that he doesn't specify the story, even though I've only posted one. the second thing I see is that he says 'initial chapters', and I've only posted one so far. I haven't yet contacted him back, because I don't really want to mess this up if it ends up being something that could help me become a better writer.
So is this some practical joke or scam, or am I a better writer than I think I am? I'm kinda freakin out since I never expected anyone to really like my stories, so what should I do?

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@Holmes449

@Holmes449

I got this message just today on Wattpad. I'm not doing it.
First, I saw that the word 'offer' had been glitched out, which not only can change the meaning of the contract, it can also be used as a valid defense on their case if you decided to bring them to court on the fact that what they did went against the contract you signed.
Furthermore, the site holds a series of translated stories rather than original writings, and upon more research on the site, I've seen a series of stolen and plagiarized content from other fanfiction websites, primarily Wattpad, AO3, and Tumblr.
I decided to contact a different Wattpad author and ask if they had received a message similar to this, and when they confirmed it, I compared the messages and they were exactly the same, besides our usernames. This shows that the website, or this 'author liaison representative' did not, in fact, read my story or their story, which proves that they have no interest in the story itself; rather, they have interest in getting more content on their website, and taking content from Wattpad and other big fanfiction networks.
I'd advise you not to sign this contract, as you'll probably come to regret it.

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@Hamm6328258

@Hamm6328258

I take back what I said earlier xD
I've recently learned more about this thing. I actually achieved my goal of getting the contract offer myself, but I've decided to turn it down. I wouldn't do it if I were you. But at the very least do more research before diving in. Sorry for my initial misinformed answer.

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@Samaraweera193

@Samaraweera193

My Google search calls this a scam.
At the very least, it's a form letter, not one personalized to you. That means they are straight-up lying when they say they read your work and found merit in it, which is a huge alarm bell. If they are dishonest about that, what else might they be deceptive about? I wouldn't see any advantage to you in moving forward with this.
If you're interested in getting feedback and improving as a writer, I'd recommend Scribophile or a similar critique-focused writers' site, or --after the pandemic --connecting in person with a local writer's group.

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