Beth Reekles penned an article at The Guardian about how indie publishing via online writing communities and ebooks can provide valuable feedback, and even set you on the path to mainstream success.
From the article:
News that a quarter of the top 100 Kindle books on Amazon.com are from indie publishers doesn’t surprise me. I started out writing online. Fed up with the choice of reading about werewolves, wizards or vampires, I posted my first book, The Kissing Booth (a regular high school romance without any mythological creatures) to a platform called Wattpad when I was 15. Writing platforms such as these mean that amateur writers can post their work for people to read for free and get responses from readers. I was able to publish my book, under the name Beth Reekles, chapter by chapter. It attracted more than 19 million hits, which eventually led to a three-book with Random House after they discovered me online.
These platforms particularly suit young people who want to write, where they can develop their writing skills. Part of the appeal of platforms like this is that you get some instantaneous feedback. Just seeing that people have read your book, even if they do not leave a comment, is a big confidence boost. And then it’s not such a big step for writers to go from posting their work for free online to looking into self-publishing books.
You can read the rest of the article HERE.