Wattpad Launches Chat-Style Reading App Tap
Wattpad is jumping on the short-short fiction wagon with the launch of a new app, tap.
Tap is a reading app in the style of Amazon Rapids or Hooked. It serves up chat-style stories which are the current fad in digital publishing.
According to TechCrunch:
With Tap, Wattpad is stepping away from the traditional storytelling format to experiment with a unique style of entertainment.
The app lets users discover “chat-style” stories – that is, those that unfold as you tap to reveal the next part. The stories are designed to feel like you’re reading someone else’s chat conversations, the company explains, and they are even visually presented in a text messaging-style format.
At launch, there are hundreds of stories available across categories like horror, romances, drama and more.
Tap will also allow Wattpad users to write stories of their own, though this is initially available only to a subset of writers on the platform. The company says that the writing and publishing functionality will roll out more broadly in the weeks ahead.
In addition to reading the chat-style stories, users can also share the stories to social networks.
When Tap is released to the public you will be able to download the app from Google Play or iTunes, but for now you have to ask for an invite on the Tap website.
If you like what you see, you can subscribe and gain access to more stories. The service costs $2.99 per week, $7.99 per month, or $39.99 per year. Yes, Wattpad is breaking with their policy of always providing free content.
Have you tried it? Do you think it is worth the cost?
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