Fans of serialized fiction hunting for the next great story need look no further than YONDER, a new serial fiction platform from the makers of WEBTOON and Wattpad. Tapping into the demand for serial fiction, YONDER brings readers new content, chapter by chapter, every day, delivered directly to users’ mobile devices.
“Serial fiction isn’t new,” says Sue Johnson, YONDER’s chief content officer. “Examples of the form include literary luminaries like Charles Dickens and George Eliot, the emergence of serial TV storytelling in the 20th century, and the webcomics, podcasts, and all the other amazing and innovative ways that storytellers are reaching audiences online today. With the prevalence of mobile phones creating a huge new channel for serial stories, we’ve seen a massive resurgence in the popularity of the serial format for written fiction, especially among younger audiences who grew up reading on Wattpad and WEBTOON.”
YONDER features a wide range of genres, including romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime fiction, thriller, and YA. Writers and publishers can work with YONDER through a traditional book deal, a backlist title deal, or an exclusive-to-YONDER content deal. Additionally, the company will be publishing content from its sister platforms Wattpad and WEBTOON; readers spend 23 billion minutes a month on Wattpad alone. Content includes a new fantasy romance from Ruby Dixon, author of the international bestselling Ice Planet Barbarians series, called Bound to the Shadow Prince. And bestselling author Ivy Smoak’s new story, Bitten by Desire, her first paranormal romance, is exclusive to YONDER.
YONDER differentiates itself from other serial platforms in the market in several ways: the interface, the gamification of the app, and discovery features. “We are creating a much more curated and premium experience with YONDER,” Johnson says. “Many apps feature a huge range of user-generated content—and while some readers love to sift through these huge catalogs looking for gems, YONDER is perfect for a reader who has less time to hunt for what they love. Instead, readers can confidently enjoy opening up any appealing story on our platform, knowing that every story they start has been hand-selected for the platform by our team.”
The app offers a pay-as-you-read model, and users can earn rewards for reading and returning to the app. “Whether readers are coming back daily to read free chapters on titles in our Daily Unlock promotional model or participating in games and events within the app such as earning coins by reviewing content they love, we offer lots of ways that power readers can be rewarded with more free content on YONDER,” Johnson says.
“Readers and writers have organically gravitated toward serial platforms that have sprung up online, which have transformed reading from a solitary experience into a social one,” Johnson says. “With YONDER, we see an opportunity to provide this experience to a slightly older audience, as serial readers age up and begin to emerge as major spenders in the entertainment world—a premium, highly curated catalog with a pay-as-you-read model.”
