In a CBC article titled “Winnipeg Wattpad writer receives book deal from U.S. publisher,” there is once again hope out there for all you writers who dream of making it big, but lack whatever the IT!/WOW! factor is it takes to get noticed by the Big Boys & Girls of publishing. Perhaps “A Novel Idea” has the answer.
Since ‘Pegger Isabelle Ronin (@isabelleronin) published her novel Chasing Red on Wattpad in 2016, she has received more than 126 million reads, making it the Toronto-based website’s most popular story of 2016.
That’s 126 followed by six zeroes. Or, put another way, that’s almost four times the population of Canada; 97 times the population of Manitoba; and 189 times the number of people who brave out every winter in the Chicago of the North. (ed. note: Does anyone actually say “Slurpee Capital of the World”?)
Obviously the short stories I, ah, have on Wattpad are similar to Ms. Ronin’s in that, you know, in that they all have words and, um, a cover design. Oh, we’re also both from Canada, which means our stories are probably really similar. Like, almost totally the same. Kind of same-same, but different?
Anyway, congratulations to Isabelle Ronin. Hearing stories like hers is a victory for literature, for writers, and – most importantly – for readers.
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Richard H. Harris 