Would J-Novel Club be interested in picking up web novels from Syosetu?
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Would J-Novel Club be interested in picking up web novels from Syosetu, like the publisher Cross Infinite World already does?
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I'm sure JNC would be happy to pick up novels from any source, as long as that company is willing to work with them.
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Not to rain on anyone's parade, It was said previously that they did not have an interest in that.
If they start licensing books directly from authors then they would be in direct competition with other Japanese publisher, as in their current business partners, and that would just lead to unneeded complications.
Plus then they would probably have to make a company in Japan that will release those books in Japanese further complicating the situation.
So not impossible, just unlikely.
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@HoneyFlowerFairy said in Would J-Novel Club be interested in picking up web novels from Syosetu?:
Syosetu,
my understanding is that Syosetu isn't a publisher JNC can form a contract with, it's a site where authors post their own works. So if JNC licensed one of the works that was originally on Syosetu, they'd be working with the author directly (or their agents) . It seems to me that scouting works not actually published would add a layer of (legal) complexity. The question is WHY would JNC want to do that? If a particular work were that good/popular a Japanese language publisher will pick it up --and JNC would have to secure the rights through them (why would JNC risk negotiating a contract that would have to be redone if the work was picked up...in Japanese to be licensed?)
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@Jon-Mitchell said in Would J-Novel Club be interested in picking up web novels from Syosetu?:
The question is WHY would JNC want to do that? If a particular work were that good/popular a Japanese language publisher will pick it up --and JNC would have to secure the rights through them (why would JNC risk negotiating a contract that would have to be redone if the work was picked up...in Japanese to be licensed?)
A good reason maybe to continue a light novel that the Japanese publisher has axed, but it continues on in the web novel. In particular, J-Novel’s titles of “Secret Evil-Fighting Organization” and “Seriously Seeking Sister” were both supposed to get more volumes, but the Japanese publisher has decided to no longer release any more, even though there is much more content in the web novels.
It’s a complicated process though, and could be an unnecessary risky investment, since Sam would need to hire the Japanese editor and commission more art.
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@LegitPancake said in Would J-Novel Club be interested in picking up web novels from Syosetu?:
“Secret Evil-Fighting Organization” and “Seriously Seeking Sister”
I could imagine Sam doing that--if either/both of those titles sold exceptionally well. I don't remember either being extraordinarily popular (I liked them both)
would he risk irritating the publishers he got the licenses from in the first place?
seems like a lot of work with not so much upside - but yea, one a a few scenarios that would make any sense at all