Web fiction
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.
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.
[4] Web fiction platforms like Wattpad, Royal Road, ScribbleHub, GoodNovel, and Webnovel have emerged as hubs for both readers and writers.
[5] The platform has historical ties to translation of Asian web novels but has evolved to become the largest archive of English-original stories in these genres.
[5] While many successful stories on Royal Road aren't LitRPG, the readership definitely skews toward this genre, with other popular categories including cultivation, xianxia, wuxia, and isekai.
As one of the key companies in the web fiction market, Webnovel employs a subscription-based model that has helped it become one of the dominant platforms in the current landscape.
[10] This approach helps authors build dedicated communities around their work, with readers providing feedback and discussing story developments.
The blog format provides a natural framework for serialized storytelling, with each post representing a new installment and built-in commenting features facilitating reader interaction.
Free writing platforms such as Wattpad have alleviated most serial writers from financial concerns, as well as any requirement for technical knowledge.
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.
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.
Fan fiction popularized the publishing of writing on the internet and set the standards for much of the community interaction surrounding web serials.
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.
[17] 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.
