Story posting social media site Wattpad has garnered a tremendous following in a short amount of time for its notably unique offers for both authors and publishers. Apart from the ability for writers to post excerpts for readers to enjoy and comment on–a feedback process that Wattpad staunchly guards from trolling–the platform has worked with a number of different partnerships to provide opportunities for its members to take their writing further.
The world’s leading romance publisher Harlequin allowed users to participate in its annual contest, So You Think You Can Write, by submitting their work via the platform. The contest, which received more than six hundred entries, was declared final today with the announcement of Tanya Wright as this year’s winner.
This year’s contest included a New Adult category, which was where Wattpad came in. Entrants submitted their work via the open platform, allowing them to receive vital feedback from the 20 million registered users of the site.
“The New Adult contest on Wattpad was a huge success with more than 60,000 people voting for their favorite story,” said Ashleigh Gardner, Head of Content, Publishing at Wattpad, in a press release. “Harlequin editors were spoiled for choice and ended up selecting six amazing Wattpad stories to publish from the entries on Wattpad, more than originally planned.”
“The winners, a diverse group from five different countries and four continents, are Jo Watson of Johannesburg, South Africa for Burning Moon; Amber Lindley of the United Kingdom for Confident Women; Sarah White of California, USA for Rookie in Love; Melinda Di Lorenzo of British Columbia, Canada for Promises Made, Promises Broken; Claire Chilton of York, England for Hunted Hearts and Avril Tremayne of Sydney, Australia for Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Ms. Tremayne, in a remarkable display of talent, was also a finalist in Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest. The stories are scheduled to be published by Harlequin in two New Adult ebook box sets in May and June 2014.”
Participants in the annual contest receive feedback, guidance, and insider tips from some of the top names in the romance industry. The contest will be staged again next year, with details coming prior to the September launch.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.