When we launched Paid Stories in 2019, we wanted to create opportunities for your favorite writers to serve up their most delightful story yet-and be monetarily rewarded for their talent.
With your support, we did just that.
Hundreds of diverse stories became big hits; some were even adapted into films and TV shows. And more and more writers were rewarded for investing in their writing careers. We love to see that kind of success for original storytellers who call Wattpad home and have readers like you cheering them on-in the comments, in theaters, and by unlocking their stories.
One problem, though. Paid Stories weren't quite for everyone. We heard a lot of this:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
And we kind of get it. It's a tough world out there.
Around a month ago, we tested a new way to unlock stories and explored how we could make Paid Stories more accessible to more readers. And we heard a lot of this:
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It sounded nicer. You sounded happier. So we thought it was time to do this in a bolder and bigger way.
Paid Stories is getting a glow-up and we're here to share what we've been cooking up.
🥁
Introducing Wattpad Originals. Curated, quality stories, with new ways to read for free.
Starting today, we're unveiling a new identity and vision for how readers engage with quality content on Wattpad.
Here's what to expect:
✨ You can now snack on ongoing Wattpad Originals with weekly updates and read them for free. Ongoing Originals will only have the latest 10 Parts paywalled. Each time a new Part is published, the paywall moves back and another Part becomes free! You can wait to read until that next free Part drops, or skip the wait and unlock now.
✨ If your power-reader energy doesn't vibe with ongoing stories, there will always be hundreds of completed Wattpad Originals for you to indulge in. Late-night marathon reading: activated.
✨ Curated and vetted for you by our editors, Wattpad Originals will have you spending more time reading and less time searching for your next obsession.
✨ More ways to directly support creators. Whether you unlock stories with Coins, your Wattpad Premium+ subscription, or wait to read for free, you're helping creators earn money for sharing their best work and shining a light on their stories with your readership. Everyone wins.
We're gradually updating our app and web experience to reflect this rebrand to Wattpad Originals. There's lots to makeover so please bear with us as we make these changes over the next few days and update your app to version 10.31.1 to watch the glow-up happen.
And the reading for free part? It's already here! Dive into this Reading List to indulge in ongoing Wattpad Originals for free 🙌
If you have questions about these changes, check out our FAQ over at our Help Center.
Happy reading!
P.S. We're just getting started with the launch of Wattpad Originals. Even more ways to read for free are in the works, so keep an eye out for our next few updates 👀
