Wattpad: The Real Story Behind YA's Largest Hobby

How young adults are converting a hobby into a realist career.

What is Wattpad?

Johannah Horton

According to their website, Wattpad markets as "Storytelling Redefined" in that it has adapted to the society of technology and turned all that you love about stories, into an app on your phone. Wattpad is a place where readers and writers alike gain the opportunity to express themselves and enjoy reading in a way they may not be able to before. Although the headquarters are located in Toronto, Canada, it is a global community, currently reaching around 65 million people.

How do writers make money off Wattpad?

On November 13th 2018, Wattpad launched Wattpad Next Beta with this message to its members.

"We've always told you, our community, that Wattpad will be free tp read and write stories. This remains true today: Wattpad will always be home to millions of free stories.

Over the years, Wattpadders have been asking for ways to support writers directly on Wattpad. Helping writers advance their careers and earn money for their work is a priority for us, and over they years we've worked with our writers to move their stories to the silver screen, publish best-selling novels, and create popular TV shows.

In October, we launched a program called Wattpad Next beta to start enabling readers to monetarily support writers directly on Wattpad."

How to enjoy Wattpad Next Beta:

Wattpad Official / Via wattpad.com

1. Unlock each part by chapter:

Want to read at your own pace and decide if the novel is right for you before fully purchasing? Simply click the 'unlock next chapter' button to redeem Coins and unlock the next part.

2. Purchase an entire story:

Binge reader? Me too. Purchase the entire story to avoid being interrupted by having to purchase each chapter. This also means that the story will come at a discount because of the bulk purchase.

To purchase an entire story, select the 'unlock entire book' option, The total amount of Coins will be deducted from your Wallet, and you'll instantly receive full access to the whole story.

How do I get Coins? What is my Wallet?

Wattpad Official / Via wattpad.com

To purchase Coins, open the Wattpad app on your device. Tap on the wallet on your profile to check your current balance, and load your account.

Tap 'purchase coins' to select a Coin package. To read a few chapters, select a smaller package, or save money for longer stories by selecting bigger packages.

Conclusions

Although Wattpad Next subtly strays from the idea of free stories, the idea is something suggested by many readers who aim to support their favorite writers in order to gain more chapters. If a writer feels a sense of priority for their novel, they will most likely strive to update more and listen to their readers.

Americans today spend a majority of their time on their mobile device and paper books are now a thing of the past. So what's a couple dollars to further mobilize your life? Not much according to these readers.