Today, publishers use many tools to create digital editions of publications and to make them available to a wide audience in various communication channels. There are many publishing platforms, which the writers and budding authors can use, and each one offers different features as well as functions.

Well, the rapid growth of the Digital (Online) Publishing industry has given rise to a seemingly infinite number of digital publishing platforms. The transition from print to digital has always been a testing paradigm shift for most publishers. The popularity of online content is edging out the traditional publishing methods. The number of print magazines has been declining since 2000. These are the most lucrative times to switch to digital content publishing platforms as online content is very well received and is easily accessible.

What is an Online Publishing Platform? The Online Publishing Platform is a set of tools that make it easier to publish longer text(but also graphic-focused editions, e.g. catalogues or albums) in a digital form, readable on electronic devices, like a computer, tablet or smartphone. Users can probably guess that digital publishing applications need to be responsive. This is just one of the many features that popular publishing platforms offer. ‘Online Publishing’ is such a broad field that the tools being developed for it cater to a wide range of requirements. Certain online publishing tools are geared toward marketing and design, while others are more concerned with monetizing news sites!

Now, let us have a look over the top online publishing platforms of the modern days, which helps the writers in boosting their readership –

1) Wattpad: Wattpad has gained popularity among teenagers for their favourite genre – Young Adult Fiction. Tons of it is available for free on the app and website. All you have to do is sign up and start reading on your phones. In addition, it is just as easy for writers to self-publish on this website.

This makes a good launchpad for writers who are looking to grow as “authors”. There is an immense scope of experimentation on Wattpad; check out all the genres you can dabble in.  

2) Kindle Singles: Unlike Wattpad, this is not a social media website for books. Rather it is a full-fledged marketplace. Amazon KDP has already made self-publishing faster and easier for all novice authors. Amazon singles is another publishing avenue, which is being marketed as “compelling ideas expressed at their natural length.” That is the USP of Amazon Singles; it lets you publish even if you finish your work between 5,000 – 30,000 words. This is something trade publishers would never allow, as it is not commercially viable for them.

That is where Amazon, like with many other products, has caused a total disruption in the books market. Seasoned authors always wanted the opportunity to express their ideas without having to stretch them unnecessarily to get them published. Big guns have already jumped on the bandwagon. If you enrol yourself on Amazon singles, you would be competing with the likes of Chuck – Fight Club – Palahniuk, Susan Orlean, Amy Tan, George Saunders, and Ann Patchett are all writing Kindle Singles.

3) Sweek: Sweek is a global online community of readers and writers. It is similar to Wattpad, it’s a little smaller in size with only 400,000 registered users compared to the 18 million users on the formerly mentioned giant. What sets it apart is Sweek additionally allows you to self-publish your book in print. Many rookie writers join this community to improve their writing and get instant feedback from the base of mature readers in the comments section.

What attracts readers & writers to Sweek is mainly the clean reading experience, minus the ads and pop-up distraction. The user interface too is simpler compared to the rest of the platforms. 

4) Smashwords: This one has been around for a decade now. Smashwords is an e-book distribution platform that has gained popularity over the years. Some bestsellers in the last 10 years have seen a debut on Smashwords. What makes it profitable is the sweeping distribution channel, not in the capacity of any other mentioned platform. If your book is approved for premium distribution, it will be made available on other selling and publishing avenues like Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, Page Foundry, Baker & Taylor, Blio, txtr, Library Direct, Baker-Taylor, Axis360, OverDrive, and Scribd. Talk about reaching out to the readers eh?

5) Kitaboo: Kitaboo is a cloud-based digital publishing platform that helps you in creating, publishing, and distributing interactive mobile-ready content. Kitaboo uses DRM protection to securely publish and distribute content on various digital platforms. The content consumption is monitored through analytics and user insights. Kitaboo allows publishers to enhance physical books with interactive elements and multimedia-enriched content. Interactive training is possible through Kitaboo’s SaaS-based learning platform.