Which Published Books In Wattpad Became Traditional Bestsellers?

Honestly, when I think of Wattpad-to-traditional bestsellers, two names jump out first: 'After' by Anna Todd and 'The Kissing Booth' by Beth Reekles — both began as online serials, gained massive followings, and then transitioned into print and wider media adaptations. Beyond those, Wattpad has been a steady feeder for publishers: a bunch of popular stories have been picked up and published (some selling very well even if they didn't all reach blockbuster bestseller lists). If you want to find more, browse Wattpad’s curated 'Published on Wattpad' tags or check articles that compile success stories from the platform — it's a fun rabbit hole and you often discover surprising gems worth reading.

I still get nostalgic flipping through my old Wattpad bookmarks, and when people ask which Wattpad books actually became mainstream hits, I mention a couple that really cracked through: 'After' by Anna Todd and 'The Kissing Booth' by Beth Reekles. 'After' is probably the most famous case — it blew up online, was professionally edited and published, and landed on bestseller charts. 'The Kissing Booth' followed a similar arc: massive Wattpad traction, a publishing deal, and then a Netflix movie that brought even more readers.

There are also many Wattpad-origin stories that secured traditional publishing deals without necessarily becoming global blockbusters. Publishers often pick titles with high engagement or passionate fan communities and then give them a chance in print and digital retail. If you want a practical route to find these, search for author interviews where they talk about their Wattpad beginnings, or look for lists of 'books that started on Wattpad'—those lists usually separate the mega-bestsellers from the ones that had solid publishing success. For people hunting for reading recs, consider starting with the two big titles and then explore related genres on Wattpad; you can sometimes spot future hits by how active the comment threads and reads are.

I'm still that person who squeals when a scrappy Wattpad story breaks out into the big leagues, so let me gush a bit: the two poster children everyone cites are 'After' by Anna Todd and 'The Kissing Booth' by Beth Reekles. 'After' began as a serialized fanfic-style story on Wattpad and grew into a massive phenomenon, eventually being cleaned up, traditionally published, hitting bestseller lists, and spawning film adaptations. 'The Kissing Booth' is the other big success story — it started when Beth was a teen on Wattpad and later moved into traditional publishing and then a very successful Netflix adaptation that introduced more readers to the book.

Beyond those two, Wattpad has acted as a launchpad for a number of writers who secured traditional deals. Authors who built big followings on the platform have had books picked up by established publishers or indie imprints; some saw strong sales even if they didn't all become household-name bestsellers. Titles often mentioned in that context include stories like 'My Life with the Walter Boys' and a few popular teen-romance entries that were later edited for print. The wider trend is that Wattpad functions as a testing ground — publishers scout the engagement numbers, fan communities, and the strongest voices, then invest in getting those stories into bookstores, sometimes with new covers, revisions, and marketing muscle.

If you want to dig through the history, check publisher press releases and bestseller lists from the mid-2010s onward — that's when the biggest Wattpad-to-traditional swings happened. And if you like discovering under-the-radar gems, browsing Wattpad’s most-read lists can feel like treasure hunting; every so often you’ll spot a story with the right spark that could be the next big crossover.

The phenomenon has definitely made traditional publishers pay more attention to online platforms beyond Wattpad too. Webnovel sites, Tapas, Radish, even Ao3 (though that's a different beast) are now seen as talent pools and testing grounds. The success of Wattpad stories legitimized the entire concept of serialized digital fiction as a source of IP. So the impact is broader than just a few bestsellers. It's changed the acquisition strategy for many imprints. Editors now have interns scouting these platforms, looking for the next big thing. It's a new frontier in publishing, and Wattpad was the pioneer that proved it could be massively profitable.