Wattpad’s writer-payment program and the paid-subscription plan for readers have been rolled out worldwide
As Wattpad continues to make progress in monetizing its content and community, the biggest headlines typically go to the company’s deals for TV and film development, most recently with Sony Pictures Television and Italy’s market-dominating Gruppo Mediaset.
Last fall, however, we reported on what were the first author-remuneration efforts by Wattpad. One of the best parts: the 70 million active monthly readers on the platform can buy coins they can use to purchase access to premium stories at the site, helping instill the idea that creative work is something you pay for. These programs—known as Wattpad Paid Stories and Wattpad Premium—have just been rolled out worldwide and to all of the 50+ languages supported by the platform.
When we wrote about the start of the Paid Stories program in October, there were only 50 writers in the beta program dubbed Wattpad Next. Today, there are 134 writers, according to Wattpad general manager Jeanne Lam. Never eager to share dollar figures (like so many corporations), Wattpad nevertheless tells us that there are writers who are making “tens of thousands” of dollars in the Paid Stories program, and that one such author has made a down payment on a house with what she’s been able to earn.
The Wattpad team expects this group to expand as more writers come in from beyond the initial eligible regions (US, Canada, Mexico, UK, and the Philippines). More than 5.5 million minutes have been spent reading the Paid Stories, and Lam says that many writers on the platform have asked for the program to be widened to include their markets.
At this point, participation in the Paid Stories program is still by invite only. That’s not just because the company wants to vet the quality of the content being offered for payment but also because, Lam says, “There’s so much that we do behind the scenes to help writers through the program itself.” The company coaches the Paid Stories writers and guides them as earning authors on the platform. And until the staff feels that the paid writers can succeed without active help, it will remain invitational. For now, you can learn more about the Paid Stories program here and make an application to be considered for it here.
The Premium program that allows users to turn off advertisements is also available worldwide. This subscription launched ahead of Paid Stories, in 2017, first to English-language markets. As premium members, users get bonus coins to buy Paid Stories. (Wattpad users outside of premium also buy coins to pay for the stories.) While Lam declines to share numbers on how many coin-buyers there are or how much cash they generate, the company is of course expecting a jump in use as the program is offered to everyone.
Bottom line: We asked Lam whether there are more author-benefit programs in the works aside from Paid Stories. While she didn’t offer anything specific, the ethos of the whole company, she says, is to cultivate the talents of the platform’s writers. “Whether it means starting their very first story and getting it out, or getting that story attached to the big screen, we’re about helping them through that entire journey.”
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
