Bookloving writer

I'm still considering posting more of my original fiction on Wattpad. The two main drawbacks are getting cover images for all the stories and the fact that I'm having trouble getting my new account to work. I still can't figure out how a story could go from having six readers to just one without 'unpublishing' in between. Oh, well. The mysteries of the internet. I'm sure there's a 'secret' to how you get people to read your stories on Wattpad (apart from the advice the support page gives you). Surely it can't just be that the people who get many readers have many friends?

My sister tells me that she's posted her stories on G+ many times, but no one even reads them. When someone else among her circles (?) says he's maybe going to write a story some time everyone starts commenting that they would love to read it and buy it when it becomes available (or rather if it becomes available). I don't really get that. When I decide to read something it's because I think I'll enjoy reading it, not because I want to stay on the good side of someone I know. Or am I the weird one here? I mean, sure, if a very good friend asked me to beta read something she/he had written, I'd love to help out, but I think that's different.

Actually, I'm also wondering if I will get any more readers of these stories just because I post them on Wattpad as well as on my own site. Most people who come to my fan fiction (which is also my more 'adult') site, seem to be interested in fan fiction, not original fiction. They don't give any feedback there though. The only feedback I've had over the years have been on fan fiction archives like AO3. It's possible to leave comments on my wordpress homepage so I don't see why people don't. I've had that site for many more years than I've had my account on AO3. Nowadays, people can also 'like' posts and pages on my homepage. It's just that people don't seem to consider that option at all. Not that they have to. I'm just wondering.