SHIFT IN PUBLISHING PRACTICES: MANUSCRIPT ACQUISITION THROUGH DIGITAL SOCIAL READING

Abstract

This paper examines the transformation of manuscript acquisition in the publishing industry driven by digital social reading (DSR) platforms, with a specific focus on Wattpad. Employing content analysis of Malay-language fiction titles exhibited at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) 2025 and Selangor International Book Fair (SIBF), the study identifies three key trends: the destabilisation of traditional editorial gatekeeping, the emergence of reader engagement metrics (reads, votes, comments) as decentralised validation tools, and the dominance of romance, religious fiction, and thriller genres in digital-to-print transitions. Findings reveal that publishers now actively seek authors with pre-existing digital audiences, transforming online popularity into marketable symbolic capital through strategic framing such as “1 juta bacaan di Wattpad” on book covers. This participatory culture blurs the boundaries between amateur digital authorship and professional print publishing. The study concludes that the Malaysian literary ecosystem has entered a digital-first paradigm where community-driven validation is central to industry survival, reducing commercial risk while reshaping genre preferences and editorial practices.