Read count FAQ

How does the read count work?

The read count shows your Total Reads. This is the total number of times your story parts have been viewed or read to any extent since they were published (all-time). As an example, if a single reader views or reads 10 parts of your story, this will count as 10 Total Reads. If a reader reads or views Part 1 of your story 4 times in multiple sessions, this will count as 4 Total Reads. Reads are thus the broadest measure of interest in your story and accumulate from the day you publish your first story part.

If you'd like to know the difference between Total Reads and Engaged Readers, check out the article Story Statistics FAQ.

Why is my read count not changing even though I know people are reading my story?

The read count can take from a couple of minutes to a few hours to update. This time can also vary depending on the platform you're using, so we always recommend waiting at least 24 hours to confirm if a read has been counted or not.

Why are there more votes than reads on my story?

In order for our system to count a read, a reader must land on a story part and then start to scroll through the page. Because of this, it's possible for a story to receive a vote from a user and not simultaneously a read.

Why is my read count increasing if my story is still in my drafts?

Our system counts the reads of a story when a writer previews it, so this would be why your read count for a certain story part is increasing when the story part has not yet been published. The read is actually you! This happens when you view your own story as a reader. 

Unfortunately, at the moment, it's not possible to exclude the writer's reads from the read count.

Why is my read count decreasing?

Deleting a story part will result in the removal of all reads and votes associated with that specific part from the overall read count.

I have more than 1,000 reads but the counter stopped updating. Why is that?

Once a story has more than 1,000 reads, the counter will start rounding up or down the number. So, for instance, if your story has 1,234 reads, it'll appear to you as 1.2K. Once the story reaches 1,300 reads, it'll then be updated to 1.3k and so forth.

If you're on the website (www.wattpad.com), you can hover your mouse on top of your total read count to see the exact number of reads your story has at that moment.