Author Anna Todd on How 'After' Has Become More Than Harry Styles Fanfic

It’s been 10 years since author Anna Todd published the first After novel — and it’s become so much more than Harry Styles fanfiction.

“It’s, honestly, very rare when anyone even brings up Harry anymore,” Todd, 35, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting the 10-year special edition of the book, released on Tuesday, October 1. “In the beginning, obviously, that was my entire readership — all Harry girls. Then, people that aren’t necessarily fans, but their friend told them to read the book … they became fans.”

After follows the love story between Hardin Scott and Tessa Young, which starts during her freshman year of college. Initially, the story — which has turned into a series spanning five books and two spinoff novels — was published via Wattpad as Styles fanfiction.

“With the anniversary coming, people are talking about their first experience [with After],” Todd told Us, explaining that some fans have no idea about the Styles connection. “It’s so funny having them explain it. Sometimes I kind of forget. Hardin in my mind, it was always Harry visually — not personality-wise, obviously.”

She added: “I’m gonna be a Harry fan until I die. But sometimes I literally forget for a second because I’m so used to Hardin.”

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The 10-year anniversary edition of After features a modernized version of the original cover — and bonus content that Todd isn’t spilling any details on.

“I just love paying dues to the original,” Todd gushed. “My vision was this hand-painted version. In my head, it has a purpose, but it’s just pretty and I love it. This is my first special edition of something, so I was very excited.”

Keep scrolling to read Todd’s full lookback on 10 years of After:

Us Weekly: What does it feel like to be celebrating the 10-year anniversary of After?

Anna Todd: It’s just wild to me. Thinking about all of the milestones of going from the internet to having a big publisher and the first time seeing my books — it feels like a year ago. I remember the exact emotions I had. I remember seeing my book in Target for the first time, I remember seeing it in an airport for the first time. How is that 10 years? It’s definitely nostalgic. I’m such an emo person, I tie everything to emotion.

Us: You were one of the original “spicy” authors with After. How do you feel now that the stigma around the genre has changed?

Anna: I’m definitely so proud of the stigma changing, especially around the steamy part because I used to feel like mine was so edgy and spicy. … I like that there’s no shame around it. People are proud of the sexuality; people are exploring it in different ways. It’s so fascinating.

Us: Have you ever gone back and read the After books?

Anna: No, I mean, I’ll read parts of them. For certain reasons I’ve had to reread stuff or sometimes people will tag me. That has been definitely an interesting progression of me growing up. I think what we’re reading now and what we’re aware of in the world as women — I’m all for everyone reading whatever they want — but there are some things that I wrote that I’m like, definitely would’ve probably not written [this] these days.

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Us: Have you ever crossed paths with Harry Styles over the past 10 years?

Anna: We’ve been in the same room. First of all, even if I had never written this, I never want to meet him because I have him on such … he’s so not problematic. He’s never gonna be, mark my words. He’s never gonna do anything that we’re gonna be disappointed about, and as he’s gotten older, he’s gotten even better. I don’t wanna meet someone that I admire so much. Being a fan of [One Direction] in general changed my entire life, literally. I don’t want to meet any of them for that reason.

Us: You were so hands-on with the After films. Were you ultimately happy with how the first movie starring Josephine Langford and Hero Fiennes Tiffin turned ou?

Anna: I’m so proud of it. Even objectively now that I’m not so emotionally attached, that first film will always be — I would’ve loved that film. I would’ve rewatched that film. It definitely had something so special. I definitely got a little less attached toward the end because it was fanfiction of my own stuff. I’m just like, that’s not for me. But the first one, I’m so proud of the casting. I’m so proud of the cinematography. I’m so proud of the music, and I had a really big hand in the music.

Us: Do you have a favorite part of the first book you watched come to life on screen?

Anna: The lake scene was definitely — even just in the book in general — but from Wattpad to film, the lake scene was so fun to watch. It was a funny day. We had a snake wrangler and all this weird stuff. … The one in the film was the very first take, which usually is not the case. It was the first take and everyone in the producer’s tent, we were all just like … there’s something magical happening right now. I’ll never forget that moment. That’s probably one thing that I never get tired of seeing. There are certain parts of some of the movies I’m like, ‘Please stop tagging me in this.’ But that one, from a romance lover perspective, that scene is beautiful for me. I’m glad that we changed it from what it was in the book. Definitely in the book it was spicier, but just watching it, it definitely didn’t need to be the level of the books.