Meet the Wattpad Stars: Ninya Tippett
In the second installment of our Wattpad Star series, we introduce Ninya Tippett, who joined Wattpad in 2013. Today, Ninya works with top brands and her sensational works have amassed a whopping 54 million reads!
Like Wattpad Star, Shaun Allen, Ninya got started on Wattpad to get feedback on her work and connect with other story lovers. “I’d moved from the Philippines a few years earlier and lost the small audience of friends who used to read my work and give me real-time feedback.” After taking the leap onto Wattpad, Ninya stories only picked up a small readership.
Her humble readership wouldn’t stay that way for long, however. Ninya’s passion for reading helped her writing gain momentum - her steady follows, votes, and comments on other writers works got her stories noticed. A bit of serendipity and a lot of love from the Wattpad community made her a runaway success: “For some reason, another author (@cheamcat) stumbled into my story, The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield, and liked it. She had a very successful story at that time and she dedicated a chapter to me with a little note sending many of her readers over and it exploded from there. It’s amazing how one small gesture could open doors for other people. I am still so grateful to her to this day.”
That small gesture ultimately led to Ninya’s induction into the Wattpad Stars program. “It didn’t sink in on me how far I’ve gotten until I got contacted by Wattpad. I started working with them on some projects here and there and then suddenly, the Wattpad Stars program was born and I was in it.” After receiving the news one night at dinner, Ninya had to put down the fork to digest the news, “...it occurred to me that out of the millions of writers on the site, I was among the select group they asked to take part. It meant something and even at that time, not having quite envisioned all that it entailed, I knew that. And I was like, heck yeah!”
Heck yeah, indeed! As a Wattpad Star, Ninya’s focus on writing has evolved from just a hobby. She has this to say on working with brands on Wattpad: “I love the fact that I’m producing more content for my page that’s still very much in echo of my brand of writing. It just has the fun, cool little twist of partnering up with big brands and movie launches.” Ninya says that this style of work has made her a more disciplined writer, conscious of deadlines and mindful of deliverables.
It’s also opened up her eyes to the power of social media and how the game has changed for modern writers. “Gone are the days of writers and artists holing up in a tower somewhere, secluded from the world and forever remaining a mystery to their audience...I find that if used correctly and with a good amount of balance, [social media] can really bring you closer to your followers and give you a better grasp of your work. It gives you feedback straight from the streets and helps you find the pulse of your audience to know what works and what doesn’t. From a creative perspective, it’s hard to listen to feedback but it’s critical to keep an open mind. It helps you evolve and innovate.”
For writers who want to evolve and innovate, Ninya offers this advice: “To help grow my own readership in the early days, I personally thanked every person who voted, replied to every comment and encouraged conversation...I also went and joined different groups and forums on Wattpad. I worked with some other writers I truly admired and dedicated chapters to them, recommending them to my readers. It’s a slow process but hard work can pay off. ”
Ninya remains inspired by the potential of online storytelling and has this to say about the current state of the world: “We’re at a time and age when nothing is conventional anymore—including reading and writing. Wattpad wasn’t where I pictured I’d find my writing someday but one look at the site..and you’ll know that this is the future right here. If I’d closed my mind to how technology would cause our lifestyle and age-old habits to evolve, I would’ve never gotten here and stuck around. People still love reading and writing as they long have but it’s no longer book, pen and paper anymore. So don’t be afraid to evolve along with it. You could be pioneering the future, after all.”
Stay tuned for more instalments of Meet The Wattpad Stars. If you’re a brand looking to work with these Stars or an entertainment studio hoping to partner with Wattpad Studios to find your next hit story, Get in touch!