BY IKENNA OBIOHA
Wattpad, a storytelling platform which made its way to the electronic devices of millions of users 12 years ago, is set to launch a publishing division for the company. This subunit will afford authors on the platform an opportunity to get their stories published in physical book format.
Touted as a force in the literary community, Wattpad breaks barriers through its unique approach of accommodating writers irrespective of differences in social class, experience in the industry, or genre and language in which their work is presented. Thus helping them to showcase their work to the rest of the world, and making the entire process of been read relatively easier.
With marked progress over the years, the platform has accumulated close to 70 million active users based on a 2018 estimate. Out of these numbers, many authors have had their works adapted into motion picture. For a start, Wattpad plans on adopting six materials for the fall season.
Reducing the power wielded by editors in determining what material makes it to print in the traditional setting of book publication, Wattpad banks on the taste of its users to dictate what Wattpad eBooks ends up in the publishing house. To do this, a set algorithm is employed to extrapolate data using Wattpad’s Story DNA Machine Learning technology which selectively filters 400 million uploaded contents to determine which books are likely to be a commercial hit based on users’ experiences.
“We are able to take the opinions of 70 million users and what they are reading and what’s resonating with them.” said Ashleigh Gardner, who will head the publishing team.
Books like What Happened That Night by Deanna Cameron and Trapeze by Leigh Ansell are among those selected for publication. What this move will mean for authors whose works are selected for publication on the platform is the monetary incentive and royalties they will accrue from getting their work transformed to physical formats. A benefit they may not have had the chance to grasp through traditional publishing houses.
Having all of its users online, it only makes sense that the publishing division is an attempt to connect with the more traditional readers who readily buy books as opposed to the lot who source material for free online. Though adequately funded through investors’ money, the need to expand seem to take top priority for the team, and in the bid to achieve the goal of wide reach into the untapped market, curates some of their best works for this fraction of readers that are willing to pay for them.
In as much as millions of users’ preferences form the basis on which books are selected for publication, expert opinions of editors will also be sought to assess the body of work before final publication.
