20 Things You Didn’t Know about Inkitt
Inkitt is a great place to read or write stories. As a top competitor for Wattpad, this unique business offers people a place to share their work or enjoy reading novels from independent authors that might otherwise not have a place to self publish. The site and apps help publishers and readers find new talent as well. Here are twenty things you didn’t know about Inkitt.
20. Anyone Can Write For Inkitt
You don’t need an agent to write for Inkitt. This platform is designed to help creatives and bibliophiles who love to read connect so that more stories and novels are available. Known as the number one reader-powered publisher, Inkitt is all about offering high-quality tales in every genre.
19. Inkitt On Social Media
Once you start finding authors you love, you can keep up with them on social media. Keep up with Inkitt news and learn about the latest innovations, contests, and more by following @inkittbooks on Instagram. Moreover, Inkitt is a social media platform where readers can connect to the people who create the stories they love.
18. Inkitt On YouTube
Whether you’re an investor, author, or book lover, Inkitt’s YouTube channel is for you. Here, you can learn what inspired the platform, get tips on using it, and so much more. There’s a tutorial for submitting stories to help anyone worried about getting their work seen.
17. Work For Inkitt Jobs
Do you want to work for an incredible publishing company that treats its employees like family? Inkitt hires more than authors. In fact, they are always looking for talented people to join the team. If you work for this company, you’ll get excellent health care that includes a fitness plan. Plus, Inkitt has a flexible culture with remote workdays, social activities, and it’s a dog-friendly office. Since the company is in Germany, they offer help to ex-pats and even include German language classes. Additionally, Inkitt has plans to expand. The company hopes to add a second office in California soon to help recruit more people. Would you ditch your rigid day job for a more laid-back office culture, where you can bring your dog to the office, and the goal is to help build a better, more accessible, and literate future?
16. Reader Royalty Program
The Inkitt Reader Royalty Program is a way to help pay authors for their work. The company invests around four thousand dollars per month in paying out to writers based on how many people read at least two chapters. Additionally, you can donate earnings to charities, collect via Paypal in USD, or get paid in your local currency outside the USA. You can find all the information about the Reader Royalty Program on Inkitt’s Zendesk.
15. 13 and Older Please
There is one limit on the Inkitt community. You must be at least thirteen years old to participate. This standard is for safety reasons as some of the stories have adult content, swear words, or are otherwise inappropriate for younger children. Like other social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook, a person needs to be at least thirteen to register for an account.
14. Safe and Legit
While Inkitt is generally considered both safe and legit, it doesn’t have the highest ratings. For example, App Review only gives the app three-point-eight out of five stars. There are no Trustpilot or BBB reviews for the site.
13. Competing With Wattpad
One of the significant differences between Wattpad and Inkitt is that Inkitt is geared toward publishing the best and most marketable stories on the site, and Wattpad only does independent publishing. Both offer readers the chance to enjoy stories for free, and both provide monetization options to writers. However, Inkitt is an up-and-coming competitor that generally has a slightly higher rating than Wattpad.
12. Offline Options With Downloading
Reading books online, whether on a tablet, computer, or phone screen, is excellent. However, sometimes it’s not the right option. Inkitt offers you the opportunity to download stories to read offline. This feature is ideal when you live in an area where the internet or cell phone service isn’t great. According to the Inkitt Writer’s Blog, “Upcoming” or “Not yet published,” books are free to download. You need “Inkitt Credits” to download already published books, but you can easily win credits by posting reviews of the “upcoming” books you have downloaded!
11. There’s An App For That
Inkitt is available on just about every platform you can imagine. Naturally, you can see it on computers or laptops by going to the website. However, you can also download the app to your android and tablet easily from the play store. Best of all, the Apple store also offers the Inkitt app, so you can read any story any time, no matter what OS you prefer.
10. Ali Albazaz
Inkitt’s founder and CEO, Ali Albazaz, started building businesses at a very early age. By the time he was thirteen, he was buying and reselling phones on eBay. By simply choosing dirty and low-priced models, he was able to clean them up and flip them for a significant profit. The idea for Inkitt came from a realization Albazaz had about traditional publishing. Most publishers rely on experience and instinct to choose which books they will accept and promote, but there’s a better way. Computer algorithms can track hundreds or thousands of different metrics, so they can also follow which books are exciting and help predict future success. The premise behind Inkitt is that these algorithms can show which books are going to succeed.
9. Build the Disney of 21st-Century
The goal of Inkitt is to turn the publishing business on its head completely. By implementing clever computer-based algorithms to help select the next big thing, the company consistently plans to create blockbuster books. According to EuroNwewsNext, Albazaz puts it like this, “We’re building the Disney of the 21st century. What I mean by that is a company that is very pragmatic and data-driven and can find the best stories and storytellers worldwide wherever they are being told, and find them, discover them and turn them into big blockbusters and repeat this entire process on a very high frequency.”
8. Working With GALATEA
Reading a book is fantastic, but people watch movies instead because they’re faster. The other problem is that a paper book lacks visually dynamic images and special effects. By creating GALATEA, Inkitt is adding those special effects into the storytelling process. Bringing stories to life with pictures and interaction isn’t just for kids anymore. Stories on this app are divided into ten-minute episodes. You can watch an episode per day for free. Beyond that, the paid app offers points, which you can spend to read more stories. The points also help GALATEA track reader engagement, so Inkitt and GALATEA know which stories are popular.
7. Writing Contests
Inkitt offers writing contests that are open to all writers. You will need a free account to contribute, but anyone can try their hand at these clever contests. The topics are based on algorithms to help aspiring authors create something people want to read about. Inkitt wants its writers to succeed. If you win the contest, not only do you get a cash prize, but they also help promote your writing so you can get more readers and help boost your career. In addition to its other specialty contests, Inkitt offers monthly contests. Monthly winners get a $300 cash prize, an Inkitt book badge, and social media feature. Plus, the rules are straightforward. You have to write in English, meet the minimum word count and follow any expressly stated rules. Winners for Inkitt contests are chosen based on reader engagement. The winners are announced to the public on the @inkittbooks Instagram account. However, writers will find out first on the closed contest pages, so it’s not a surprise.
6. Resources For Writers
Some writers have no trouble expressing the ideas in their heads clearly. These unusual people already understand how o plot, research, come up with names, and more. However, for most, there’s more challenge involved. Inkitt doesn’t merely offer a platform, the writers’ blog gives a lot of insight, and more importantly, it provides resources. Head to the writers ‘ blog rather than combing the internet for a picture you don’t have to pay royalties on for your cover. Are you looking for an alternative to Grammarly Pro? You know where to find recommendations now.
5. Equal Opportunities For Publication
When Inkitt says everyone deserves a chance to write and be seen, it means everyone. So far, writers can work from the EU, USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Seychelles, New Zealand, Israel, Turkey, the West Indies, Fiji, Egypt, South Africa and the Sultanate of Oman. Payments come from Paypal or a direct bank transfer when an author earns at least the USD 10 minimum. Minimums for pay are there to prevent fees.
4. Writers Retain All Rights
Although Inkitt may offer a successful writer a publication deal, it’s not a guarantee. Until you sign a contract, you should always retain the rights to your work—some companies limit authors’ rights, but not Inkitt. As long as you want your work on this platform, it remains wholly yours to remove or delete as you like. The contract, if they offer one, is also pretty straightforward. You get twenty-five percent of e-book sales, 5% royalties on episodical adaptations from Royalty Pool of all authors, professional editing, and other services. Most importantly, you can cancel the contract penalty-free if Inkitt fails to generate a thousand dollars worth of sales within the first year.
3. Writers Make Money
There are several ways for writers to make money in Inkitt. You can join the Reader Royalty program and take your share of the four thousand dollars the company splits between every author whose work is read that month. Additionally, you can join and win the writing contests, which will typically offer you around three hundred dollars a pop. Finally, you can get a publication contract that could net up to fourteen thousand dollars a month through GALATEA.
2. Read For Free
Readers can pick from thousands of books to read for free. The algorithm that helps decide whether a book is worth promoting and publishing needs data to work with, and that’s where readers come in. Without readers, the stories have no audience, so Inkitt offers novels free. If you want to support Inkitt authors, you can download GALATEA and buy credits there, interact with them and their stories, or support their work. However, basic reading is free. In fact, Inkitt is the most downloaded reading app in five countries. The customized background colors and reading list suggestions make it easier to enjoy the reading experience. Plus, you can download the books you like for offline access as well.
1. Recent 59 Million Dollar Investors
In October 2021, Inkitt secured roughly fifty-nine million dollars in series B funding to help continue its westward expansion dreams. The goal is to create a hub in San Francisco and bring Inkitt to the USA. They are expanding on the Data-Driven Content Publishing market by hiring more US talent and adding a second office. Seven million users and three hundred thousand writers are just a start for this driven company. Readers know what they want, and Inkitt aims to give it to them in the most tech-savvy, reader-friendly, writer-promoting way possible.
Final Thoughts
Dreaming big is the core value behind Inkitt. Whether you are a writer who dreams of getting their shot, or a reader seeking good books that they can’t find anywhere else, you’ll find plenty to love on Inkitt. We can’t wait to see what this innovative company does next as they expand into the new US office.
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