Last week, Wattpad announced a new model known as Wattpad Originals for readers to enjoy paid stories published on their platform. Rather than paywalling certain stories entirely and making readers pay for access (once known as Wattpad Paid Stories), readers now only pay if they want to read ahead, either by using “coins” or by purchasing a Wattpad Premium+ subscription. Only the 10 most recently published chapters will be behind a paywall, and readers can see how long they need to wait for their next free chapter. This model is already used by Webtoon, the sister company of Wattpad. There are about 1,600 Wattpad Original stories in six languages across all genres. Learn more. Note that Yonder, announced by Wattpad last year, continues as usual as a separate app and program.
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.
