At some point, many young creative minds stumble upon the vibrant world of Wattpad, a dynamic online platform where storytelling thrives. This digital space welcomes burgeoning writers to both craft and enjoy a vast array of original fiction and fanfic tales.
For many, Wattpad serves as a creative playground, allowing young talents to express themselves through writing. While most authors write purely for the love of storytelling, over time, Wattpad has also provided select opportunities for financial rewards. However, only a few manage to break through and monetize their writing.
Reflecting on my own experience as an early Wattpad adopter, it’s evident that most writers didn’t reap monetary gains unless their works transitioned to print. Some authors took the self-publishing route, whereas others leveraged their Wattpad success to land traditional publishing deals. Alongside platforms like Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction.net, Wattpad has become a launchpad for content that continues to captivate audiences today.
Romantic comedies and love stories owe much to Wattpad’s nurturing environment. Noteworthy titles like After, The Kissing Booth, and The QB Bad Boy and Me not only climbed best-seller lists but also transitioned to film, reaching screens everywhere. For those who grew up entwined in these narratives and long to see them portrayed on screen, these Wattpad-originated gems offer a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Who could overlook the rise of Jacob Elordi as a star? This journey traces back to Beth Reekles’ The Kissing Booth, penned on Wattpad when she was just 15. The novel garnered over 19 million reads before securing a publishing deal, swiftly turning into a bestseller. Netflix took note, acquiring the film rights, and thus, a movie headlined by Elordi and Joey King was birthed. It swiftly became one of Netflix’s standout original films, spawning two sequels. The storyline follows the classic secret romance theme—Elle (Joey King) develops feelings for her best friend’s brother, Noah (Jacob Elordi), which bloom after a memorable moment at a school-run kissing booth. As the series unfolds, viewers watch the complexities of her relationships with Noah and her best friend Lee (Joel Courtney) flourish and falter.
Oh, Wattpad, the home of many fanfictions about a certain British pop star. When author Anna Todd original posted After on Wattpad in 2013 — which now has over a billion reads — fans probably didn’t expect for it to become a box office hit. The fanfic was picked up for publishing and resulted in a five book series. In 2019 the first After movie was released and we got to see Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) and Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) in theaters for the first time. The series follows the two’s toxic, turbulent relationship that will have you on the edge of your seats. Did we mention their relationship started out as a bet from Hardin’s frat brother Zed (Samuel Larson)?
The My Fault (Culpa Mía) series was originally published in Spanish on Wattpad in 2015. Two years later author Merceds Ron secured a book deal and published the series with the English translation being released later in 2023. The trilogy is a fiery enemies-to-lovers story between main characters Noah and Nick. The series has two adaptations. Culpa Mía, the original Spanish adaptation starring Nicole Wallace and Gabriel Guevara, and a recent English adaptation My Fault: London, that stars Asha Banks and Matthew Broome. Both adaptations were massively popular when released on Prime Video, and the third movie, Our Fault: London, is on it’s way.
If you did not know the hit Netflix original series, My Life with the Walter Boys was a Wattpad staple, you’re missing out. Written by Ali Novak in 2010, the book was officially published in print in 2014. The two book series follows teenager Jackie Howard (Nikki Rodriguez), who is forced to move from Manhattan to rural Colorado with her mother’s best friend and her twelve kids. Of course there is a love triangle between Jackie, Alex Walter (Ashby Gentry), and Cole Walter (Noah LaLonde). The third season of the series is set to release in August, but if you want to find out who Jackie ends up with read the print book or find the original sample still on Wattpad.
Perfect Addiction by Claudia Tan was a massive hit on Wattpad. The Perfect series is a two-time Watty award winner, which — if you don’t know what that is — is Wattpad’s premiere writing competition that has launched many writers into the spotlight. Claudia Tan’s MMA romance has everything a good YA needs. When professional MMA trainer Sienna Lane (Kiana Madeira) find out her champion boyfriend Jax (Matthew Noszka) is cheating on her with her sister, she is out for revenge. She decides to find Jax’s arch-nemesis and underground fighter, Kayden (Ross Butler), and offers to train him in exchange for a place to stay. Of course the forced proximity trope does its job and the two fall into a steamy romance. The original series is still available on Wattpad, as well as the updated version.
Sidelined: The QB and Me is probably the most Wattpad story to ever be put on screen. For starters, the original title is The QB Bad Boy and Me, and if you know anything about Wattpad, every story had to have a bad boy character. Before it was a Tubi original, Tay Marley had a hit original work with over 30 million reads. Now, the movie series was the number 5 most watched original films during it’s debut. The story follows Dallas (Siena Agudong) a dancer who dreams of escaping her small town and moving to California and her whirlwind romance with star quarterback Drayton (Noah Beck). The film has a sequel with a third, and final, movie on the way, but are people ready to say goodbye to Dallas and Drayton?
If someone said years ago that Disney stars Paris Berelc and Asher Angel would eventually star in a steamy Wattpad original series, it would have been hard to believe them. Kissing Is the Easy Part has some of the classic teen fiction tropes like “opposites attract” and “fake dating.” The original series was published on Wattpad in 2015, and Wattpad published the print edition in 2025. The series follows popular girl Flora Morgan (Paris Berelc) who’s parents are worried about their aspirations in life. After learning she adopts the interest of whoever she’s dating, they hire star-student Sean Foster (Asher Angel) to fake date their daughter so she will want to take the SATs. In exchange, they will write him a glorious recommendation for MIT.
Whether you’re reading or watching romance, Wattpad’s influence is everywhere.