One Direction fan fiction series After to be published in six-figure deal
The sexually explicit series by Anna Todd will be published later this year
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Your support makes all the difference.A popular One Direction online fan fiction series that paints Harry Styles as a Jane Austen-loving “rude boy” is due to make its way into bookshops this November.
The series, which was first published on the free story website Wattpad, comes with a warning message that it contains “detailed sexual scenes and tons of explicit language” as well as “loads and loads of typos”.
Simon & Schuster is reported to have won the worldwide rights to the After fan fiction series, written by 25-year-old Anna Todd in the same vein as Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey.
The series tells the story of Tessa Young, an 18-year-old whose “simple life” is “shattered…[by] a rude boy named Harry”. She also goes on to meet Harry’s friends Niall, Liam, Zayn and Louis.
In less than a year, the series has gained over 800 million reads on Wattpad, gaining Todd over 180,000 Twitter followers.
According to US industry magazine Publisher’s Weekly, Simon & Schuster are said to have paid a “mid-six figure” deal for the rights to the After series, including audio rights.
The writer said on Twitter she has negotiated for the series to remain available for free on Wattpad as well.
In an interview with Sugascape, Todd said EL James’ Fifty Shades of Grey has “changed her entire life” and said she thought her series had been popular because fans “always have a desire for more” after seeing the boy band perform live.
She added that central character Tessa has gained popularity because of her normal appearance that makes her easy to relate to.
“She’s not the thinnest girl…and I think a lot of people are used to reading books where the woman is perfect and the man is the one who has issues. Tessa is just as flawed as Harry and I think they love that.”
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