Serialized Writing Platforms

Wattpad is by far the largest and most active of the communities on this list. Writers can post either fanfiction or original works, and readers react with inline comments and "likes" for each chapter. Wattpad does have a feature for paid stories, although generally speaking you must be a Wattpad Star to join and thus must already be established on Wattpad. That said, it is possible to feature a patreon on your profile. 

Unfortunately, the community has been unsettled after a massive data breach in Jan 2020 and the subsequent purge of the forums later in the year. Furthermore, many feel that the recent addition of premium subscriptions and paid books has changed the atmosphere of the platform. There has been some speculation that these changes mark the downfall of Wattpad as there is no longer any means of building a readership except for outside platforms such as discord groups or Reddit. That said, Wattpad remains the mammoth of this list and a bright and lively community.

For those interested, you can read more about Wattpad on the /r/Wattpad subreddit here.

Inkitt is a medium-sized platform that is perhaps best understood as a more serious version of Wattpad. Writers typically post original works (fanfiction is rarer), which readers can leave star ratings and reviews akin to GoodReads. Inkitt doubles as a reader-driven publishing house, so as a story gains popularity, Inkitt provides in-house publishing resources. Inkitt also has smaller but active writing forums and writing groups where writers can make friends and gain readership.

There are those on Reddit that will tell you that Inkitt's claim to being a publisher is a bit dubious, and they take on a more "vanity publisher"/scam business model. Inkitt founder responded in the form of a video here.

RoyalRoad is a medium-sized but dedicated community for writers of fantasy and sci-fi, especially isekai/portal fantasy or epic fantasy/sci-fi serials. They are well known for their active writing forums and for having a robust and supportive community. There are no paid opportunities provided by RR itself, but writers frequently feature their patreons on their profiles.

Please note, there was recent drama surrounding Royal Road accusing the owners and the community itself of being homophobic. See full details here, on /r/HobbyDrama.

Medium is unique on this list in the sense that it is perhaps the only large social publishing site on this list that deals mostly in nonfiction/articles and short stories. Readers can react to your work in the form of a clap. If you sign up to be a Medium partner, then they will pay you for attracting readers to your articles/short stories.

Archive of Our Own (AO3) is a relatively new website that has in a few short years become the new center of fanfiction. While original content remains the minority on AO3, it has a slowly growing presence on the site. Readers can show their love with comments and kudos. AO3, given that it does not show ads and is run entirely on member donations, understandably does not pay their writers. Yet the fact that AO3 historically always exceeds their donation drives should show how loved and supportive this community is overall.

Tapas promises to bring "bite-sized fiction" that was originally geared towards visual novels but has since expanded to prose stories as well. In staying with their gimmick of "bite-sized stories", each chapter has a limit of 15k characters. The community is alive and supportive, as well as their very active forums. Readers can leave comments and likes on chapters. Writers can choose to post their work for free or they can apply to become a premium member who can hide their chapters behind "ink" that readers pay for.

Neovel is a new social writing platform with a slick aesthetic that seems to be gaining some steam. Writers can post either fanfiction or original works, and readers rate each story with stars. Neovel has a pay structure that is available even to freshly joined writers, as outlined on this PDF. 

Amazon Vella is a relatively new platform for publishing web serials that released in the US in 2021. Readers purchase "tokens" to gain access to chapters, and a portion of the profit is dispensed to the author, as described on the Kindle Vella website here. Readers can also show their love of stories with "thumbs up" and favoriting. Of note, the works you post to Vella must be original, that is to say you can't post fanfiction and you can't have previously posted the work elsewhere.

Since Amazon Vella is so new and opinions are mixed, I recommend forming your own informed opinion on the platform and how it may / may not fit your publishing goals by reading on Reedsy here and on the Jane Friedman blog here. You can also join the community on /r/KindleVella.