Collaborative Production and the Transformation of Publishing: The Case of Wattpad

This chapter investigates the social reading and writing platform Wattpad as a site of collaborative production and consumption. I consider Wattpad as a community of readers and writers engaging in a process of creative dialogue and collaborative production of a shared commons and also as a transactional marketplace in which these readers and writers engage in the creation and circulation of value and exchange of services. I then go on to examine the various ways in which Wattpad, as both community and marketplace, articulates with the world of traditional publishing and the wider field of commerce: providing a launch pad for fledgling writers, an audience development opportunity for established writers and a marketing service for brands. Having considered these aspects, I argue that Wattpad’s fan community represents an emerging economic force and model within publishing. Furthermore, drawing on the work of Berlant and Arvidsson, I consider the extent to which this community might have the potential to function as a ‘productive consumer public’ and to exercise social and political as well as economic influence. Coming out of this discussion, I suggest some topics for future research into contemporary trends and future models of publishing.