Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?
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@Tahu said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@GeorgeMTO the webnovel is finished but not the hard novel
It's almost like this entire topic was focused on the light novels, because that's what gets licensed for translation.
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Hmm.
Seems like everyone is thinking about this as a consumer and not a publisher.
As a consumer, there's a case to be made for being able to read what is available even when it doesn't finish. There's several series here that I don't expect to ever get more of and I don't have any regrets about having started them.
But as a publisher, it's a terrible business model. Series that have been cancelled aren't likely to have any cross promotion to help build a sales base, so they probably aren't going to sell very well. Meanwhile, folks that haunt a publishers' forum probably have the sense to check and see what the status is in Japan but the average buyer coming from places like Amazon or Bookwalker wouldn't. From their perspective, J-Novel licensed this series that they have gotten hooked on, then cancelled it. That could very well leave them thinking that J-Novel does that all the time, making them hesitant to buy series they release in the future.
Like I said, it's a really bad idea.
Now, it's very different when a series gets cancelled in Japan after it's started releasing here. I'm just talking about going out and licensing series that have been confirmed to be cancelled before they are licensed.
Of course, some of these series end up continuing for free on novel sites, but rights in a case like that get very, very messy. The exception would be something in the author's contract with the Japanese publisher returning the rights to them and allowing them to "shop" it to be released by someone else. Even in that case, licensing directly from the writer has it's own set of headaches.
All that weighed against what would probably be fairly small sales.
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@Tahu DxD wasn't axed, but the author has health problems and last time I checked there was no info on if and when he'll be able to resume writing.
For Infinite Stratos the author posted on Twitter that he won't conclude the series because he doesn't have the leeway to work on something that won't bring money. -
@Lex said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@Tahu DxD wasn't axed, but the author has health problems and last time I checked there was no info on if and when he'll be able to resume writing.
For Infinite Stratos the author posted on Twitter that he won't conclude the series because he doesn't have the leeway to work on something that won't bring money.I personally think the same should apply to FUNA's titles - but they seem to handle it quite well with having multiple series at once.
It is sad, but I have read a lot of stories reaching a point where I just "put the series to peace" because the author has lost their pacing for one reason or another.
Those moments often collate with a series "going into hiatus" very soon - you can "feel" that something is wrong. Whether the author is running out of ideas or burnout by being pushing into a "kingsroad scenario" for publishing/marketing matters.
On that note I have high love and respect for the author of I Got Caught Up in a Hero Summons, but the Other World Was at Peace! They make an update almost daily - so there is always something to read. And they got the pacing right to keep things interesting and funny, making it one of the more worthwhile reading titles.
In comparison I am rather dissapointed with Farming Life in Another World and lung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! Both made a very great impression at first, and while the concept was novel it was fun to read. But the longer it goes the pacing became more and more akward that it is no longer fun to read. Let's Buy the Land and Cultivate It in a Different World does it much better in comparison, despite I am not fond of the manga style.
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@Lex Funny timing since the new one just got announced for October.
https://www.kadokawa.co.jp/product/322412000970/
Actually this appeared to be the short story collection series, my bad. -
@xdrfiredogx said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
Hmm.
Seems like everyone is thinking about this as a consumer and not a publisher.
Well yea, because this was a poll asked to us, who are consumers. It's not the consumers' job to decide what makes the publisher the most profit. our only job as consumers is to make it known to the publisher what we are and aren't willing to spend money on (and then actually spend that money). the publisher is the one responsible for balancing consumer wants with best practice for the publisher. they'll already consider this question from the publishers' side so no need for us to do it for them.
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@morfowt said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@xdrfiredogx said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
Hmm.
Seems like everyone is thinking about this as a consumer and not a publisher.
Well yea, because this was a poll asked to us, who are consumers. It's not the consumers' job to decide what makes the publisher the most profit. our only job as consumers is to make it known to the publisher what we are and aren't willing to spend money on (and then actually spend that money). the publisher is the one responsible for balancing consumer wants with best practice for the publisher. they'll already consider this question from the publishers' side so no need for us to do it for them.
I am actually curious how exactly JNC/publishers decide on which web novel to serialise/print and which not. Currently the only impression I have is they pick the top 100 from syosetsu and serialise the ones with the largest amount of readers, regardless how good or bad a story is.
Sorry for my bad English - it is not my native language
Give Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind a try. It is that good! ♡(>ᴗ•)
I like it as much as Realist Hero ♡ -
@Serah We're probably never going to get an explanation of how JNC ever pick series. But for the cost of printing books, the closest we would ever get would be the Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Print Edition Kickstarter fund allocation section.
Based on that I'm guessing they are going for is there enough demand for break even? At 5000 books for 15.99 a unit that would be the minimum hurdle to clear. At least in the US authors can't seem to get deals unless they can prove they have a big enough fan base (with the associated social media presence) to justify the risk. Plus the genre matters. That is why isekai or danmei novels seem to sell so well.
Plus also, would you have a print edition of From Villainess to Healer on your limited bookshelf? Sure. Redo of a Healer not so much.
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@Serah said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@morfowt said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@xdrfiredogx said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
Hmm.
Seems like everyone is thinking about this as a consumer and not a publisher.
Well yea, because this was a poll asked to us, who are consumers. It's not the consumers' job to decide what makes the publisher the most profit. our only job as consumers is to make it known to the publisher what we are and aren't willing to spend money on (and then actually spend that money). the publisher is the one responsible for balancing consumer wants with best practice for the publisher. they'll already consider this question from the publishers' side so no need for us to do it for them.
I am actually curious how exactly JNC/publishers decide on which web novel to serialise/print and which not. Currently the only impression I have is they pick the top 100 from syosetsu and serialise the ones with the largest amount of readers, regardless how good or bad a story is.
Sam, the JNC CEO , has mentioned during announcements streams that he tries to get series that he finds interesting as well as what he thinks will sell well. He has also mentioned during streams that people have complained about the amount of isekai licensed but that what sells the most.
your comment seems to be conflating JNC with the original publishers though and they’re very different beasts.
You also have to remember that publishing is foremost a business so perceptions of literary quality are, how should I put it, multi-faceted.
You may complain about the writing style of, to use an American example, Fifty Shades of Gray, but it still sold well over 150 million copies. From a publishing standpoint, it is a very successful book.
That is to say, from a certain point of view the literary quality of a book doesn’t exactly matter. It is the icing rather than the cake.
Which is not to say that literary merit is not important but it may not be the major factor…
“There’s always a story. It’s all stories, really. The sun coming up every day is a story. Everything’s got a story in it. Change the story, change the world.” ― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
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@Lily-Garden said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
I want to be able to read all stories
At least half of my favorite stories on JNC (probably more) have been apparently axed or put on indefinite hiatus
Deathbound Duke’s Daughter
Altina the Sword Princess
Faraway Paladin
The Sidekick Never Gets the Girl, Let Alone the Protag’s Sister!
Zero BelieversAll these are great books that I’m glad were translated, even if the author never finished the overall narrative
I feel the same way about those, and some others like:
- Seriously Seeking Sister (the Abilities Average of vampire princess novels)
- Me, A Genius!? (the Grieving Soul Retire of reincarnation stories)
Also, a series can be stalled for years for various reasons then suddenly be resumed - the Grieving Soul author's Ringer series got a new volume, the Mixed Bathing series was continued and completed.
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@Lily-Garden ugh... that book was horrible. Though even more horrible I consider Hunger Games. I have read all the books, but by all means I cannot relate why it is so successful.
@morbelek I get what you mean. For years I have been angry that the genre which is getting popular is so limited and shallow in form of isekai and what in Bakuman is described as "king's road" type of story. It is even worse when you can see the pattern being used and the quality is really rather low / copy-catish.
That is why I was rather surprised / relieved to see the likings mentioned here https://forums.j-novel.club/topic/9542/what-are-your-favourite-top-5-2025/11 is actually more diverse than that.
The problem is like a conundrum. You can sell only what is popular. But if what is popular is only the same, how are you supposed to get the less known stuff sold...
However - especially thanks to JNC - as we get to know more and more light novels and the selection has been broadened quite a lot compared to e.g. five years ago - it still baffles me why some seemingly questionable quality stuff is being translated. I mean, at least JNC can sure be more picky with the excuse of different taste regarding the western market.
I mean, if people have good alternatives, they sure will not always pick the isekai-op-harem trinity. Apothecary Diaries is an example which comes to my mind. I am not a fan of it. I am not disliking it either. I am just ridiculous stunned by how popular it became wheras I remember when I first read it , it was rather unknown and treated as a niche series.
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@Lily-Garden said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
He has also mentioned during streams that people have complained about the amount of isekai licensed but that what sells the most.
No complaints from me, I'll read any isekai if it's got a half decent hook and is ongoing (Sweet Reincarnation LN where?), but if it's axed or stalled it has to be something special for me to try it, now - I've been burned a few too many times on that front. Though with the new volume of rearguard out in Japan next week, that brings it down to only one series I really liked stuck in limbo (Monster Tamer - well potentially two with Dungeon Dive, but if V16 ties up enough I can probably live with that - Monster Tamer would have been fine too if it wasn't the penultimate volume).
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Just noticed the recent release The World's Strongest Witch - I'm Starting My Free Life in a World Where Only I Can See the Online Strategy Guide via Yen Press is one of those which seems to have a rather abrupt ending as the authors does not know how to continue...
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@morbelek Almost no light novels sell 5000 copies in print.
Industry wide.
Maybe volume 1 if you are lucky. -
@Serah said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
in Bakuman is described as "king's road" type of story
Do you mind elaborating? What kind of story is this referring to? I tried searching but couldn't find anything.
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@unknownmat said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
@Serah said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
in Bakuman is described as "king's road" type of story
Do you mind elaborating? What kind of story is this referring to? I tried searching but couldn't find anything.
From how I understood it, they describe it like that the sort of story developement you see in Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece and so on.
From a technical viewpoint those stories are created with a short viewspan in mind, mainly chapter to chapter with the same pattern of character and story developement - similar to how the three acts of The Simpsons always work (you know, where in the cartoon it always starts first with something absolutely unrelated to the plot, then comes the plot and then an abrupt ending no matter what with very few exceptions like Maggie killed Mr. Burns).
From the story viewpoint it is always hero grows in strength, stronger adversary appear, repeat. In contrast to that are manga like Death Note or adaptions like Another, where the story existed before / is thought of in a long term.
The "king's road" type of storytelling/manga creation is basically made from begin with in mind to keep the story rolling infinitely.
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@Serah Perfect. Thanks for the explanation. I understand what you mean.
FWIW, I certainly won't tell you what you should like, but I don't really understand the idea of being tired of isekai stories.
From my perspective, isekai is just a convenient storytelling device that allows the reader to learn about the world along with the protagonist. It's a great way to hide exposition and to allow the world to be experienced as mysterious and fantastical. This is much harder to achieve if the characters grew up in that world to begin with.*
The breath of isekai is practically the breadth of fantasy (or even fiction) itself.
I feel like the real issue is just that the average light novel is of fairly poor quality. But this is nothing new. Fans of genre fiction have been complaining about this since probably the beginning of genre fiction. Not every mystery author is Agatha Christie, you know?
I think you're exactly right that the only thing we can do as readers is to seek out the unique and the interesting works, and support them with our dollars.
* By contrast, consider something like Neal Stephenson's Anathem, which maintained a very principled perspective of a denizen from that fantasy world. It took me like 150+ pages just to figure what the hell was even going on. It's a great book and there's certainly a place for more challenging works. But when I'm relaxing, mostly I just want a story that I can immerse myself in after a few chapters, rather than sometime I have to struggle with for hours like a college textbook.
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@unknownmat no doubts on that.
Especially since we are talking about light novels.
I also could add that the isekai part which bothers me is also limited to certain tropes. Mainly in form of "obvious ideas" being celebrated like crazy in the other world. For example "protagonist "invents" pudding / mayonnaise".
There are stories which do that, in my personal opinion better, thinking of e.g. Ascendance of a Bookworm or Dahlia in Bloom.
While isekai is undeniably a convenient tool, it is used too often in form of:
isekai => protagonist gets there by dying (famous truck-kun joke) or summoned to fight a demon king => protagonist gets overpowered cheat => other world conveniently allows harem => protagonist gets his hands somehow on slaves
So much so that many light novels even make jokes about it, well knowing the to be expected tropes.
Also a story unable to do the world building good when not an isekai is more an issue of the writing style than that being or not being an isekai.
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@Serah said in Are Axed Novels/Manga Worth Licensing?:
Also a story unable to do the world building good when not an isekai is more an issue of the writing style than that being or not being an isekai.
Yes. This is really the point that I'm trying to make. The writing is king. And this goes both ways. A boring isekai is just as much an issue of the writing style. There's nothing inherently wrong with isekai (or harems, or cheat-powered protags, etc.).
I, too, am tired of boring stories filled with poorly executed tropes - and many of the same ones you listed (e.g. there's nothing wrong with mayonnaise, but let's not pretend that the locals are going to start celebrating an annual Mayonnaise Day festival, or something - it's just eggs and vinegar).
The last thing I'll say on this is that 90% of whatever gets published is garbage. I would be cautious of overgeneralizations focused on the average case. One example I can think of would be music. As a teenager in the 90s we always complained about the music played on the radio, comparing it unfavorably to the classics of yesteryear (The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, etc). But the mistake we made was comparing the very best music from the preceding three decades with the average music from the ~6 years we spent in middle and high school. Objectively, the 90s was a pretty great time to be a teenager, musically (Nirvana, Green Day, Alice In Chains, Rage Against the Machine, etc).
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