Company:Wattpad

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Wattpad is a website for reading and publishing original fiction[1] and connecting with fellow writers and readers.[2] Its most popular genres are romance, teen fiction, and fan fiction.[3] As of September 2023, Wattpad has a global audience of more than 90 million users[4], the majority of whom are younger women.[5] There are over 665 million story uploads in total.[6] Some stories originally published on Wattpad have been adapted into mainstream novels, TV series, and films, including After and The Kissing Booth series. In January 2019, Wattpad launched its own publishing division, Wattpad Books, to simplify publishing for authors.[7] In January 2021, Naver Corporation announced that it would acquire Wattpad, and the deal was completed in May 2021.[8]

History

Wattpad was developed in 2006 as the result of a collaboration between Allen Lau and Ivan Yuen.[9] The company is based in Toronto, Ontario.[10] In 2011, Wattpad announced that it received $3.5M in total funding from its current investors, and from W Media Ventures, Golden Venture Partners, and Union Square Ventures.[11] In June 2012, Wattpad raised $17.3M from a group of venture funds led by Khosla Ventures.[12] In April 2014, they announced a $46M of Series C funding led by OMERS.[13] In January 2018, Wattpad announced $51M in funding from Tencent Holdings Limited, BDC, Globe Telecom's Kickstart Ventures, Peterson Group, Canso, and existing investor Raine.[14] As of January 2018, Wattpad had received about $117.8M in funding from investors.[8]

An old Wattpad logo dated back from 2006 until 2018. The first letter "W" is an upside-down letter of M. According to Wattpad Corporation, it was pretty dated and static.
Wattpad logo (2006–2018)

In December 2011, Wattpad was selected as the hottest digital media company in the country at the Canadian Innovation Exchange.[15]

Acquisition by Naver

In January 2021, Wattpad announced that it would be acquired by South Korean conglomerate Naver Corporation in a $600 million cash-and-stock deal.[16] In a press release, Wattpad reported that alongside Naver's webtoon platform Webtoon, the platforms had a "combined global monthly audience of more than 166 million people".[17] In an interview, Lau stated: "It's also been very clear from Naver, and we agree, that we should operate as independently as possible."[18] Wattpad remained headquartered in Canada and under its current leadership.

Platform Overview

According to a June 2009 Wattpad press release, the application had been downloaded over 5 million times.[6] In March 2009, an iPhone version was released. This was followed by the launch on BlackBerry App World in April 2009, on Android in June 2009, and on Apple in April 2010.[contradictory] In December 2015, a Windows version was also released.

Sister apps

In February 2015, Wattpad launched the standalone app After Dark.[19] The app focuses on the romance genre and is intended for adult readers.

In February 2017, Wattpad launched a chat stories app called Tap,[20][21] which has stories in the form of text messages as if reading a private conversation on someone else's phone. In the first few weeks after the launch, the company reported that 25,000 user-generated stories had been made.[22] On July 28, 2017, Tap launched Tap Originals, a series of original stories with chapters released on a weekly basis.[23]

In October 2018, Wattpad began Wattpad Next as a beta test. Wattpad Next featured stories that were to be paid for with coins, from which writers could earn money. The beta test concluded in April 2019, with Wattpad concluding that "Wattpadders are ready for a program that funds writers".[24] The program, relaunched as Paid Stories, was initially available in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, and the Philippines. In May, it was expanded to Latin America and Spain, and in July it became worldwide with stories available in English and Spanish.[24]

Wattpad Books

On January 24, 2019, Wattpad launched the publishing division Wattpad Books led by Wattpad Studios' Publishing Deputy Manager Ashleigh Gardner, with operations managed by Wattpad Studios' Publishing Director Deanna McFadden.[25] According to CEO Allen Lau, this project was in an effort to take the "guesswork" out of publishing.[26]

The Wattpad Books acquisitions team uses a mix of machine learning algorithms and human editors.[27] The acquisitions team looks to Wattpad's large and existing digital library (over half a billion titles) in order to select notable material for publication.[27][28] According to Wattpad Books leader Ashleigh Gardner, this is in an effort to combat bias inherent in human editors.[27] Gardner says that this technology analyses the data behind each title, looking at story structure and word use in addition to levels of reader engagement per title.[29] This data is then compared to analyses of other books on Wattpad and in the public domain.[29] Once all the data has been collected and engagement has been looked at, human staffers read the titles and create their lists.[29]

All published titles are a combination of international hits and notable but known material from their digital library.[25] These titles are distributed by Macmillan, Raincoast Books, and Penguin Random House in India and the United Kingdom, with their Fall 2019 list available in leading North American retailers.[25][7][30] Outside North America, Gardner has sold the rights to Hachette (France) for Deanna Cameron's What Happened Last Night.[31] Additionally, Lauren Palphreyman's rights to Cupid's Match have been sold in French (Hachette) and German (S. Fischer Verlag).[32]

Wattpad's first list consisted of six young adult novels.[32] The QB Bad Boy & Me by Tay Marley (28.8 million reads) will be their lead title and was slated for release on August 13, 2019.[32] The remaining five books will be released[needs update] between September and October 2019 and include: Trapeze by Leigh Ansell (2.5 million reads), What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron (over 1 million reads), Saving Everest by Sky Reads (17.2 million reads), Cupid's Match by Lauren Palphreyman (46.4 million reads), and I'm a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni (404,000 reads).[32] Wattpad hopes to publish 18 titles in their 2020 list.[32]

Besides Wattpad Books, Wattpad announced a partnership with Anvil Publishing, Inc., one of the Philippines' leading publishers, to create Bliss Books, a YA imprint with Filipino young adults and romance fanatics as their target market.[33] In February 2007, Wattpad announced the addition of over 17,000 e-books from Project Gutenberg, making them available to mobile users.[6]

Statistics

As of September 2020:

  • More than 80% of its traffic and usage comes from mobile devices[34]
  • The site has 90 million monthly users[35]
  • 70% of users are female, 80% of whom are millennials or Gen Z[5][36]

As of 2018, nearly 300,000 writers from 35 countries took part in Wattpad's yearly writing competition, The Watty Awards.[37]

Platform usage

Publishing

Famous authors such as Margaret Atwood and R. L. Stine have also joined Wattpad. Atwood has posted poetry and judged a poetry contest on the platform.[38] Stine has used Wattpad to post chapters of his books and has done interactive events with readers.[39]

Wattpad has formed ties with publishing houses to try to help Wattpad authors receive compensation for their works. A new branch, Wattpad Studios, was developed to connect popular writers to both the publishing and film industries.[40] Wattpad has, in the past, teamed up with publishing groups such as Sourcebooks to help Wattpad authors receive book deals and get their work into hard copies.[41] More traditional publishing houses such as Random House and HarperCollins have approached popular Wattpad writers to negotiate publishing deals, allowing the website to serve as a springboard into the more traditional publishing industry.[42]

Author Anna Todd, whose work After has received over a billion reads on the site, was given a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster to turn her online work into a multiple-book published saga. A film version starring Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Selma Blair, Jennifer Beals, Peter Gallagher, and Shane Paul McGhie was released by Aviron Pictures on April 12, 2019.

Fan fiction

Wattpad has increased in popularity among many fandoms, who take to the platform to craft their own fan fiction.[43] One of the most notable stories on the platform is the After series by Anna Todd, which was originally published as Harry Styles fan fiction.[44] After its large popularity amongst the One Direction fandom and the app's readers, the story became the most-read book on Wattpad,[45] having achieved just under 10 million unique readers on the platform and has been read more than one billion times.[46] The series went on to be published by Gallery Books and became a New York Times Best Seller.[45]

By crafting a spot for fanfiction alongside its other genres, Wattpad prioritizes its teen readers and gives the platform a twist.[3] Deputy General Manager, Ashleigh Gardner, added the following about the genre: "What's unique about Wattpad is that fanfic is treated like any other genre, living alongside other forms of fiction. This makes it more fluid for readers of original fiction to discover a new fanfic, or inspire a fanfiction writer to start a new story and bring their audience along with them."[47]

Fan fiction is the third-largest category on Wattpad, closely behind Romance and Teen Fiction, many of which are also fan fiction.[3]

Contests

Wattpad hosts a number of writing contests each year, including the annual Watty Awards, the largest writing competition in the world.[48] In 2011, The Watty Awards introduced three entry levels (Popular, On The Rise, and Undiscovered) to allow greater chances of winning for every type of writer. Contests are open to anyone who has a Wattpad account.

During the summer of 2012, Wattpad in collaboration with Margaret Atwood, Canadian poet/novelist/literary critic, held the "Wattys": the first major poetry contest offering a chance to poets on Wattpad to compete against each other in one of two categories, either as an "Enthusiast" or a "Competitor". It has been going on ever since, and now the contest is open to books of all genres.

Entertainment

Several stories published on Wattpad have been adapted to film and television, most of which are produced under Wattpad's in-house production company, Wattpad Webtoon Studios (formerly Wattpad Studios).[49] In July 2025, the company rebranded as Webtoon Productions, taking the name of its sister platform Webtoon.[50]

The first Wattpad-to-screen adaptation was the 2014 Philippine film Diary ng Panget, which is based on the novel of the same name published on the platform by Denny R. (under the pseudonym HaveYouSeenThisGirL).[51] In March 2014, Wattpad partnered with Pop Fiction, an imprint of the Philippine publishing company Summit Media, to market stories by its writers in the Philippines.[52] Since then, some Wattpad stories have also been adapted into Philippine television dramas or teleseryes. Philippine television network TV5, in partnership with Wattpad and Life is Beautiful Publishing Company, launched Wattpad Presents, an anthology series of TV dramas based on Wattpad stories from Filipino authors, most of which were published locally by LIB Publishing.[53]

The first Hollywood adaptation of a Wattpad story was the 2018 Netflix film The Kissing Booth, which was based on the novel of the same name by Beth Reekles that originated as a story on the platform, where it won a Watty Award for "Most Popular Teen Fiction" in Wattpad's annual writing contest.[54][55] It premiered on May 11, 2018, and was hailed as "one of the most-watched movies in the country, and maybe in the world" by co-CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos.[56] The Kissing Booth was the fourth most popular movie in IMDb's popularity rankings in June 2018.[57]

Wattpad has also signed deals with Asian distribution partners, including the pan-Asian streaming platform Iflix to co-produce dozens of original movies based on Wattpad stories from Indonesian authors,[58] as well as the Singaporean public broadcaster Mediacorp to bring Wattpad stories to the broadcaster's free-to-air channels such as Channel 5 (with exception of CNA) and its streaming service mewatch (formerly Toggle).[59]

On December 8, 2021, it was announced that ViacomCBS would be partnering with Wattpad to produce some of its original stories.[60]. The first series produced under this partnership was the Hulu television series Light as a Feather, based on the book Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board by Zoe Aarsen and produced by ViacomCBS-owned company AwesomenessTV, which received ten Daytime Emmy Award nominations.[61]

Adaptations of Wattpad works

Table key
†
 Adaptations co-produced by Wattpad Studios/Wattpad Webtoon Studios/Webtoon Productions
Film
Title Based on Distributor Country Original release Ref(s)
Diary ng Panget Diary ng Panget by Denny R. (HaveYouSeenThisGirL) Viva Films Philippines April 2, 2014 [51]
She's Dating the Gangster She's Dating the Gangster by Bianca Bernardino (SGWannaB) Star Cinema Philippines July 16, 2014 [62]
Talk Back and You're Dead Talk Back and You're Dead by Alesana Marie
  • Star Cinema
  • Viva Films
 Philippines August 20, 2014 [61]
Just the Way You Are The Bet by Kimberly Joy Villanueva (ilurvbooks) Star Cinema Philippines June 17, 2015 [63]
Must Date the Playboy Must Date the Playboy by Imma delos Santos (notjustarandomgirl) iWant TV Philippines August 1, 2015 [64]
The Kissing Booth The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles Netflix United States May 11, 2018 [54]
After † After by Anna Todd (Imaginator1D) Aviron Pictures United States April 12, 2019 [61][65]
The Kissing Booth 2 The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles Netflix United States July 24, 2020 [54]
After We Collided † After We Collided by Anna Todd (Imaginator1D) Open Road Films United States October 23, 2020 [61][66]
The Kissing Booth 3 The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles Netflix United States August 11, 2021 [54]
After We Fell † After We Fell by Anna Todd (Imaginator1D) Voltage Pictures United States September 30, 2021 [61]
Through My Window (A través de mi ventana) Through My Window by Ariana Godoy Netflix Spain February 4, 2022 [61]
After Ever Happy † After Ever Happy by Anna Todd (Imaginator1D) Voltage Pictures United States September 7, 2022 [61]
Perfect Addiction † Perfect Addiction by Claudia Tan Amazon Prime Video United States March 23, 2023 [61]
My Fault (Culpa mía) Culpa mía by Mercedes Ron Amazon Prime Video Spain June 8, 2023 [67]
Through My Window: Across the Sea (A través del mar) Through My Window by Ariana Godoy Netflix Spain June 23, 2023 [61]
After Everything † After by Anna Todd (Imaginator1D) Voltage Pictures United States September 13, 2023 [61]
Float † Float by Kate Marchant
  • Elevation Pictures
  • Lionsgate
 Canada September 30, 2023 [61]
Through My Window 3: Looking at You (A través de tu mirada) Through My Window by Ariana Godoy Netflix Spain February 23, 2024 [61]
The Tearsmith (Fabbricante di lacrime) The Tearsmith by Erin Doom Netflix Italy April 4, 2024 [61]
Boot Camp † Boot Camp by Gina Musa Blue Fox Entertainment Canada August 2, 2024 [61]
Sidelined: The QB and Me † The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley Tubi United States November 29, 2024 [61]
Your Fault (Culpa tuya) Culpa tuya by Mercedes Ron Amazon Prime Video Spain December 27, 2024 [67]
Bad Influence (Mala influencia) Mala influencia by Teensspirit Tripictures Spain January 24, 2025 [68]
My Fault: London Culpa mía by Mercedes Ron Amazon Prime Video United Kingdom February 13, 2025 [69]
Follow My Voice (Sigue mi voz) Sigue mi voz by Ariana Godoy Beta Fiction Spain Spain September 12, 2025 [68]
Our Fault (Culpa nuestra) Culpa nuestra by Mercedes Ron Amazon Prime Video Spain October 16, 2025 [67]
Sidelined 2: Intercepted † The QB Bad Boy and Me by Tay Marley Tubi United States November 27, 2025 [68]
Kissing Is the Easy Part † Kissing Is the Easy Part by Christine Duann (rainbowbrook) Tubi United States February 13, 2026 [68][70]
Love Me Love Me † Love Me Love Me by Stefania S. Amazon Prime Video Italy February 13, 2026 [68]
Boulevard Boulevard by Flor M. Salvador Sony Pictures International Productions Spain April 10, 2026 [68]
Your Fault: London Culpa tuya by Mercedes Ron Amazon Prime Video United Kingdom June 2026 [71]
Television
Title Based on Original broadcaster Country Original release Ref(s)
Wattpad Presents † Various stories TV5 Philippines Template:Start and end date [53]
Wansapanataym: My App #Boyfie My App Boyfie by Noreen Capili ABS-CBN Philippines Template:Start and end date [72]
Bagito Bagito by Noreen Capili ABS-CBN Philippines Template:Start and end date [73]
Light as a Feather † Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board by Zoe Aarsen Hulu United States Template:Start and end date [61]
Turn On (Indonesian TV series) (id) Turn On by Tiara Wales Vidio Indonesia Template:Start and end date [61]
He's Into Her He's Into Her by Maxine Lat Calibuso (Maxinejiji)
Philippines Template:Start and end date [74]
The Girl He Never Noticed The Girl He Never Noticed by Neilani Alejandrino (sweetdreamer33) Mewatch Singapore September 22, 2022 (2022-09-22) [75]
Luv Is † Caught In His Arms by Ventre Canard
Love at First Read by Chixnita 		GMA Network Philippines Template:Start and end date [76][77]
The Rain In España University Series - The Rain in España by Gwy Saludes (4reuminct) Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [61]
My Life with the Walter Boys My Life with the Walter Boys by Ali Novak Netflix United States Template:Start and end date [61][78]
Ang Mutya ng Section E † Ang Mutya ng Section E by Lara Flores (Eatmore2behappy) Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [68]
Seducing Drake Palma † Seducing Drake Palma by Ariesa Jane Domingo (beeyotch) Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [79]
I Love You Since 1892 † I Love You Since 1892 by Mia Alfonso Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [68]
Golden Scenery of Tomorrow † Golden Scenery of Tomorrow by Gwy Saludes (4reuminct) Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [80]
Hell University † Hell University by KnightInBlack Viva One Philippines Template:Start and end date [68]
Project Loki † Project Loki by AkoSiIbarra
Philippines Template:Start and end date [68]
Must Date the Playboy Must Date the Playboy by Imma delos Santos (notjustarandomgirl) Vasantham Singapore Template:Start and end date [68]

Criticisms and controversies

In April 2024, Wattpad announced that it would be removing a private messaging (PM) feature from the platform in response to a report on sexual grooming in PMs.[81]

Wattpad has stated that the feature has "only been relevant to a small percentage of our user base"[82] and removing it could foster "transparent dialogue."[83] However, proponents of retaining private messaging[81] have stated that private messaging allows for collaboration among other things.

June 2020 data breach

In June 2020, Wattpad suffered a huge data breach that exposed almost 270 million records. The data was initially sold before being published on a public hacking forum where it was widely circulated. The incident exposed extensive personal information including names and usernames, email and IP addresses, genders of users, birth dates, and passwords stored as bcrypt hashes.[84][85]

Later that same year on July 14, researchers at Risk Based Security discovered that a threat actor from an unknown source was responsible for the breach, along with the sourcing of over 278 million password credentials and email addresses, with breakdown analysis suggesting that Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook accounts were mostly affected.[86] The Wattpad Corporation has since investigated and patched the issue.

Countries restricting access to Wattpad

China

Access to Wattpad from within mainland China is restricted. Censorship in China covers topics such as LGBTQ+ content, which censors consider to be immoral.[87]

Russia

Wattpad could be restricted in Russia in response to legal crackdown on LGBTQ propaganda.[88] Already, similar platforms like Archive of Our Own and Ficbook have been banned for promoting 'non-traditional sexual relations.'[89]

Turkey

In July 2024, a Turkish court, the Ankara 10th Penal Court of Peace, ordered that access to Wattpad be blocked. As of July 18, 2024, users within Turkey have been unable to access the site without the use of a VPN.[90] This makes Turkey the first country to officially restrict access to the site.[91]

Concerns over Generative Artificial Intelligence in writing

Wattpad users have expressed concerns over AI-generated stories on the platform, claiming the ability to produce content quickly is an unfair advantage. In a 2024 poll, Wattpad found that while 90% of readers and authors believe these technologies will play a role in the future of reading, more than 92% believe it is important that humans remain involved in writing and producing books.[92] 43% of respondents had concerns over whether AI could limit economic or publishing opportunities and 23% were worried that AI would threaten cultural inclusivity and authenticity.[93]

Early in its history, some large volumes of user-uploaded material hosted on Wattpad were copyrighted material created by authors who did not grant republication rights. In May 2009, an article in The New York Times noted, "Sites like Scribd and Wattpad, which invite users to upload documents like college theses and self-published novels, have been the target of industry grumbling in recent weeks, as illegal reproductions of popular titles have turned up on them".[94]

The Wattpad website notes, "We do not welcome upload of material that violates its copyright terms," but also states "It is simply not possible to screen and verify all posted content."[95] In response to industry criticism, in April 2009 (before the publication of the New York Times article that named Wattpad as a vehicle for user-generated e-book infringement) Wattpad announced an "Authors In Charge" program, designed to allow authors or their representatives to identify and directly remove infringing content from the site, but this program is designed specifically for "authors with published books for sale."[95] Authors may begin their stories on Wattpad and then choose to publish their work. In most cases, the work on Wattpad is only a sample to ensure funds go to them in regard to their writing.

Effects on writers

According to a study, online writing communities like Wattpad help young writers learn and grow their craft through constructive feedback and criticism.[96] Composed of students and their experiences on online writing platforms, the study aims to show how constructive criticism affects their writing process. Most participants prefer serious feedback over subtle critiquing, based on the results.[96]

Wattpad, as well as similar online writing communities, help young authors build and construct their self-perception as writers, as well as establish an audience and interact with readers.[97] It acts as a gateway into the publishing realm and offers hands-on experience with digital writing. This type of experience helps writers develop personal authorship.[97] Claudia Tan, author of Perfect Addiction, described Wattpad as “a training ground to hone my writing skills.”[98]

Readers on Wattpad are able to comment on specific paragraphs and lines within the texts they read. Such comments are available to be viewed by all readers and the author themselves, acting as a form of feedback for the writer.[99]

References

  1. ↑ "Wattpad: Building the world's biggest reader and writer community - The Literary Platform". October 18, 2012. http://theliteraryplatform.com/magazine/2012/10/wattpad-building-the-worlds-biggest-reader-and-writer-community/. 
  2. ↑ "Wattpad | Wattpad HQ" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Wattpad's unlikely literary revolution" (in en-US). July 25, 2012. https://www.dailydot.com/debug/wattpad-unlikely-literary-revolution/. 
  4. ↑ "The Future of Fiction: Wattpad Research Reveals Generational Shift in Reading Habits, Skepticism of AI in Publishing" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/the-future-of-fiction-wattpad-research-reveals-generational-shift-in-reading-habits-skepticism-of-ai-in-publishingnbsp. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rao, Sonia. "How 'The Kissing Booth' went from a teenager's passion project to a Netflix sensation". Washington Post (WP Company LLC). https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/how-the-kissing-booth-went-from-a-teenagers-passion-project-to-a-netflix-sensation/2018/07/13/712c0072-84fe-11e8-9e80-403a221946a7_story.html?noredirect=on. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Press". https://company.wattpad.com/press. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Penguin Random House India Partners with Wattpad to Showcase Exclusive Content and Innovative Promotions" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/7/8/penguin-random-house-india-partners-with-wattpad-to-showcase-exclusive-content-and-innovative-promotions. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Wattpad Raises $51 Million in Funding from Tencent, BDC and Other Partners" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/archives/2018-1-16-wattpad-raises-51-million-in-funding-from-tencent-bdc-and-other-partners. 
  9. ↑ "Wattpad: Building the world's biggest reader and writer community - The Literary Platform" (in en-US). The Literary Platform. http://theliteraryplatform.com/magazine/2012/10/wattpad-building-the-worlds-biggest-reader-and-writer-community/. 
  10. ↑ "Discover - Wattpad". https://www.wattpad.com/stories. 
  11. ↑ Ingram, Mathew (September 12, 2011). "Union Square backs Wattpad to make reading more social". http://gigaom.com/2011/09/12/union-square-backs-wattpad-to-make-reading-more-social/. 
  12. ↑ Ingram, Mathew (June 6, 2012). "Wattpad raises $17 million to become the YouTube of writing". https://gigaom.com/2012/06/06/wattpad-raises-17-million-to-become-the-youtube-of-writing/. 
  13. ↑ "Wattpad Raises $46 Million to Build a Global Literary Community". Mashable. April 8, 2014. http://mashable.com/2014/04/08/wattpad-funding/. 
  14. ↑ "Tencent Leads $51 Million Investment in Canadian Startup Wattpad" (in en). Bloomberg.com. January 17, 2018. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-17/tencent-leads-51-million-investment-in-canadian-startup-wattpad. 
  15. ↑ Jackson, Brian (December 2011). "Wave Accounting and Wattpad win people's choice awards at CIX". ITBusiness.ca | Business Advantage Through Technology. https://www.itbusiness.ca/news/wave-accounting-and-wattpad-win-peoples-choice-awards-at-cix/16717. 
  16. ↑ "Wattpad to be sold to South Korean internet giant for $600M US | CBC News" (in en-US). CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/wattpad-sold-south-korean-giant-1.5879865. 
  17. ↑ "Naver Completes Wattpad Acquisition" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/naver-completes-wattpad-acquisition. 
  18. ↑ "Interview: Wattpad CEO Allen Lau on the Merger with Naver" (in en-US). January 21, 2021. https://publishingperspectives.com/2021/01/exclusive-wattpad-ceo-allen-lau-on-the-merger-with-koreas-naver-interview/. 
  19. ↑ "Wattpad Launches After Dark app for Steamy Romance". http://happyeverafter.usatoday.com/2015/02/26/wattpad-after-dark-steamy-romance-app/. 
  20. ↑ Perez, Sarah (February 22, 2017). "Wattpad debuts Tap, an app for reading chat-style short stories". https://techcrunch.com/2017/02/22/wattpad-debuts-tap-an-app-for-reading-chat-style-short-stories/. 
  21. ↑ Hoffelder, Nate (February 22, 2017). "Wattpad Launches Chat-Style Reading App Tap". https://the-digital-reader.com/2017/02/22/wattpad-launches-chat-style-reading-app-tap/. 
  22. ↑ Dingman, Shane (March 17, 2017). "Wattpad taps into a new genre". https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/wattpad-taps-into-a-new-genre/article34335985/. 
  23. ↑ Perez, Sarah (July 28, 2017). "Wattpad takes 'chat fiction' beyond text with launch of Tap Originals". https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/28/wattpad-takes-chat-fiction-beyond-text-with-launch-of-tap-originals/. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "News & Updates - April 3rd, 2019 - Thank you, Next. Introducing Paid Stories. - Wattpad". https://www.wattpad.com/714856760-news-updates-april-3rd-2019-thank-you-next. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Wattpad Launches Wattpad Books, a New Publishing Division to Bring Diverse, Data-Backed Stories to Book-Lovers Everywhere" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/1/23/wattpad-launches-wattpad-books-a-new-publishing-division-to-bring-diverse-data-backed-stories-to-book-lovers-everywhere. 
  26. ↑ "Wattpad, founded by U of T alumni, launches publishing division: New York Times" (in en). https://www.utoronto.ca/news/wattpad-founded-u-t-alumni-launches-publishing-division-new-york-times. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Liptak, Andrew (January 24, 2019). "Wattpad is launching a publishing imprint called Wattpad Books". https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/24/18195753/wattpad-books-launching-publishing-imprint-self. 
  28. ↑ Rugo, Lily. "Wattpad's New Book Publishing Branch Uses Machine Deep Learning To Find Stories" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/lilyrugo/2019/01/30/wattpads-new-book-publishing-branch-uses-machine-deep-learning-to-find-stories/. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Flatt, Molly (February 4, 2019). "Algorithms, trends and partnerships: the inside story of Wattpad books". https://www.thebookseller.com/futurebook/algorithms-trends-and-partnerships-inside-story-wattpad-books-942486. 
  30. ↑ "Penguin Random House UK collaborates with Wattpad Books to bring global Wattpad hits to readers in the UK" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/8/8/penguin-random-house-uk-collaborates-with-wattpad-books-to-bring-global-wattpad-hits-to-readers-in-the-uk. 
  31. ↑ "Wattpad Launches a Book Publishing Division Called Wattpad Books" (in en-US). January 24, 2019. https://publishingperspectives.com/2019/01/wattpad-books-new-publishing-division-opened-canada/. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 "Online storytelling community Wattpad launches its own publishing arm, Wattpad Books" (in en-US). January 24, 2019. https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/24/online-storytelling-community-wattpad-launches-its-own-publishing-arm-wattpad-books/. 
  33. ↑ "Anvil Publishing and Wattpad Team Up for Bliss Books, a New YA Imprint for the Philippines" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/4/15/anvil-publishing-and-wattpad-team-up-for-bliss-books-a-new-ya-imprint-for-the-philippines. 
  34. ↑ Mathew Ingram (January 17, 2018). "Wattpad Banks $51 Million From Tencent, Other Investors to Fund Entertainment Projects". https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/wattpad-funding-tencent-tv-film-entertainment-1202666935/. 
  35. ↑ "Wattpad tracks 80 million monthly users, 23 percent increase since 2018" (in en-CA). August 15, 2019. https://company.wattpad.com/. 
  36. ↑ "Wattpad's 2020 Year in Review: Catharsis Through Creativity, Creating Community, and Changing the World with Stories" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/archives/2020-12-1-wattpads-2020-year-in-review-catharsis-through-creativity-creating-community-and-changing-the-world-with-stories. 
  37. ↑ Anderson, Porter (2019-06-04). "The International Watty Awards at 10 Include a Wattpad Books Contract" (in en-US). https://publishingperspectives.com/2019/06/canada-watty-awards-tenth-anniversary-open-for-submissions-2019/. 
  38. ↑ Atwood, Margaret (July 6, 2012). "Margaret Atwood: why Wattpad works". https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jul/06/margaret-atwood-wattpad-online-writing. 
  39. ↑ "R.L. Stine Finds New Era of Readers On The Web". April 7, 2015. https://www.bustle.com/articles/73986-rl-stines-fear-street-wattpad-project-shows-everyones-favorite-childrens-book-writer-is-ready-to-face. 
  40. ↑ Ha, Anthony (April 26, 2016). "Wattpad sets its sights on brands, publishers and Hollywood with Wattpad Studios". https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/26/wattpad-studios/. 
  41. ↑ "Sourcebooks, Wattpad Team Up To Launch YA Authors". PublishersWeekly.com. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/58997-sourcebooks-wattpad-team-up-to-launch-ya-authors.html. 
  42. ↑ "What Is Wattpad? The 'YouTube For Stories' Is Transforming Book Publishing". International Business Times. October 23, 2014. http://www.ibtimes.com/what-wattpad-youtube-stories-transforming-book-publishing-1710151. 
  43. ↑ "The path to publication from fan fiction and Wattpad" (in en-US). August 24, 2020. https://lariatnews.com/orangeappeal/the-path-to-publication-from-fan-fiction-and-wattpad/. 
  44. ↑ Pham, Jason (April 12, 2019). "How Anna Todd's Harry Styles Fanfiction Became a Bestselling Book—& Now a Movie" (in en). https://stylecaster.com/after-anna-todd-harry-styles-fanfiction/. 
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 "About Wattpad" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/. 
  46. ↑ Gannes, Liz (October 22, 2014). "Q&A With Anna Todd, the Breakout Fanfic Star Who Writes Everything on Her Phone" (in en). https://www.vox.com/2014/10/22/11632112/qa-with-anna-todd-the-breakout-fanfic-star-who-writes-everything-on. 
  47. ↑ "YA Reading and Writing Trends from Wattpad's 60 Million Users" (in en-US). October 25, 2017. https://publishingperspectives.com/2017/10/watpad-ya-trends-publishing-insights-millennials/. 
  48. ↑ "Writing Contests on Wattpad". https://www.wattpad.com/go/writing-contests/. 
  49. ↑ "Aron Levitz Appointed Co-President of Wattpad" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/aron-levitz-appointed-co-president-of-wattpadnbsp. 
  50. ↑ Kit, Borys (July 10, 2025). "Webtoon Rebrands, Reorganizes North American Entertainment, IP Business (Exclusive)". https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/webtoon-rebrands-1236310716/. Retrieved May 9, 2026. 
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Agting, Ira (March 29, 2014). "'Diary ng Panget' writer Denny on teen success, casting the movie". https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/54191-interview-denny-author-diary-ng-panget/. 
  52. ↑ "Summit Media and Wattpad ink partnership to publish more works by online writers in the Philippines". Summit Media. March 24, 2014. http://www.summitmedia.com.ph/news/summit-media-wattpad-partnership/. 
  53. ↑ 53.0 53.1 Samio, Veronica R. (September 20, 2014). "Wattpad nakuha ng TV5". Pilipino Star Ngayon (Philstar.com). https://www.philstar.com/pilipino-star-ngayon/showbiz/2014/09/20/1371022/wattpad-nakuha-ng-tv5. 
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 54.3 "Netflix's latest hit 'The Kissing Booth' is a Wattpad success story". June 14, 2018. https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/14/netflixs-latest-hit-the-kissing-booth-is-a-wattpad-success-story/. 
  55. ↑ Doll, Jen (April 9, 2013). "Meet the 17-Year-Old Who's Already Got a Three-Book Deal with Random House". https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/04/beth-reekles-kissing-booth/316454/. 
  56. ↑ Rowe, Adam. "Why Beth Reekles Is The Wattpad Success Story Behind Netflix Hit 'The Kissing Booth'". https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamrowe1/2018/06/26/why-beth-reekles-is-the-wattpad-success-story-behind-netflix-hit-the-kissing-booth/. 
  57. ↑ Clark, Travis (June 12, 2018). "Netflix says its teen romcom 'The Kissing Booth' is 'one of the most-watched movies in the country'". https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-says-the-kissing-booth-is-one-of-the-most-watched-movies-in-the-country-2018-6. 
  58. ↑ "Wattpad Strikes Original Content Partnership With Asian Digital Platform Iflix". August 15, 2018. https://deadline.com/2018/08/wattpad-strikes-original-content-partnership-with-asian-digital-platform-iflix-1202445743/. 
  59. ↑ "Wattpad and Mediacorp partner to bring Singapore stories from written word to national screens" (in en-US). https://company.wattpad.com/blog/2019/4/23/wattpad-and-mediacorp-partner-to-bring-singapore-stories-from-written-word-to-national-screens. 
  60. ↑ Keck, Catie (December 8, 2021). "ViacomCBS announces partnership with Wattpad to adapt originals". https://www.theverge.com/2021/12/8/22825153/wattpad-webtoon-originals-paramount-plus-viacomcbs. 
  61. ↑ 61.00 61.01 61.02 61.03 61.04 61.05 61.06 61.07 61.08 61.09 61.10 61.11 61.12 61.13 61.14 61.15 61.16 61.17 61.18 Bruce, Amanda (December 15, 2024). "Every Wattpad Movie & TV Show Ever Made". https://screenrant.com/wattpad-movies-tv-shows/. 
  62. ↑ Villano, Alexa (July 12, 2014). "'She's Dating the Gangster': Evolution to the big screen" (in en). https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-culture/62837-shes-dating-the-gangster-wattpad-big-screen/. 
  63. ↑ "Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano star in ‘The Bet’". 25 June 2014. http://starcinema.abs-cbn.com/latest-news/enrique-gil-liza-soberano-star-in-the-bet. 
  64. ↑ Mendoza, Arvin (September 2, 2015). "IN PHOTOS: Kim Chiu, Xian Lim star in 'Must Date the Playboy'". http://entertainment.inquirer.net/177738/in-photos-kim-chiu-xian-lim-star-in-must-date-the-playboy. 
  65. ↑ Krishna, Rachael (November 23, 2018). "The "After" Movie Trailer Is Out And People Have A Lot Of Feelings". https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krishrach/a-fanfic-about-harry-styles-has-been-made-into-a-film. 
  66. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 19, 2019). "Voltage Heats Up 'After' Sequel; Josephine Langford & Hero Fiennes Tiffin Returning – Cannes". https://deadline.com/2019/05/after-sequel-josephine-langford-hero-fiennes-tiffin-anna-todd-voltage-cannes-1202618418/. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 Membrillo Garrido, Alejandro (8 June 2023). "Culpa mía. La historia que nació en Wattpad ahora llega a Prime Video". https://www.milenio.com/espectaculos/television/culpa-historia-nacio-wattpad-llega-prime-video. 
  68. ↑ 68.00 68.01 68.02 68.03 68.04 68.05 68.06 68.07 68.08 68.09 68.10 "WEBTOON Productions ⭐". https://www.wattpad.com/list/1188479177-webtoon-productions-. 
  69. ↑ Max, Goldbart (May 22, 2024). "'My Fault: London': Prime Video Making British Feature Version Of 'Culpa Mía'". https://deadline.com/2024/05/my-fault-london-prime-video-culpa-mia-mercedes-ron-1235926854/. Retrieved May 3, 2026. 
  70. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (July 10, 2025). "Paris Berelc Joins Asher Angel in YA Rom-Com Movie Kissing Is the Easy Part (Exclusive)" (in en-US). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/kissing-is-the-easy-part-paris-berelc-asher-angel-tubi-1236310760/. 
  71. ↑ Whittock, Jesse (May 7, 2025). "'My Fault: London' Getting Sequels To Complete UK 'Culpables' Trilogy". https://deadline.com/2025/05/my-fault-london-sequels-culpabales-1236388359/. 
  72. ↑ "James Reid and Nadine Lustre to star in new TV project" (in en). https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/68223-jadine-star-my-app-boyfie-wattpad/. 
  73. ↑ "'Bagito' debuts strongly in national ratings – The Manila Times" (in en-US). November 22, 2014. https://www.manilatimes.net/2014/11/22/lifestyle-entertainment/show-times/bagito-debuts-strongly-national-ratings/143396/. 
  74. ↑ ABS-CBN News (November 7, 2019). "Donny Pangilinan, Belle Mariano team up for new iWant series 'He's Into Her'". https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/07/19/donny-pangilinan-belle-mariano-team-up-for-new-iwant-series-hes-into-her. 
  75. ↑ Eusebio, Aaron Brennt (July 29, 2024). "Singaporean drama 'The Girl He Never Noticed,' mapapanood sa GMA simula August 5". https://www.gmanetwork.com/entertainment/showbiznews/singaporean-drama-the-girl-he-never-noticed-mapapanood-sa-gma-simula-august-5/114570/. 
  76. ↑ Frater, Patrick (15 June 2022). "Philippines Online Hit Caught in His Arms Set for Series Adaptation by Wattpad and GMA-7". Variety. https://variety.com/2022/global/news/philippines-hit-caught-in-his-arms-series-adaptation-wattpad-gma-1235295055/. Retrieved 3 May 2026. 
  77. ↑ "GMA Network reveals second collaboration project with Wattpad via Luv Is: Love at First Read". Manila Bulletin. December 20, 2022. https://mb.com.ph/2022/12/20/gma-network-reveals-second-collaboration-project-with-wattpad-via-luv-is-love-at-first-read/. 
  78. ↑ Thompson, Jaden (November 8, 2023). "My Life With the Walter Boys' Trailer: Netflix's TV Adaptation Features a Complicated, Steamy Love Triangle". https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/my-life-with-the-walter-boys-trailer-netflix-1235783449/. 
  79. ↑ "Rabin Angeles, Angela Muji magpapakilig sa 'Seducing Drake Palma'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. June 8, 2025. https://bandera.inquirer.net/418206/rabin-angeles-angela-muji-magpapakilig-sa-seducing-drake-palma. 
  80. ↑ Ramada, Fiel Gia. "‘My Husband is a Mafia Boss,’ ‘Hell University’ lead Viva One’s new wave of Wattpad adaptations". https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2025/08/23/2467350/my-husband-mafia-boss-hell-university-lead-viva-ones-new-wave-wattpad-adaptations. 
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 "Wattpad has a community problem, so it's killing DMs". 23 April 2024. https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/23/24138411/wattpad-removing-direct-messaging-dm-feature-grooming. 
  82. ↑ "Private / Direct Messages". https://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/204412040-Private-Direct-Messages. 
  83. ↑ "Wattpad Addresses Community Issues by Discontinuing DMs". 24 April 2024. https://www.turkmmo.com/en/wattpad-community-issues-discontinuing-dms-h1000111444.html. 
  84. ↑ "Have I Been Pwned: Pwned websites". https://haveibeenpwned.com/PwnedWebsites. 
  85. ↑ "Statement Regarding Recent Security Issue" (in en-US). http://support.wattpad.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046241911. 
  86. ↑ "Personal Data and Credentials of 268 Million Users Exposed In Recent Wattpad Hack" (in en-US). July 23, 2020. https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/2020/07/23/personal-data-and-credentials-of-268-million-users-exposed-in-recent-wattpad-hack/. 
  87. ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (2016-03-04). "China bans depictions of gay people on television" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/04/china-bans-gay-people-television-clampdown-xi-jinping-censorship. 
  88. ↑ Katsuba, Sergey. "Russian “Gay Propaganda Law”: A Comprehensive Qualitative Analysis of the Legislation and Case Law". Problems of Post-Communism 0 (0): 1–14. doi:10.1080/10758216.2025.2487577. ISSN 1075-8216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10758216.2025.2487577. 
  89. ↑ "Russia mulls banning Wattpad in continued crackdown on 'LGBT propaganda'". 2025-06-11. https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2025/06/11/russia-mulls-banning-wattpad-in-continued-crackdown-on-lgbt-propaganda-en-news. 
  90. ↑ "International Publishers join calls for Türkiye to unblock Wattpad" (in en-US). International Publishers Association. 2024-07-22. https://internationalpublishers.org/international-publishers-join-calls-for-turkiye-to-unblock-wattpad/. 
  91. ↑ "Turkey becomes first country to ban Wattpad" (in en). https://bianet.org/haber/turkey-becomes-first-country-to-ban-wattpad-297607. 
  92. ↑ Salkowitz, Rob. "Sorry, AI: The Future Of Fiction Is Human, According To New Wattpad Survey" (in en). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2024/01/09/sorry-ai-the-future-of-fiction-is-human-according-to-new-wattpad-survey/. 
  93. ↑ Salkowitz, Rob. "Sorry, AI: The Future Of Fiction Is Human, According To New Wattpad Survey" (in en). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robsalkowitz/2024/01/09/sorry-ai-the-future-of-fiction-is-human-according-to-new-wattpad-survey/. 
  94. ↑ Rich, Motoko (May 11, 2009). "With E-Readers Comes Wider Piracy of Books". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/technology/internet/12digital.html. 
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 Wattpad – Writer Program, http://www.wattpad.com/writerprogram, retrieved August 12, 2011 .
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 Birch, Heather (2016). "Feedback in Online Writing Forums: Effects on Adolescent Writers". Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education 5. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol5/iss1/5/. Retrieved September 30, 2019. 
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Ramdarshan Bold, Melanie (2016). "The Return of the Social Author: Negotiating Authority and Influence on Wattpad". Convergence. doi:10.1177/1354856516654459. 
  98. ↑ Friedman, Jane (2023-08-04). "Wattpad Authors Who’ve Gone From Page to Screen" (in en-US). https://janefriedman.com/wattpad-authors-whove-gone-from-page-to-screen/. 
  99. ↑ Rebora, Simone (2018). "A New Research Programme for Reading Research: Analysing Comments in the Margins on Wattpad". DigitCult - Scientific Journal on Digital Cultures 3: 19–36. https://digitcult.lim.di.unimi.it/index.php/dc/article/view/67. Retrieved October 3, 2019. 



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