Web fiction
Type of literature

Web fiction is written works of literature available primarily or solely on the Internet. A common type of web fiction is the web serial. The term comes from old serial stories that were once published regularly in newspapers and magazines.

Unlike most modern books, a work of web fiction is often not published as a whole. Instead, it is released on the Internet in installments or chapters as they are finished, although published compilations and anthologies are not unknown. The web serial form dominates in the category of fan fiction, as writing a serial takes less specialized software and often less time than an ebook.

Web-based fiction dates to the earliest days of the World Wide Web, including the extremely popular The Spot (1995–1997), a tale told through characters' journal entries and interactivity with its audience.[1] The Spot spawned many similar sites, including Ferndale and East Village, though these were not as successful and did not last long.[2] Most of these early ventures are no longer in existence.

Since 2008, web fiction has proliferated in popularity. Possibly as a result of this, more fans of web serials have decided to create their own, propagating the form further, leading to the number of serious, original works growing quickly. Some serials utilize the formats of the media to include things not possible in ordinary books, such as clickable maps, pop-up character bios, sorting posts by tag, and video. Apps like Webnovel and Inkitt offer writer-platform contracts that offer exposure in exchange for a revenue-based cut.

Web fiction has become hugely popular in China, with revenues topping US$2.5 billion.[3]

Publication formats

There are several popular platforms for publishing web serials and webcomics. With their large user bases, the popularity of these sites may arise from their interactive aspects allowing creators, readers, and other users to communicate with one another and create new communities.[4]

Dedicated platforms

Web fiction platforms such as Wattpad, Royal Road, ScribbleHub, GoodNovel, and Webnovel have emerged as hubs for readers and writers. These platforms provide infrastructure for publishing, discovering, and monetizing web fiction. Different platforms tend to specialize in particular genres, creating distinct communities with specific preferences.[5][better source needed]

Webnovel

Webnovel is an international platform launched in 2017 by China Literature, a subsidiary of Tencent. It serves as the English-language arm of Qidian, primarily hosting translated Chinese works in the xianxia and wuxia genres alongside original English content.[6] The platform utilizes a "freemium" model where readers use virtual currency to unlock chapters. While it has become a major distributor of serialized fiction, its standard contracts have been noted by industry watchdogs for their broad claims on author intellectual property and copyright.[7]

Social media

Some web serials have been told entirely on Twitter or have used it as a way of adding depth to the universe. Character Twitter accounts are a very popular example of this being a form of transmedia storytelling.[1] Twitter is also a useful tool for author-fan interaction and update announcements. There are a variety of Twitter hashtags now in use for the web serial community. Facebook integration is also popular, with Facebook fan pages for web serials or web serial authors as well as character accounts.[8][9]

Authors use social media platforms primarily for marketing, publicity, and making contact with readers. They tend to adopt a multi-layered approach to self-presentation, with the lines between their "public" and "private" identities often blurred.[8] Research shows that while there may be a limited author-reader community, there is a much stronger online author-author community, founded upon practical support and encouragement.

Blog fiction

Blog fiction is a subgenre of web fiction that utilizes the blog format to deliver narratives through serialized, often reverse-chronological posts. While it encompasses various styles such as serialized novels, it is most recognized for the "fictional diary" or "pseudo-blog," where the story is presented as the real-time musings of a character. This format leverages blogging features—such as hyperlinks, time-stamps, and multimedia integration—to create a sense of digital realism.[10]

The medium is characterized by its high level of reader interactivity. Built-in comment sections allow for a "participatory culture" where readers can engage with characters or provide immediate feedback that may influence the plot's direction. However, the commercial evolution of the genre often leads to the creation of a "blook", a blog-to-book transition that frequently necessitates stripping the narrative of its interactive digital elements to fit traditional print constraints.[11]

While blog fiction generated significant interest in the digital humanities during the early 2000s, it remains a specialized niche within the broader web fiction landscape. Its mainstream visibility has been challenged by the transience of early hosting platforms and the shift toward social media storytelling on platforms like X or TikTok. Today, it often coexists with or has been superseded by subscription-based newsletters and dedicated web-serial platforms.[12]

Transition to traditional publishing

A notable trend in web fiction is the transition of successful web serials into traditionally published physical books, often referred to as "web-to-print" (or "blooks"). This process typically involves an author building a significant following online through free or self-published installments before the work is acquired by a major publishing house.

  • The Martian by Andy Weir: Originally published as a free serial on Weir's personal blog starting in 2009. Due to reader demand, he later self-published a version on Amazon Kindle for $0.99 before selling the rights to Crown Publishing. It eventually became a #1 New York Times bestseller and was adapted into a major motion picture.
  • There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm (Sam Hughes): This science fiction work originated as a series of entries on the SCP Foundation community wiki between 2015 and 2016. It was later released as a self-published book and eventually acquired for traditional publication by Del Rey Books and Ballantine Books in 2025.
  • Wool by Hugh Howey: Originally a self-published novelette on Amazon in 2011, Howey expanded it into a serial due to online popularity. The series was later acquired by Simon & Schuster in a landmark deal where Howey retained his digital rights, and it was adapted into the television series Silo.
  • John Dies at the End by Jason Pargin: Originally published in installments on a humor blog (Pointless Waste of Time) beginning in 2001, it gained a cult following that led to a traditional publishing deal with Thomas Dunne Books and a film adaptation.

Business

Web serials are cheaper to run than webcomics for the most part, although it is very rare to make money off of such works. Many writers use platforms specifically created for hosting fiction. Free writing platforms such as Wattpad have alleviated most serial writers from financial concerns, as well as any requirement for technical knowledge.[13] However, these free hosts provide less flexibility and also may not be as scalable as a pay host.

Donations are a common way of getting money for web serials, often using services such as PayPal, but one of the main means of monetizing Web serials is advertising on blogs, which can allow writers to both host banners or purchase them on other sites and blogs. This can allow authors to recoup many of the costs associated with online novel creation. These are sometimes sufficient to cover the basic costs for hosting, and some of the more popular web serials can succeed with their entire budget made from donations or revenue of this type.

A few web serial authors have taken to collecting their work and releasing in a book format for easy consumption offline. Self-publishing is key in this field, and services such as CafePress and Lulu.com are often used for distribution and sales of these anthologies. The advent and acceptance of the ebook has allowed writers to become quite prolific with "bound collections" offered as downloads in formats such as pdf, Smashwords, and Mobipocket.

On-demand merchandising sites like CafePress and Zazzle are also sources of income from sales of T-shirts, mugs, calendars, mousepads and other fan items.

Some publishers have started using serials on their sites as "eye bait" and proving grounds for novels, Tor Books. Similarly, writers with established series have been able to continue writing those series after being dropped by conventional publishers, as Lawrence Watt-Evans has done with his Ethshar novels.

Types

Web novel

A web novel is a literary work that is published mainly or exclusively on the Internet. Web novels offer authors the opportunity to share their stories directly online in a continuous format, reaching a wide audience. This model allows authors to receive valuable feedback from readers and further develop their works before physical publication. The low entry barrier also provides unknown authors with the chance to gain recognition and build a fan base without relying on the support of a traditional publisher.

Web serial

Most web novels are written as serials. Serialized novels have a long history, predating the internet by centuries.

Fan fiction

Fan fiction popularized the online publishing of serial narratives and established many of the standards for community interaction found in web serials. Because some web serial authors began in fan fiction before transitioning to original work, the readerships often overlap, sharing specific fandom terminology and memes.[14]

Web serials typically aim for regular publication schedules to maintain reader engagement, whereas fan fiction is often updated at the author's discretion. Major archives such as FanFiction.Net accommodate the publication of serial works, and its sister site, FictionPress, hosts original serialized fiction.[15]

Interactive novel

Authors of traditional paper-and-ink novels have sometimes tried to give readers an interactive experience, but this approach did not become completely feasible until the development of digital media and hypertext. Traditional novels are linear, that is, read from page to page in a straight line. Interactive novels, however, offer readers a unique way to read fiction by choosing a page, a character, or a direction. By following hyperlinked phrases within the novel, readers can find new ways to understand characters. There is no wrong way to read a hypertext interactive novel. Links embedded within the pages are meant to be taken at a reader's discretion – to allow the reader a choice in the novel's world.

Panel of 2004 webcomic Town Called Dobson.

Webcomic

Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While most are published exclusively on the web, some are also published in magazines, newspapers, or often self-published books.

Webcomics can be compared to self-published print comics in that almost anyone can create their own webcomic and publish it. As of January 2007, the four largest webcomic hosting services hosted over 18,000 webcomics,[16] ranging from traditional comic strips to graphic novels and covering many genres and subjects.[17]

In the past, few were financially successful.[18] However, as webcomics have risen in popularity in recent years, many artists have garnered the support and trust of loyal audiences who are willing to pay for their work through sites such as Patreon or Podia.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Sideroad Magazine (July 1998), "Webisodics, Part 1"
  2. ^ Forbes Magazine (September 12, 1997), "Why Cybersoaps Don't Clean Up"
  3. ^ Cheung, Rachel (May 6, 2018). "China's online publishing industry – where fortune favours the few, and sometimes the undeserving". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  4. ^ Fathallah, Judith (August 2020). "Digital fanfic in negotiation: LiveJournal, Archive of Our Own, and the affordances of read–write platforms". Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies. 26 (4): 857–873. doi:10.1177/1354856518806674. ISSN 1354-8565. S2CID 149863814.
  5. ^ Hobbs, Natalie (2022-09-01). "Best Serial Fiction Platforms for Indie Authors". Indie Author Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
  6. ^ Yang, Yang (2021-12-27). "Online literature plots overseas success". China Daily.
  7. ^ Sellers, Victoria (2023-01-20). "Bad Contract Alert: Webnovel". Writer Beware.
  8. ^ a b Laing, Audrey (2017-09-01). "Authors Using Social Media: Layers of Identity and the Online Author Community". Publishing Research Quarterly. 33 (3): 254–267. doi:10.1007/s12109-017-9524-5. hdl:10059/2397. ISSN 1936-4792.
  9. ^ Budiarto, Ario; Chairunissa, Rizki; Fitriani, Annisa (2021-04-05). "The Motivation Behind Writing Fanfictions for Digital Authors on Wattpad and Twitter". Alphabet. 4 (1): 48–53. doi:10.21776/ub.alphabet.2021.04.01.06.
  10. ^ Rettberg, Jill Walker (2008). Blogging: Digital Media and Society. Polity Press. ISBN 978-0745641348.
  11. ^ Garden, Mary-Peace (2012). "The Blook: Help or Hindrance to the Blog Fiction Genre?". Journal of Creative Writing Studies.
  12. ^ Walker, Jill (2005). "Fiction and Blogs/Blogs as Fiction". Into the Blogosphere. University of Minnesota.
  13. ^ New York Times (March 23, 2014), "Web Fiction, Serialized and Social"
  14. ^ Umstattd, Thomas. "A Storytelling Revolution: Inside the World of Serialized Fiction". Author Media. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  15. ^ "31 Popular Authors Who Got Their Start Writing Fan Fiction". Book Cave. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  16. ^ Manley, Joey (2007-01-03). "The Number of Webcomics in the World". ComicSpace Blog. Archived from the original on 2012-01-17.
  17. ^ Lacy, Steven (2007-11-21). "Webcomics are profane, explicit, humorous — and influencing trends". Charleston City Paper. Noel Mermer. Retrieved 2009-11-28.
  18. ^ Rall, Ted (2006). Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists. New York: Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 1-56163-465-4.
  19. ^ Shim, Aegyung; Yecies, Brian; Ren, Xiang (Tony); Wang, Dingkun (2020-05-11). "Cultural intermediation and the basis of trust among webtoon and webnovel communities". Information, Communication & Society. 23 (6): 833–848. doi:10.1080/1369118X.2020.1751865. ISSN 1369-118X.
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