If, like me, you’ve heard of the Canadian-developed storytelling platform Wattpad but have never ventured onto its soft orange-yellow shores to explore it yourself, you’d probably be surprised to learn that it’s much more than a modern version of Fanfiction.net.
Wattpad presents itself as a place for writers, poets, essayists and literary aficionados to experiment with literature, engage with an active audience and, quite possibly, discover burgeoning talent before they make it big.
The service is free, but Wattpad is launching a premium-tier subscription plan — priced at $5.99 CAD per month or $59.99 annually — for those looking “to enjoy an uninterrupted, ad-free Wattpad experience.”
The subscription service, dubbed ‘Wattpadd Premium’ is designed to give “people more control over their Wattpad experience, and allows us to continue to offer Wattpad as a free platform that anyone can enjoy,” according to Allen Lau, Wattpad’s CEO and founder, in an October 18th, 2017, media release.
As of right now, Wattpad Premium simply removes ads and provides a new theme within the mobile version of the platform. However, the company promises that additional features will launch in the coming months.
Wattpad Premium carries over across the platform’s desktop and mobile apps, and is available now.
