It is now in the works for a movie adaptation.

Originally a Harry Styles fan fiction trilogy, “After” was published as a five-book series through Simon & Schuster. It has been criticized for romanticizing unhealthy relationships, abounding with boring characters, and swimming in clichés. “The Kissing Booth” was picked up by Penguin Random House and has been adapted into a Netflix original movie of the same name. Its author has been accused of pandering to preteen girls by pushing every romcom cliché to have ever existed down our throats, as I, a shameful reader, can attest to.

Published books from Wattpad have included titles such as “My Life with the Walter Boys,” “The Kissing Booth,” and “After.”Īfter netting nearly 70 million views on Wattpad, “My Life with the Walter Boys” was published through Sourcebooks Fire. The problem is that these viral books are often popular among young, immature readers who don’t have an understanding of high-quality writing. They like the guarantee that once books that went viral on Wattpad are published, they’ll be able to sell them to the original fan base. But here’s the curse: Publishing companies care about money.

Many books that began on Wattpad have been picked up by major publishing companies. It’s a blessing in that teens now have an easy, inexpensive way to get constructive criticism on their writing, as well as build a loyal fan base. Search for #onedirection on the site, and more than 120,000 stories pop up, and #bts gives a whopping 205,000 stories.įor the teen writers who flock to Wattpad, the free, unfiltered platform is both a blessing and a curse. With no one filtering the thousands of stories that are published every day, Wattpad has become well-known as the breeding ground for trashy young adult and fan fiction. An online storytelling platform, Wattpad is a website where users can self-publish their writing free of charge for the world to read – for better or for worse.Ĭreated in 2006, Wattpad has cornered the market for free online publishing, with over 65 million users in January 2018. Wattpad exists in a purgatory between good writing and terrible writing. Based at San Jose State University’s Spartan Daily newsroom, Mosaic students report and photograph real stories under the guidance of professional journalists. Opinion: Wattpad is flooded with trashy young adult fiction – The Mercury News Close MenuĮditor’s note: The annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students is a two-week intensive course in journalism.

Wattpad stories meaning