You can find an app for just about anything. How about one that would help you realize a life-long dream?
I sure would!
Anna Todd did, too.
Last spring, the 25-year-old One Direction überfan parlayed her love of reading and the British boy-band to create After on Wattpad, a free social reading and writing app, under the nom de plume Imaginator1D. The plot of After revolves around young Tessa and her on-again, off-again relationship with Hardin Scott, inspired by One Direction singer Harry Styles.
What is Wattpad?
Wattpad is the world’s largest community of readers and writers. It has connected over 40 million people around the world who share a love of reading and writing.
Wattpad is a new storytelling experience that’s mobile and social. Wattpad stories are free.
Mobile: With Wattpad you can read and share stories from your phone, tablet or computer. Whether you’re online or off, use the devices you already own to carry an entire library of stories wherever you go.
Social: Wattpad creates direct connections between readers and writers. Everyone participates in storytelling on Wattpad. Some people may not identify with being a writer, but they can share plot suggestions via comments and messages or create original art/music to go along with the stories they’ve read.
Anyone can share a story on Wattpad. Whether you’ve never written before, or published multiple books, Wattpad offers benefits for writers of all levels.
One of the greatest benefits of Wattpad is a direct connection between readers and writers. Readers receive notifications whenever a new chapter of a story is posted. Many writers share their work serially: posting stories one chapter at a time, so readers keep coming back. As soon as a story is uploaded it can be accessed by millions of readers around the world.
Wattpad by the numbers:
- More than 40 million people have joined Wattpad
- More than 80 million free stories are available on Wattpad
- People spend 9 billion minutes a month on Wattpad
- Stories available in over 50 languages – all for free
- A new users joins Wattpad every second
- More than 24 hours of reading material is posted to Wattpad every minute
- 85% of all activity is on mobile
About Anna Todd
Every few days, Anna used Wattpad to publish a new installment. Her fanfic love story swelled to over 2,500 pages and has been viewed more than a billion times. Yes, billion with a ‘b!’ and more than 6 million comments (and counting!)
Anna Todd’s After—which she originally wrote entirely on her phone as a hobby—is now being turned into a four-book series by Simon & Schuster, with the first installment released in October. Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to adapt the After story for the big screen.
Writing the majority of After from her mobile phone while in and out of appointments and running errands, Anna extended the After story world beyond Wattpad, using Instagram and Twitter to share photos, videos, songs, and art created by readers. By 2014, Anna’s story had over 1 billion reads and more than 6 million comments (and counting!)
Find her on Wattpad
Twitter at @Imaginator1Dx
Instagram at @Imaginator1D
About After
The After series tells the story of Tessa Young, an optimistic freshman at Washington State University, and the dark, troubled British bad boy who has stolen her heart.
On Wattpad, After has over 1 billion reads, more than 6 million comments and the print edition is available in 26 countries.
You can purchase the book from Barnes & Noble and on your e-reader.
Have you ever used Wattpad? Share your experiences.
Other ways to make better use of your time:
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