First of all,I'd ask that what was the essence of the token you award to the writers? Does it have any specific value to them- I mean you created that with the aim of making it a cryptocurrency one day or you just created for fun (as in what we get in games and other imaginary treasure hunts).
Well if the former is your reason, then I suggest the 'steemitlike' method of payment. That makes the tokens more valuable and users can actually get real money from that. And yeah! you'll need to list on an exchange but first have a definition (i mean motive for your tokens) and it might interest others to join. As for ICOs, I won't advice you to embark on one, but hey you can start one if you think you will have a good project to embark on