If you're a web novel author who has been publishing on Tapas and are now considering another platform, the actual move is usually more than just copying chapters. You need to preserve your work, check your publishing rights, choose a platform that fits your genre, and make sure your readers can find you after the move.
The good news is that you don't have to make the decision immediately. A careful migration can give you time to compare platforms while keeping your existing novel organized.
1. Back up your novel first
Before doing anything else, make sure you have your own copies of everything. Save all published chapters, draft chapters, novel description, cover image, character artwork, illustrations, chapter images, author notes, genre and tags. Ideally, keep the original manuscript separately from the files you upload to a platform. This gives you a clean master copy that you can use regardless of where you publish next.
2. Check your Tapas agreement
Before uploading the same novel somewhere else, check the agreement attached to your story. Look for information about copyright ownership, exclusive publishing rights, licensing, monetization, paid content, termination, removing your work, and republishing elsewhere.
This is especially important if your novel was part of a monetization or publishing program. Don't assume that removing a story from Tapas automatically cancels every contractual obligation. If you're unsure about a contract, get appropriate legal advice rather than relying on a general migration guide.
3. Compare possible platforms
Many platforms can be considered depending on your genre and publishing goals.
NovelCult
NovelCult is focused on serialized web fiction, with genres including fantasy, LitRPG, cultivation, action, romance, and others.
Its published documentation says authors retain ownership and its publishing licence is non-exclusive. (FAQ)
NovelCult also has a migration system for bringing existing stories onto the platform. Its current supported migration sources include Royal Road, WebNovel, Scribble Hub, and FanFiction.net, as well as several file formats. (Migration)
Eligible authors can also offer paid Early Access, with Stripe used for the current payment and payout infrastructure. (Monetization)
Royal Road
Royal Road is particularly associated with web novels, LitRPG, progression fantasy, and fantasy. If your Tapas novel belongs to one of these categories, it may be worth researching the platform's current publishing requirements and audience.
Wattpad
Wattpad has a wider social storytelling audience covering genres such as romance, fantasy, science fiction, young adult fiction, and fanfiction. It can be useful for authors who want a broader social-reading environment.
WebNovel
WebNovel is another large serialized-fiction platform covering fantasy, action, romance, cultivation, and other genres. Authors should carefully review the specific publishing agreement offered to them, particularly regarding exclusivity and rights.
Scribble Hub
Scribble Hub hosts a broad range of serialized web fiction, including fantasy, LitRPG, isekai, romance, and other niche genres.
4. Check whether the platform supports migration to make migration easy
If your novel has 200, 500, or 1,000 chapters, manually copying everything can become a major job. Before choosing a platform, check whether it provides chapter import, docx or pdf file upload, bulk upload, formatting preservation, image import, and chapter ordering.
For example, NovelCult currently provides a migration workflow that supports a few external platforms and file formats. (Migration)
However, migration tools don't mean you should publish immediately after importing. Always review the imported novel first.
5. Review your imported chapters
After migration, check your story from beginning to end or at least some of the chapters.
Look for any missing paragraphs, incorrect chapter titles, broken formatting, missing images, incorrect chapter order, broken links, duplicate chapters, missing author notes, strange spacing, character names changed by formatting and incorrect italics or bold text. A migration that technically succeeds can still require editorial cleanup.
6. Recreate your novel metadata
Your novel's page is more than its chapters.
Prepare:
- Title: Keep your established title unless you're changing the branding.
- Description: Make sure the description represents the story.
- Cover: Use a properly sized version appropriate for the new platform.
- Genres: Select the relevant available genres.
- Tags: Use relevant tags rather than copying every old tag blindly.
For example, a LitRPG novel might use relevant concepts such as LitRPG, system, progression, fantasy, leveling, dungeon, and game mechanics. The available tags will depend on the platform.
7. Tell your existing readers
One of the biggest mistakes authors make during a platform migration is assuming that readers will automatically follow them. But they won't. Give readers a clear explanation. You can announce the move through your existing Tapas profile, author notes, social media, discord, or patreon etc. Keep the message simple.
For example:
Where to find the novel next:
I'm moving future updates to [new platform]. The story will continue there, and I'll post the new link here so existing readers can find it easily.
Avoid making the announcement unnecessarily dramatic. Your readers mainly need to know where the story is going and when updates will continue.
8. Don't delete your old presence too quickly
If the platform allows you to leave an announcement or author profile available, consider keeping a short migration notice.
For example:
This novel has moved to [new platform].
New chapters and future updates are available here: [link]
This can help readers who discover your old Tapas page through an old bookmark or search engine. Whether you can do this depends on the platform's final policies and the status of your account.
9. Decide whether to cross-post
Moving doesn't necessarily mean you have to abandon every other platform. Some authors choose to cross-post their work. That can provide multiple discovery channels, but there is an important condition: Check exclusivity first. If one of your publishing agreements is exclusive, you may not be allowed to publish the same content elsewhere.
NovelCult's current publishing model is non-exclusive, but that doesn't override an exclusive agreement you may have with another platform.
So the question isn't simply - "Does this platform allow cross-posting?"
You need to ask - "Do all of my current agreements allow me to cross-post?"
10. Consider your monetization model
If your Tapas novel was earning money, don't treat monetization as an afterthought. Compare subscriptions, paid chapters, early access, tips, revenue sharing, platform fees, payment processing, minimum payout, payout schedule, and tax requirements.
Different platforms use different models. For example, NovelCult currently offers authors an Early Access model, where readers can pay to access advanced chapters while older chapters become publicly available. (FAQ) That is different from simply putting the whole novel behind a paywall.
11. Keep your reader community separate from your platform
A useful lesson from any platform shutdown is that your readers shouldn't exist only inside one website. If appropriate for your audience, maintain independent channels such as discord, newsletter, patreon or any other social media.
Then if your publishing platform changes, you still have a way to communicate with readers.
You don't need every channel. Even one communication channel can make a future migration easier.
12. What if your novel Is LitRPG or Progression Fantasy?
Genre should influence your choice. For example, an author writing LitRPG or progression fantasy may prioritize platforms with established readers interested in those genres.
An author writing romance or contemporary fiction may prioritize a different audience. This is why the largest platform isn't necessarily the most useful criterion. Just ask yourself where are the readers who enjoy the type of story I write?