Davies, Rosamund ORCID: 0000-0001-8645-8271 (2017) Collaborative production and the transformation of publishing: The case of Wattpad. In: Graham, James and Gandini, Alessandro, (eds.) Collaborative Production in the Creative Industries. University of Westminster Press, London, UK, pp. 51-67. ISBN 978-1-911534-30-3 (doi:https://doi.org/10.16997/book4.d)

Preview

PDF (Publisher's PDF - Open Access) 15357 DAVIES_The_Case_of_Wattpad_2017.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (142kB) | Preview

Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This book distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives 4.0 license. Copyright is retained by the author(s)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Publishing, Community, Public, Collaborative production, Productive consumer public, Intimate public, Wattpad, Sharing economy
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Design (DES)
Last Modified:	01 May 2020 13:28
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/15357

Actions (login required)

View Item

Downloads