Meet the Wattpad Stars: Elizabeth Seibert
You probably know Wattpad Star Elizabeth Seibert by her alter-ego, @JoeCool123. The two-time Watty Award winning storyteller hit one million reads within ten chapters of her viral hit The Bro Code and scored her second Watty Award in 2015 for No Capes. Here’s what she has to say about that experience:“I remember when [The Bro Code] first took off, and I started to be ranked on the ‘hot humor list.’...I couldn’t believe how much people seemed to enjoy this story. Later that year, The Bro Code won a Watty Award and I felt like I’d exhausted the scope of Wattpad. Then I wrote No Capes, my most recent work, and I realized how much I could connect with the Wattpad community over a story.”
No Capes went on to claim The Wattys Talk of The Town award, an award that's given to stories that spark the most engagement in the comments section. Each time she posted a chapter, readers would comment about how they looked forward to reading the next part, or discuss what they thought was going to happen.
Her ability to spark conversations within the Wattpad community got Elizabeth noticed and scored her a spot in The Wattpad Stars program. In her studio apartment in Washington D.C., Elizabeth was both confused and excited by the news: “I showed the program description to my dad and asked him what it really was. Together, we figured out that there really was no ‘catch,’ Wattpad just wanted to give some success back to its authors and provide awesome opportunities. That felt awesome, and I felt really proud to be in the program. It added to the feeling of being a ‘real’ writer”
Since then, Elizabeth has written for some of the world’s top brands including Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay, and Lenovo. She’s also a featured writer in an anthology of fanfiction produced by Wattpad and Simon & Schuster called Imagines: Celebrity Encounters Starring You.
In the future, Elizabeth hopes to work with Wattpad Studios to see one of her works adapted for the screen. She’s currently reading Sterile Skies on Wattpad and working on a new story inspired by her work with Lenovo called Infamous.
For new writers on Wattpad, Elizabeth has this to say: ”I recommend setting aside a specific time each day to write, and really make a habit of it. Also read. Read books that interest you and see how the writers accomplish what they do.”
She also advocates for the use of social media to understand your audience, “Social media is a win-win for writers and their audiences. It’s a way for writers to connect their work to an audience, but it’s also a way for an audience to learn more about who a writer is. I think that’s especially important given the online nature of Wattpad. This whole author-thing went a lot further than I ever imagined (And that’s saying a lot because I have a pretty big imagination!) Thank you to anyone who’s ever read or commented on one of my chapters, it really does mean so much. ”
Stay tuned for more installments of Meet The Wattpad Stars. If you’re a brand looking work with these Stars or an entertainment studio hoping to partner with Wattpad Studios to find your next hit story, get in touch!