@Jon-Mitchell

update: now it is "early Black Friday" same prices but "members only"

I think the last banner in the home page header has a link to the post discussing the new system. I also miss the catch-ups, though I don't think I actually "caught up" on anything in the last year or so. So knowing I can subscribe to read or re-read a series in the library at anytime is also potentially nice...assuming I ever find the time for extra reading.

https://j-novel.club/blog/important-update-new-subscription-overhaul-readers-library-now-live

@Geezer-Weasalopes Thanks for checking. Sounds like Kobo and Google Play are the same as Amazon. I agree that Peace Books' apparent strategy of not selling available products to willing customers is baffling. Charitably, maybe this one just got lost in some shuffling around they did.

@Sora_Kazuki

I think that this link works for JNC’s discord:
https://discord.gg/8hQVUVR
—once in, look for the “share your stories thread.” Getting folks to read can be difficult. You would be doing well if someone will read a few chapters. Reviewing and writing commentary is time-consuming and often thankless—with feelings getting hurt. That said, I can take a look at your work and give you my thoughts. I probably will read just a few chapters—if I find it interesting, I may read more. PM me with a link if you like. I am pretty good at identifying large issues.

Edit: there is also a contest link—but that is not really for sharing stories.

Not on Reader so I cannot help you there.

But, I did just notice the "Expires Soon" note. I like it.

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@Serah thanks for the tip. Just might try it out.

@Rahul-Balaggan Thanks, I appreciate your assistance.

I've never read it myself, but I believe the Gamearth trilogy from 1989 to 1990 has similar themes -- and some charming covers...

Huh… A new sale started today. Micro Magazine? Who’re they? Ah. The Invincible Little Lady is the only title of theirs that I’ve read/am reading. Nope. I’ve read Making Magic, too. Not sure if I’ll buy TILL, but I won’t bother with MM. Do I get Late-Start Tamer? I’ve been somewhat enjoying the manga, so I’ll probably get at least the first LN. :)

At the much fancier end of the spectrum, for anyone who uses Calibre (which includes me, begrudgingly - it's very far from my favorite application): https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/generated/en/ebook-convert.html

It includes a command-line tool to convert epubs to HTML. I suspect it's what its web-reader uses.

If you don't want to go through its custom install process (many Linux distro packages won't install correctly): flatpaks work pretty well for it, and isolate all its dependencies. It's nearly an ideal example app for why flatpaks are useful, though it is a pretty large download. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1352523/how-to-run-or-execute-the-ebook-convert-script-from-a-flatpak-install-of-calibre

@morbelek said in Thoughts on Bookwalker global:

no choice but to license it under the new oh!Shi-novel club banner.

And here I thought he was saving the J-Novel Diamond banner for that genre specifically.

@Bruhtek said in An e-reader optimized PWA for J-Novel Club:

https://onigiri.bruhtek.com

It works fine on laptop web browsers; Opera, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome but not with Safari, version 18.2 (20620.1.16.11.8).

Neither on the "Beta" web browser of my Kobo Libra2;
~ Software Version; 4.38.23171(6b370fffff, 10/29/24) {29th Oct. 2024]

@Rahul-Balaggan Thanks for the clarification!

Honestly, I got the chills reading this thread… But I’ve heard that Kadokawa literally asked Sony to save them from Kakao who wants to buy them, too. Well, what will be the lesser evil in the end, I wonder?

Anyway, I wouldn‘t get this worked up yet if I were you. We haven‘t yet seen the end of the matter. Maybe it won‘t be as bad as you think afterwards. Just don’t think too much over it and simply enjoy life. Otherwise it is way too stressful. Let’s just hope J-Novel Club can keep their DRM-free policy etc., more specifically Sony won’t interfere too much with J-Novel Club’s management. That said I can’t really believe that they would crush everything J-Novel Club stands for, especially if this is what makes them highly successful.
End of the discussion!!!
I‘m off to reading the newest prepub part of Mercedes and the Waning Moon. I‘ve been looking forward to this all week!

@Rahul-Balaggan thanks for the clarification

@pcj said in May license announcements live stream:

@Ingraman said in May license announcements live stream:

Soooo… what’s it say? The link doesn’t want to display in Firefox Focus? :)

That's because X won't show you anything if your browser blocks their trackers. Elon is spiteful like that.

It was my assumption that something like that was going on, since I’ve encountered it once or twice since TwiXXer happened. I just didn’t feel like opening the link in Safari or Chrome. :)

@Dawnaxis said in JNC Writing Group Review Thread - For All But Three Stars in the Sky:

Name of the work: “For All But Three Stars in the Sky”
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NUIB5QRExaK22nrUsFOAnYri9RziPsGsXEk6qbPDg7c/edit?usp=sharing

A list of questions you would like reviewers to answer:

Is the premise of this story actually interesting and engaging to you as a reader?
The premise interesting and engaging and well executed through 7 chapters.

Does my writing spend too much time on the internal monologues of the viewpoint character(s)?
I enjoyed the internal monologues—I have no idea if anyone else will—but they helped give the main character personality and depth.

Does the story feel like it’s progressing at a reasonable pace?
I am not sure—it may be a little slow, but I enjoy being around the main character—it is almost like a slice-of-life to me

Does it feel like it’s waffing about and needs more direction than it’s currently shown so far?
Really need to see further chapters to know for sure.

What would you most like to see happen next, or have the story address next? (Assuming you’d be interested in reading more of this story to begin with, which might not be true.)
More than anything, I want to be surprised by what happens next?.

Do the various characters feel at least somewhat distinct so far? Should I be working harder to differentiate them during the scenes that have been written already?
Yes, the characters feel distinct. Are there any characters you particularly like or dislike so far? I like the MC, and don't have problems with the rest. And any other advice you’d like to share would be welcome.
You write the MC very well. The prologue was less well written, as was the summary above—those are minor things—but they are there—and may influence folks getting into your story at all. I will try to think of more to say later.
(Please feel free to comment on as much or as little above as you’d like.)

@Dawnaxis I might take out the bit about the “the church being tolerant” thing—but I think I will wait and see what the rest of the story looks like—I have removed my original ending and have decided to add many more chapters. But it does serve a purpose—the Reverend Mother is (possibly) the nicest adult in the book—and while it is okay for the reader feel a bit of respite from stress when Cassandra is with her—I don't necessarily want the reader to feel safe when Cassandra is in church.

While the evil priest is not really isn't in that many scenes, he is supposed to be menacing when he is there. Not knowing what his boundaries are adds to that. (It's funny that something like Bookworm doesn't just hint at pedophile priests—but doesn't come off nearly as dark. That’s not an argument, just an observation. Just thinking about how to achieve that balance in the reader).

@Alfaerin

Hi there. As someone who like the originals, I do think these new versions have slightly more 'personality' and verve. Nebulous feedback to be sure but I think the edits work well and the unique relationship between Elise and her mother is better demonstrated.

There is still a sense of place about the new chapters and the characters. The 'meat' of the story is slightly better cooked and the surrounding 'sauce' has a few more chillies to give it some punch (I should never review works before dinner).

Without going back and doing a comparison, this is basically based on my memory of the original and comparing it with versions now. Effectively, it feels stronger but that could be my memory cheating.

The new 'tightness' doesn't lose the storytelling but does help the reader trip along at a better pace. The first chapter in particular benefits from the tweaked pace.

Not that the previous version dragged - just that this is probably more 'commercial'/saleable. The hook or point of difference felt more pronounced in the latest edit.

You've definitely got something here so keep writing.