Penguin Random House UK collaborates with Wattpad Books to bring global Wattpad hits to readers in the UK

LONDON – 8 August 2019 – Penguin Random House UK today announced that it is collaborating with Wattpad Books, the new direct publishing division from Wattpad, to bring Wattpad Books titles to the UK.  Combining human editorial expertise with audience data and global reading trends Wattpad Books will publish a mix of international Wattpad hits and hidden gems. Wattpad Books’ first list will be published by Penguin Random House Children’s in the UK in autumn 2019, with six titles launching this year. 

Philipp Bartscher, Strategy Director at Penguin Random House UK, said “Wattpad is a very active community for readers, writers and book-lovers. Wattpad are highly innovative with their technology, marketing and insights, particularly with regards to a Young Adult readership, and we hope we can learn much from each other during our collaboration.” 

Francesca Dow, Managing Director, Penguin Random House Children’s Books, added “We are excited to be collaborating with Wattpad  to bring the stand-out Young Adult novels from the millions of uploads written on the platform to the UK and other territories in the English language. This new publishing strand sits alongside our existing list of the very best, ground-breaking books and authors, diversifying and enriching our young adult publishing in a very exciting way.” 

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 marginalised communities, and stories that speak to the diversity of Wattpad’s global community online. 

“Wattpad Books is about creating real, meaningful space for diverse voices and their stories on bookshelves, in bookstores, and in libraries,” said Ashleigh Gardner, Deputy General Manager at Wattpad Studios, Publishing. “These stories already have a massive readership, with passionate fans who have spent hundreds of millions of minutes with these stories on Wattpad. We’re thrilled to work with Penguin Random House UK to bring these stories to bookshelves in the UK.” 

To date, Wattpad Books has announced six titles for its autumn 2019 list and six titles for winter 2020. Spring and autumn 2020 lists are forthcoming.

Wattpad Books’ 2019 list will launch in the UK this autumn, featuring six young adult titles. Stories from Wattpad Books’ 2019 list feature international Wattpad hits spanning fantasy, romance, and mystery, that collectively accumulated more than 100 million reading minutes in 2018. Wattpad Books 2019 list will feature two UK writers: Leigh Ansell and Laura Palphreyman. Wattpad Books autumn 2019 list and UK publication dates include:      

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 29 million reads

• Available in the UK on 17 September, 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 2.6 million reads

• Available in the UK on 17 September, 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 1.2 million reads 

• Available in the UK on 17 September, 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 49.2 million reads 

• Available in the UK on 3 October, 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 19.2 million reads

• Available in the UK on 10 October, 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 545,000 reads 

• Available in the UK on 31 October, 2019 

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