What we’re really doing is taking the guesswork out of publishing. We already know which stories, genres, and trends people love. With Wattpad Books we’re bringing more of them to bookshelves.
Why technology matters for diversity
When people talk about technology they often focus on scale, and the macro possibilities of a new world. But Wattpad Books is equally important from the micro perspective of finding and elevating individual authors, real people who have stories to tell.
This is exceptionally important today as the industry sees more and more calls for diversity. Wattpad has been built on diversity. Since our earliest days, we’ve created a product and team that values every type of person and perspective. As a result, Wattpad has long been home to marginalized voices, where they are able to find a home and community of like-minded story-lovers.
This aspect of Wattpad, and our technology, will be a major part of Wattpad Books. As we use technology to find new voices, we’re able to elevate marginalized and #OwnVoices storytellers, bringing them into the mainstream. Part of this means taking an intersectional approach to our list. We are creating real, meaningful space for diverse voices and their stories, on bookshelves, in bookstores, and in libraries.
We’re not just launching a publishing division. We’re launching a new generation of diverse writers. We are creating real, meaningful space for diverse voices and their stories.
In practice, this means validating and celebrating of the creativity, interests, and world-building that happens on Wattpad every day. Empowering and elevating a diverse group of storytellers is foundational to Wattpad Books. It’s part of what makes Wattpad unique, it’s something publishing needs more of, and something people want!
There are many examples, but some of the most recent and interesting reflect the genuine desire for more diversity in romance. One such movement, and one of the most exciting Wattpad trends of 2018, was #MuslimLoveStory. Last year, readers spent an average of 1.7 million minutes each month reading Wattpad stories tagged #MuslimRomance, #MuslimLoveStory, and #IslamicLoveStory. This trend represents a 51 per cent increase in reading time from 2017.
While reading time in #MuslimLoveStory categories grew into the millions, uploads are still relatively small. This tells us that there is a huge demand for diversity in romance that can’t be found anywhere else. With Wattpad Books, we’re in a better position to bring this trend to bookshelves.
Similarly, we’ve seen continued growth in stories and reading time dedicated to people who identify as #Transgender, #Agender, #Genderfluid, and #Nonbinary. Reading time for stories with these tags saw an increase of 18 per cent in 2018, reaching 32 million minutes for the year. Uploads grew by 56 per cent in 2018 for a total of 15,000 new uploads.
In addition to these, we’ve also seen growth across categories reflecting the spectrum of experiences and identities within the LGBTQ+ community, with stories tagged #Asexual or #Demisexual now accumulate millions of reading minutes each year.
These trends represent real people, experiences, and communities. These are people who write, read, and buy books, and who want to see their stories on bookshelves.
Just the beginning.
The printing press transformed how humans tell stories. Now our Story DNA Machine Learning technology has created a new way to discover stories and bring them to the world.
We’ve just announced Wattpad Books. In 2019 we’ll publish six books. In 2020 we’ll publish 18. From there, the sky truly is the limit. Every day more readers and writers join Wattpad. New voices find a home in a community of story-lovers who love to support writers, who buy books, and for who want to see new and different types of stories get told.
We’re here to be part of that change.
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