7 Wattpad Success Stories That Will Blow Your Mind

These Wattpad success stories will show you that no matter where you are in your author journey, you have the potential to achieve your dreams. In this article, I delve into seven successful authors who used Wattpad as the launch for their success.

While there are many ways to find success, Wattpad shows that success stories can come from the unknown and the unpublished, seemingly out of the blue. Use these success stories to inspire you to continue working toward your author dreams and as a reminder that with hard work and persistence, anything is possible!

Wattpad success stories: what’s covered 

• What is Wattpad?
• 7 Wattpad success stories 
• What is the most successful book on Wattpad?
• Can you be successful on Wattpad?
• How much do successful Wattpad writers make?
• Which is the best story on Wattpad?

What is Wattpad?

Wattpad is a free, online platform dedicated to writers and readers. It is self-described as having “democratized storytelling for a new generation of diverse Gen Z writers and their fans.” 

Over 97 million people spend time reading original stories on the site, creating a cumulative 26 billion minutes a month of reading time. Wattpad prides itself on creating a space for writers to upload their original content and readers to read this content. 

Writers can share their writing on the platform, where reads are tracked. Readers can read their work and write comments, connecting with other fans of the writing. 

Primarily known for its fan fiction and young adult stories, Wattpad houses a variety of writing genres and styles. With an extremely active community and new works being posted every day, writers are able to gain feedback on their work. 

7 Wattpad success stories 

In some respects, Wattpad is a training ground for writers. It shows aspiring authors how to publish a book in a way that garners early reader feedback, without the costs of self-publishing and marketing. Below are seven Wattpad success stories to learn from. 

1. Anna Todd

Anna Todd is a New York Times bestselling author of the After series. Originally fan fiction about One Direction attending university, her story drew in 1.5 billion reads. It was then sold to Paramount, who created five films based on her stories.

This type of success is what authors dream off, and Anna Todd embodies it. How? She worked hard, shared her writing, and now has the massive success to show for all her work.

2. Abigail Gibbs

Abigail Gibbs was just 18-years-old when HarperCollins offered her a six-figure contract. Why did they offer such a lucrative book deal to a new author? Her writing had drawn the attention of 17 million reads.

This goes to show that no matter what your age, if you have a good story and an eager readership, your are well on your way to your author dreams. Today, she studies at the University of Oxford and is pursuing her BA in English.

3. Caroline Richardson

Caroline Richardson’s first novel spent less than a year on Wattpad before bringing in more than 1 million reads. Before sharing her work on Wattpad, she won the Watty Award, which aided in her writing credibility. However, with the help of the Wattpad community, her debut, Out of His League, launched her career.

4. Beth Reekles

Beth Reekles shared the work that inspired the Netflix series, The Kissing Booth, at just 15-years-old, via Wattpad. It quickly gained almost 20 million reads and was traditionally published just two years later. Now well-known Netflix movies, I’m sure 15-year-old Beth never dreamed of the success she’d find!

5. Lilian Carmine

Brazilian born Lilian Carmine shared her romance writing on Wattpad, brought in 37 million reads, and landed a traditional book contract with Random House, earning her place among the Wattpad success stories. 

6. Ali Novak

Ali Novak wrote My Life With the Walter Boys, sharing it via Wattpad. To date, it has over 80 million reads. Not surprisingly, Sourcebooks Fire picked it up. It is now a Netflix series. 

7. Taran Matharu 

Taran Matharu wrote The Summoner trilogy, which gained over 3 million reads in just six months. Today, he is known as the New York Times bestselling author of the series, which has been translated into 15 languages. Another author to join the Wattpad success stories, his Wattpad reads point to his dramatic sales, with over 1 million English copies sold. 

What is the most successful book on Wattpad?

Anna Todd’s After 3 has 790 million reads on Wattpad. You don’t necessarily need a solid author brand before sharing your work. In fact, if learning how to build an author website or building your platform is keeping you from feeling like a “real” writer, rest assured that these are additions to your writing, not the foundation of your author career.

Good storytelling sells. Simply share your writing on some type of online platform, and you may be surprised at the reception it receives, just as Anna was.

Can you be successful on Wattpad?

With these seven Wattpad success stories, you can see that success on Wattpad is definitely possible. However, while it may seem like these stories simply took off without any effort, remember the writers first had to actually write. 

If you want to do your best to join the ranks of these Wattpad success stories, consider reaching out to beta readers for feedback or working with a book coach. Make your writing the best you can, then share it on Wattpad. Don’t forget to engage in the Wattpad community!

How much do successful Wattpad writers make?

There are a plethora of factors contributing to an author’s success, but Wattpad does offer a cash stipend of $25,000 for authors who make their work exclusive to the Wattpad platform. Of course, there are eligibility criteria to meet, and pros and cons to consider. 

Wattpad success stories can point to even greater success, however. Consider the authors mentioned above, the large deals they landed with traditional publishers, and the feature films and original series that came from their writing.

While there is no way to track the exact monetary value of Wattpad success stories, this platform did launch the careers of many aspiring authors and may be worth considering for yourself as well.

Which is the best story on Wattpad?

Wattpad offers an extensive list of best stories, but it’s up to you, the reader, to choose which one you like best! Wattpad is known for its fan fiction and young adult stories. If these are genres you love, you may want to join Wattpad as a reader, and test the waters to see if you’d like to share your writing on the platform.

Wattpad success stories: your next step

With all of this success in mind, what’s next for you and your author journey?

When you look at Wattpad success stories, you see a line of writers who fill the criteria of what literary agents are looking for: 

• Storytelling that resonates with readers
• Potential for future works
• A platform

This could be you, too. If you want to share your story on Wattpad, it’s time to take your next step and outline your book. Use our free Book Outline Generator to help you get started, and prepare to share your writing with the world!