Wattpad Launches Wattpad Books, a New Publishing Division to Bring Diverse, Data-Backed Stories to Book-Lovers Everywhere

Wattpad Books uses technology and human editorial expertise to find the next global publishing phenomenon among the half a billion story uploads on Wattpad

TORONTO - Jan. 24, 2019 - Wattpad, the global multiplatform entertainment company for original stories, today announced the launch of Wattpad Books, the company’s first direct publishing division that will bring Wattpad stories to bookshelves everywhere. Wattpad Books’ first list will appear in Fall 2019, with six titles launching this year. Ashleigh Gardner, Deputy General Manager at Wattpad Studios, Publishing, will lead the new division, with Deanna McFadden, Publishing Director for Wattpad Studios, managing operations.

Wattpad Books brings new technology and insights to the publishing industry. Combining human editorial expertise with Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology, Wattpad Books will identify and publish stand-out stories from the more than 565 million story uploads on Wattpad. Using audience data from global reading trends, Wattpad Books will publish a mix of international Wattpad hits and hidden gems.

With billions of data points from Wattpad’s global audience of more than 70 million people, Wattpad Books will introduce diverse, new, and undiscovered voices to book lovers everywhere. Readers will find new genres, category-bending spins on traditional genres, narratives that tackle the experiences and struggles of marginalized communities, and stories that speak to the diversity of Wattpad’s global community online.

“We bring something completely unique to publishing: an engaged global community, the most diverse set of writers on the planet, and the technology to find every type of hit imaginable,” said Ashleigh Gardner, Deputy General Manager at Wattpad Studios, Publishing. “Wattpad Books is more than a new division for us, it’s a validation and celebration of the creativity, interests, and world-building that happens on Wattpad every day.”

Wattpad Books titles will be available in leading retailers across North America. Macmillan will be the official sales and distribution partner for Wattpad Books in the US, and Raincoast Books will distribute in Canada.

Wattpad has worked with publishing partners around the world to turn hundreds of Wattpad stories into best-selling books. Wattpad Books will continue to work with international publishing partners to bring Wattpad stories to bookshelves everywhere. To date, nearly one thousand Wattpad stories have been turned into books and adapted for TV, film, and digital projects.

Wattpad Books’ 2019 list features six young adult titles, spanning fantasy, romance, mystery, and other genres. Stories from Wattpad Books’ 2019 list are international hits on Wattpad, collectively accumulating more than 100 million reading minutes in 2018. Wattpad Books 2019 list will feature:     

The QB Bad Boy & Me by Tay Marley (@tayxwriter)

Dallas Bryan has her sights set on a dance scholarship to CalArts, and nothing—or no one—is going to get in the way of her plans to escape Castle Rock, Colorado...until the star quarterback from the football team crashes (literally) into her life. Drayton Lahey, the bad-boy QB from football royalty, is completely wrong for Dallas—at least, that's what she tells herself. Still, the longer Dallas tells herself she doesn't need Dray, the quicker she realizes it might be time to forget what she needs and go after what she wants.

• More than 26.3 million reads

• Available August 13, 2019

Trapeze by Leigh Ansell (@leigh_)

A tragic accident compels seventeen-year-old trapeze artist Corey Ryder to leave her aunt's circus behind. Forced to stand still when she's used to flying high, Corey will have to find her place living with the mother she's never met within the bubble that is Sherwood, California, as an unlikely friendship sparks between her and local golden boy Luke Everett.

• More than 2.5 million reads

• Available September 10, 2019

What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron (@LyssFrom1996)

Clara Porterfield has always been in love with neighborhood golden boy Griffin Tomlin, so why did her older sister, Emily, kill him? No one can understand except for Clara, who blames herself for revealing a secret she swore she would never tell.

• More than 1 million reads

• Available September 17, 2019

Cupid’s Match by Lauren Palphreyman (@LEPalphreyman)

In a world where everyone has their perfect match, seventeen-year-old Lila Black learns that not only are cupids real, but that her match is the banished god of love, Cupid himself. As arrows fly and myths become real, Cupid and Lila must resist one another or risk waking one very angry goddess.

• More than 46.4 million reads

• Available October 1, 2019

Saving Everest by Sky Chase (@Teenagexnightmare)

High school senior Everest has it all, he’s a popular athlete from one of the wealthiest families in town. But inside, he’s suffering—both depressed and suicidal—and looking for a way out. Back at school after an attempt to end his life, and now in therapy, Everest meets Beverly, a quiet, shy student open in so many ways he didn’t expect. Friends first, they soon discover that true love, tenderness, and acceptance can change both of their lives forever.

• More than 17.2 million reads

• Available October 8, 2019

I’m a Gay Wizard by V.S. Santoni (@VSSantoni)

When gay angsty teen Johnny and his goth best friend, trans girl Alison, perform a vengeance spell against a group of bullies, they suddenly find themselves whisked away to the Marduk Institute, a school for wayward wizards. While there, they’ll battle the demons that show up in real life—and the ones you create yourself—to find love and acceptance. And unicorns.

• More than 404,000 reads

• Available October 29, 2019

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About Wattpad Books

Wattpad Books, a division of Wattpad, is the leader in data-backed publishing. Leveraging billions of daily insights from Wattpad’s global community of 70 million book-lovers, Wattpad Books combines the best of art and science, using human expertise and Story DNA Machine Learning technology to identify the trends, voices, and stories that are the future of publishing. By elevating the stories of diverse communities around the world, Wattpad Books is creating new space for writers and fans of every genre.

Visit books.wattpad.com for more information.

About Wattpad

Wattpad’s vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Using the power of community and technology, the global multiplatform entertainment company is unleashing the full potential of stories to the world -- in any format. Wattpad’s flagship app is the world’s leading social storytelling platform, home to a community of more than 70 million people who spend over 22 billion minutes a month engaged in original stories. Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology allows the company to understand and discover stories among the more than 565 million uploads on the platform. Wattpad Studios and Wattpad Books are transforming entertainment and publishing, using data-backed insights to turn Wattpad stories into books, films, TV shows, and digital projects. Wattpad Brand Partnerships offers a full suite of advertising products to help brands build deep engagement with Millennial and Gen Z consumers. Tap by Wattpad, the company’s second storytelling product, offers immersive interactive entertainment experiences in over a dozen languages. The company is proudly based in Toronto, Canada. Learn more at: company.wattpad.com