A Guide On How To Make Money On Wattpad: 5 Creative Ways To Monetize

Making money online has never been easier with all the platforms available for writers.

Most writers can make money on Wattpad by writing and uploading their stories to the platform, cultivating a loyal fan base, and creating consistent, high-quality work.

In this article, we will cover how to make money on Wattpad and earn some extra income for your stories.

First, let us develop a better understanding of Wattpad’s platform.

What is Wattpad?

Wattpad is a reading platform based in Toronto, Canada. It is an online community for writers and readers alike. Wattpad’s global community is a creative space for writers to upload their stories and for readers to enjoy original content, and it is incredibly popular.

As of April 2021, Wattpad boasts a community of over 90 million users. Writers who upload to Wattpad and develop a fan base learn that Wattpad offers a real opportunity to grow exponentially as a writer.

Readers can leave feedback and comments on your work, and you can choose to speak to them directly if you so wish. Engagement with readers bodes well with the platform and is a prerequisite for success in the Wattpad Star and Wattpad Paid Stories programs.

Unlike social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, followers on Wattpad are typically more loyal. They are not casually following or liking your page because they saw one post they liked. They have read your Wattpad stories and enjoyed them so much that they want to read more.

As such, you can use Wattpad as a launchpad for a lucrative writing career.

Anna Todd, Beth Reekles, and Abigail Gibbs are some of the successful authors who started their journey on Wattpad. These authors posted consistent and engaging stories on their Wattpad profiles and cultivated a huge fan base. Their Wattpad success led to publishing deals that have made these authors globally successful.

How does Wattpad work?

Wattpad offers an excellent opportunity for writers to publish their work and be read by interested and loyal fans.

There is no need to publish your work through a publishing house or even do the tedious tasks of self-publishing. Wattpad writers can upload their work directly to the platform and make it accessible to readers.

As a writer, the first step is to create an account. From there, you can upload your stories and begin to build a fan base.

Wattpad offers over 50 writing resources for writers, so even if you are just starting or writing your first story, Wattpad is there to help.

Wattpad works like other social media platforms. Once you have an account, you can share your work and grow a fan base—whether your work is fiction or nonfiction.

With a large fan base or a medium-sized fan base loyal to your work, you can gain extra attention and stand out among Wattpad writers.

On the site, Wattpad explains that they use ‘a mix of audience data and trend-hunting to track viral hits and uncover hidden gems on Wattpad, publishing fan favorites into print books and making writers’ dreams come true in the process.’

Can you make money on Wattpad?

As a Wattpad writer, there are several ways you can earn money.

Writing on the platform is a journey, so writing on Wattpad is not the best way to get there if you want to make a quick buck.

However, if you have a burning passion for writing, you love what you do, and you are happy to spend your time and energy crafting great stories, earning the loyalty of an engaged fan base, then Wattpad can be a great opportunity to monetize your craft.

Making money on Wattpad takes time.

Those who reap financial benefits from the platform have done so because they are committed to their work and could demonstrate to Wattpad’s editorial team that they are worth admission into Wattpad’s paid partnership programs, such as Wattpad Books or Wattpad Studios.

How to make money on Wattpad

The following are some of the best ways to monetize your writing. Wattpad writers with a loyal fan base tend to be the best, so if you are just beginning to write on the platform, focus on finding your Wattpad community.

1. Become a Wattpad Star

The Wattpad Stars program is one of the best ways to make money through Wattpad. It is not for those looking to make a quick buck and exploit the program.

To become a star, you must be a regular Wattpad user with an existing catalog of stories and an engaged fan base. Wattpad assesses your profile for popularity and engagement and the type and quality of content you upload.

According to Wattpad, you must meet the following criteria to become a Wattpad Star.

• Uploaded one narrative story (minimum) of 50,000 words or more to your profile
• Started one new story in the past 365 days
• Edited or revised a part of a story in the past three months
• Logged into Wattpad in the past 60 days
• Filled out the Wattpad Stars Writer Program Interest Form

2. Patronage

An indirect way to make money through Wattpad is through patronage.

A patron is a loyal fan who loves your work and wants to support you financially so you can continue doing what you do. Patrons have been an essential aspect of artists’ lives for a long time.

The great painters all had patrons who gave them enough support to invest their time and energy into their creative pursuits without worrying about having a roof over their heads.

Wattpad offers its on-site patronage feature called the Wattpad Paid Stories program.

The program builds a paywall in front of some of your Watttpad stories, accessible to fans who are eager to read and willing to pay. You must already be a Wattpad Star to reap the financial benefits of the Wattpad paid stories program, but if you can become a star, then the paywall is a great way to make money.

According to Wattpad, ‘Wattpad Paid Stories is our response to readers who want the opportunity to show support for the writers they love. Writers can now earn money for their work on Wattpad from readers who appreciate it.’

These days, as more creatives are pursuing their craft independently, patronage is essential. Instead of relying on royalties or advances from a publishing company advertisement, or other forms of earning money, a writer can receive small amounts of money from a base of patrons.

Through patronage, creatives can keep creating and offering their work to the public. A reader does not have to pay you, but those you like can choose to do so so that they can enjoy more of your work.

One writer may only have a few patrons, or they can have hundreds. This is where the importance of your engagement with a loyal fan base will come in.

A patron may donate a small fee once a month or one time—it can be the price of a coffee or a small lunch. That may not seem like much, but the more patronage you receive, the more earnings you will receive.

3. Wattpad Books

Wattpad Books offers popular writers opportunities to have their work published on the platform. The Wattpad editorial team keeps an eye out for the best writers, those with high-quality work who post consistently and boast a large fan base. 

To benefit from Wattpad Books, continue to write stories and upload them to the platform. Work on growing a loyal audience who will keep returning to your profile for more of your content.

Wattpad rewards regular audience engagement with close attention.

The more you can engage with your readers that makes them keep coming back to your profile, the more the Wattpad editorial team is likely to notice and approve your application to publish through Wattpad Books.

4. Wattpad Studios

Like Wattpad Books, Wattpad Studios can offer an excellent opportunity to get your work published and start earning significant cash.

However, just like WattBooks, monetizing your work through Wattpad Studios can take time. You must be an avid writer and already have an engaged and loyal fan base and a rich catalog of existing work to join Wattpad Studios.

With Studios and a successful profile, Wattpad can connect you with professionals in the TV or film industry, where there is an opportunity to have your work adapted for the screen.

Again, this is not going to happen overnight. You need consistent work and, better yet, a well-defined niche.

5. Brand Partnerships

Brand partnerships are one of the best ways to make money online.

If you have a large audience in a specific niche, then relevant brands can benefit from your popularity.

A brand may notice your large fan base and ask you to promote their product or service in your work. This is a type of affiliate marketing and is a lucrative money-making strategy.

Once again, you need to be a Wattpad Star to use the brand partnerships.

A brand is unlikely to engage with you if you are not a star because they want to reach a wider audience.

While brand partnerships pay higher, it can take time to find a brand willing to sponsor. This is another reason to focus on crafting a high-quality and growing fan base rather than spending too much time focusing on the potential financial rewards.

Does a Wattpad account cost money?

It is completely free to create a Wattpad account and upload your work. The only costs associated with using Wattpad apply to readers who wish to access a writer’s work that has been locked behind a paywall (a paid story).

Conclusion

Wattpad has been around for a long time.

It was founded in 2006, but it was only as recently as 2019 that Wattpad Books was launched. Since its foundation, Wattpad has grown increasingly popular as a well-respected online community for writers and readers with a deep passion for the written word.

So, if you are a new or seasoned writer creating fiction, fan fiction, or nonfiction, and you want to share your stories with like-minded individuals who may even be willing to pay to break the paywall, Wattpad is a great place to start.

To build a loyal fan base and increase your chances of getting published with Wattpad Books or get your work seen and considered by TV or film professionals, make sure to publish consistent, high-quality work. Consistent uploads demonstrate that you care and treat your writing with respect, boosting your exposure and presenting more opportunities to grow.

On a final note, have patience with Wattpad.

Building your brand and attracting loyal followers does not happen overnight. Let your work be a statement of your passion, and do not over-focus on followers in favor of time spent writing.

The better your work, and the more of your authentic heart that you put into it, the more likely you are to create work that readers will genuinely enjoy.