Writer's Website Comparisons
I've created a comparison chart and lists of features of different online writing communities. Please feel free to share if I've missed anything.
Writer’s Cafe
Offers stats
Offers a wide variety of in depth, free courses
Has features to search for literary agents, publishers, and literary magazines. They also recommend several different self publishing services.
Critique Circle
Users are on a “trial” account with restrictions when they first join until a moderator approves their application.
Credit system earns points by critiquing.
Critique queues last a last before they switch (there are five types of public queues). Queues work by number of critiques, waiting length to get into a queue depends on number of critiques that week.
Premium members can create their own queues.
Newbies get special queue (newbie stories can only get six critiques, but other queues can have an unlimited amount), and can ask a moderator to evaluate their critiques. They also get a special page for a month.
More than one story in queues at a time will cost more credits.
Once a month, “hook” queue for story beginnings.
Receiver can evaluate a critique. Critiques receive an average of the evaluations of their critiques for every five critiques they give. They cannot see personal evaluations.
Must be logged in to see stories.
Different levels of story accessibility.
Accounts automatically deactivated if no login for six months.
Stories are removed if they are over a year old. They are archived and a specific file is sent to the author which can only be read by uploading it back to the site.
There are three types of critiques (Template, classic and inline) and critiques are autosaved.
Critiquers can send private critiques to the author.
Other critiques can only be read once it has been critiqued and archived.
Erotica and esplicit sex cannot be displayed publically.
Published or soon to be published stories cannot be posted.
Full manuscript critiques allow a manuscript to be downloaded, and an author can pay them credits for the help.
Activity ranking
Quality + quantity critiques can get a free pass (plus keep multiples) to have stories bumped up in queues. Premium members can buy free passes for 15 credits.
Allows printing
No age limit
Users can blog for CC
Premium members can create private forums, showcase their works outside of CC, and have access to a Novel System that allows them to string their submissions together.
Has a Notebook feature for planning (limited for basic members)
Displays for Manuscript Progress
Can connect to Amazon books
Outlining Workshop for characters (basic members allowed two, premium unlimited)
Mibba
Offers blogs and magazines
Tutorials on lots of different subjects
Special section for reviews and articles
Lots of forums
Figment
Merged with HarperCollin’s “Inkpop”- Now owned by RandomHouse
Mobile App
Has comments and reviews (although mostly comments)
“Hearts” another name for “votes”
“Early Access Codes” - Personal URL links to hand out to select readers
Offers badges for accomplishments
Story “reactions” (laugh, wow, and cry)
Can be used for educators in classrooms
Public and private groups
“Chats” with published writers, editors, and professionals
Offers polls and quizzes
Target market is more towards teens (posts a specific crisis hotline page), site is known for immature users and drama.
FictionPress
Sister site to “FanFiction.net”, offers only original, fiction works
Wide variety of genres, including poetry
No copy paste on stories
Beta readers allow for more in depth critiques
Communities for custom archives
Can change font style of site as well as language
Offers a mobile app
Booksie
“BooksieSilk” is the sister site for mature, adult content
User “portfolio” including a micro-blog/journal and a page for published works
Can upload audio recordings and podcasts
Books (previews of published works, 1 chapter) vs Novels (multiple chapters)
Scribophile
“Spotlight” is a list of works that are being featured. There are four types- Main, New, Good Critiquer, and Personal for premium members. Each spotlight has different rules and depends on number of long critiques.
After a work is featured in spotlights, it is only open for 30 days afterwards, then it is locked and cannot be critiqued any longer. Works can be unlocked for 5 karma points.
Features a “Karma” system that reflects works posted vs contribution to community/reactions to critiques.
Features reputation points for users
Groups
Premium members can include images in their works
Quotes are used in critiques in a specific manner, karma can be cheated by quoting wrongly
Features an Academy
“Writerfolio” (Portfolio for writers)
Protagonize
Dedicated to various forms of collaborative, interactive fiction
Features Addventure writing (RPG style)
Portfolio style author profiles
Offer collaborative works called “branches”
New postings can only be changed for 24 hours unless the original author allows it
Has a section for author notes
Can split chapters into a new work
Author Guidance allows original author to put in extra story information
Also allows solo works, which are not collaborative pieces
Allows for printing of projects
Authors who are reported for misbehavior are disqualified from top rankings if the matter is unresolved or found serious enough by a moderator. Also publicly broadcasted.
Special groups feature
Profanity filter
140 character minimum for story lengths
User and story Statistics
Editor Picks and Feature Author/Groups are for selected members to showcase their work based on quality, activity, and other factors.
Allows for recommendations.
Allows friending and subscriptions to favorite authors
Wattpad
Status updates
Broadcast messages to followers
Private and public messages
No friends (followers instead)
Ability to dedicate a chapter to another user
Votes per chapter (how much you liked the work)
Story comments have a WC limit of 2,000 characters
Story statistics
Stories feature:
Pictures, web links, and videos
Easy to share
Story ratings
Public vs. Private chapters
Strict about sharing your stories on the forums
Lots of forums/genres
Book clubs to meet new writers and get your work read and commented on
“Magazines” published by users
Can follow published authors
Read classic books and other non-copyrighted writings
Public and private libraries
Mobile app allows you to change the page color
“Kickstarter” (crowdfunding) for books/projects (complaints that its only for popular writers)
Experimenting with “extra” content as in paid bonus chapters after a story is completed.
Features awards and many publishing contests
Many popular stories have been published.
Inkitt
- No book covers, instead there are specific 1280x420 banners on the top without text.
- No ranking system
- Stories are "curated" every 24 hours by staff
- Features several basic forums in a post/comment style
- Profiles feature basic profile picture/banner
- Sleek, modern look
- Stories are read in full browser and feature a variety of reading adjustments including text size and page color
- Stories feature chapters, titles, a 200-character summery, and chapter titles
- Rating limit for children, teens, and adults
- A main genre and a subgenre
- Story statuses, and language option, and tags
- Stories can be entered into contests where they are voted on by members
- Reviews have no word limit and feature star ratings
- Users follow/friend other users by adding their stories to their reading lists
- Has a copy paste block
No Longer Exists: Hexbound (Now Valorpen), Authonomy, WriteOn
