Imagine a bibliophile's delight when a relatively new author plays around with their favourite literary character as a tribute and creates a new fan-fiction series? That's what Wattpad exactly does and nearly half-a-million Indians have embraced the popular writing platform since it was launched in 2006.
According to Wikipedia, Wattpad is a writing community in which users are able to post articles, stories, and poems about anything either online or through the Wattpad app. The content includes work by undiscovered and published writers. Exactly so, about 90% of Wattpad users are readers and not writers which explains the new generations craze to read e-books online.
Wattpad has also been able to carve out numerous success stories as many authors were able to get their stories published in paperback after the stories gained prominence with readers who made a beeline to lap up the stories. The best feature about Wattpad being the freedom to interact directly with author and provide inputs as well. This ensures a two-way communication process between the author and the readers.
India is a big player too. In September, it was the fifth most active country on Wattpad with more than three million sessions. The numbers are small but the users active and as of 2014, nealry half-a-million Indians are engaging and creating content on a daily basis.
Though digital revolution and e-publishing is on the brink of transforming how Indians consume content online, Wattpad CEO says that there is no threat to the paper-back industry because of Wattpad. “We’re not replacing printed books but we’re creating a new experience around storytelling,” says Allen Lau, CEO and co-founder. “From the start, Wattpad has been about mobile, social reading.”
For example, author Mizpa Mijam Ratliff wrote an extravagant science fiction story about a girl called Siuntla (the story is set in an alien planet) called, 'The Guilt of the night people'. The book though heavily laced with science fiction had its emotional quotient intact and people lapped up the book. A follow-up series was also written to capture the series popularity and Mizpa managed to publish her book in paperback.
Also read: Wattpad, social networking community for budding writers, completes seven years
dna had a quick chat with Wattpad General manager Candice Faktor who gave some interesting details about the platform and its functioning:
What is the Wattpad user base globally and at what rate is it growing?
Wattpad is the world's largest community of writers and readers. We have 25 million people on that platform, with a user in nearly every country in the world. With over 40 million stories and thousands added each day, our growth rate is constantly increasing.
What percentage of users on Wattpad are Indians?
There are more than half a million Wattpadders in India and that number is growing every day.
There are 75,000 uploads every day on Wattpad. How does Wattpad team manage this huge traffic?
Wattpad has a dedicated community team who monitors and engages with our community. They have a finger its pulse, and learn about what stories and topics are rising in popularity. We also have our Ambassadors, these are Wattpadders who have been promoted to the role of community moderators by the Wattpad community team. The two groups work together to manage the traffic within the community.
What is Wattpad's objective in terms of online publishing and allowing people to write books?
Wattpad is a forum for self-expression. Once a user is set-up, they can write anywhere, at any time. Wattpadders have an opportunity to not only write their own story but also read any of the stories available on the platform. Wattpad is transforming the way in which people digest and publish content – anyone can read or write on any device at any time.
*Wattpad has revolutionised the online publishing space. Readers and writers are able to interact freely with each other and gauge reactions. Is this era of digital publishing a boost to the traditional form of publishing or competing with it?
The ability for followers to seamlessly interact with writers and vice-versa is a definite enhancement in publishing. Writers can garner limitless feedback that can then be directly translated into their stories. By having an open line of communication, followers become more invested in the stories that they have impacted.
What do you think is the USP of Wattpad that attracted young people back to literature and contemporary writing?
Wattpad is a place that plays host to writing across multiple genres. People can really tap into whatever interests them whether it’s fan fiction, sci-fi, sports, romance, etc... We also offer a personal connection between the readers and writers, this is a very important piece of our platform. Additionally, when you have a story saved in your library, you can read a story wherever you go, even without an internet connection.
There have been many instances of a writer’s book going popular and being purchased by publishing houses for a paper-back version. What do you feel about such cases where the writer is making a paper-back debut because of Wattpad?
We love when Wattpad writers get recognition for their hard work; it means the community really gravitated to a story and supported it with comments and votes on the platform. Our platform gives aspiring writers an opportunity to showcase their work and when a story gains popularity on the platform, we’re thrilled. We hope that our writers will keep their drafts on Warttpad so the followers feel that it is an added experience and many publishers are doing this with great results.
What is the future of Wattpad according to you?
We are hiring incredible, top tier talent to build a global consumer technology company headquartered in Toronto. Additionally, we want Wattpad to be a new reading and writing experience that enables the creation of personal connections and billions of new stories. Together, we will enable the future of storytelling.
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