You may have heard about Wattpad by now. It’s a platform where anyone can write stories and anyone can read them and leave comments. The site has 45 million members, and is very mobile friendly.
Publishing Perspectives wrote about how Wattpad may reach a billion users. Stories are told in multiple languages, primarily English and Spanish, and Wattpad has worked with some brands to produce stories. Some examples include ““When Miss Sweet Meets Mr. Sour,” which was produced with Sour Patch Kids.
Wattpad has also partnered up with SourceBooks on a submission program, according to Publisher’s Weekly. This allows editors to see how much readers like a potential writer’s work. The program seems to be working. Sourcebooks received over 1,000 submissions in its first year in the program, according to Publisher’s Weekly, and they’ve published a few books.
Hachette also partnered with Wattpad to create audiobooks, according to Publisher’s Weekly. Starting this summer, there are 50 titles available, with more titles coming later.
Additionally, Wattpad has signed a deal with Universal Cable Productions, according to CBC: “The idea is to comb through Wattpad’s 300 million stories to find ideas for new concepts, turning the most popular works into hit TV shows.”
As a writer, Wattpad might be a platform worth exploring. You will have to build your audience on the platform, but the upside is that if you gain a large enough following, your work may be eligible for various publishing deals.
