There is a discussion about this topic on this thread.
https://forum.webnovel.com/d/810-keep-it-free-for-everyone-6-95-monthly-subscription-to-read-ahead-ad-free

I am curious as to which option readers will vote for so I am making this survey (too bad there is no poll feature). Please choose between the two options and post which option you prefer.

Option 1:
www.webnovel.com
$0.04 per chapter paywall (first 100 chapters are free)

Option 2:
www.webnovel.com
Free with ads
$5.99 a month to skip ads, read several chapters ahead of free users, extra power stones for voting

    You do realise that unless you have some direct influence on the running of the site, this is entirely meaningless? And why do you assume that are only two options, and they are the ones that you proposed?
    For a poll, just use www.strawpoll.me.

      Klepar

      Readers do have some influence about the direction of the site.

      There are only 2 realistic options so that why I only pick 2.

      Paywall similar to what Qidian is doing in China.
      Freemium, which a lot of content services in the West are doing (Crunchyroll, Spotify, Hulu, Funimation, Viki, Dramafever, NY Times, Wattpad, Royalroadl etc...)

      Paywall: $0.04 per chapter seem about right. 4 spirit stones kinda gives that away. In China, it is about $0.02 per chapter so internationally, it will be a bit more expensive. Munpia in South Korea charges $0.09 per chapter. So my best educated guess with a potential paywall is $0.04 per chapter.

      Freemium: $5.99 seem about right. Wattpad charges $5.99 a month to skip ad. Crunchyroll charges $6.95 a month to skip ad; watch 1 week ahead. So my best educated guess for a potential premium service for www.webnovel.com will be $5.99 to skip ads, read several chapters ahead of ad-supported free users, get more power stones.

          Unrealistic options

          -Free with ads
          -Paid subscription only

          Why free with ads is unrealistic? There are a portion of the readers who are willing to pay a monthly fee to skips ad, read ahead several chapters, gain more power stones, support the author/translator/publisher/site. This generate extra revenue compare to purely "free with ads."

          Why paid subscription only is unrealistic?

          It is hard to attract new readers and the other Chinese novel sites (Wuxiaworld, Gravitytales, Volarenovels) are free.

          Do you think something similar to J-Novel Club (paid subscription only) is something that www.webnovel.com will use?

          Becoming a J-Novel Club Member costs $4.95 a month, or $54 a year (=$4.50 a month).

          Becoming a J-Novel Club Premium Member costs $10.95 a month, or $120 a year ($10 a month).

            not possible, unless Qidian claim every novel rights and only allowed to publish in Qidian International, there are many translators and their own private website where they earn a decent amount of money with sponsor chapters and patron and also there are many other websites which occupy readers and their time not to mention Qidian can't hog all the popular novels and afford all the writers from China, Korea and Japan, writers are already earning a good amount of money in their countries, it's not over-popular yet around the world so their first main goal is to spread their popularity around the world instead cramping into tiny circle of readers, advertisement company want is numbers, either Qidian limit their readers into limited readers and make it a subscribtion or generate more numbers of readers and earn through adds and contract adds, WuxiaWorld became succesfull base on numbers and fan base, also watching and reading is a whole new different experience, Crunchyroll and others are similar to Netflix, getting the story and making a good video from a good entertainment industries and also advertising cost a lot of money while for stories unless readers read it the story will never get popular, only earning popularity through readers can make the writer and his stories famous and become more valuable and also publish more books and chance to get his story in movies or animation, If I were a writer I won't want my stories to be a subscribtion with limited amount of readers, I would want more people to read it and get popularity and more fan, there is no production cost for writers accept for their time, so earning alot of money is good but ripping of for some uncertain stories which we can never guess is just BS, we might never know the story will turn out good or bad, ongoing stories are just a budding sprout and you can never put stake on it, if those readers want to read without adds while spending money they can do that, but there are even more people who just came here to read, relax and pass their time so it's fine with adds, either put adds make it free and if some hardcore readers want to spend more money on add free it's their call, but options should be available for both parties, you can't force people to pay just because you want to pay.

              Wattpad: free for ad-supported users
              Wattpad Premium: $5.99 to skip ads

              https://premium.wattpad.com/faqs/

              Will the free version of Wattpad go away?

              No, reading and writing on Wattpad will always be free. Whether you’re a free Wattpad user or a Premium user, we will always connect you to the stories you love and can’t find anywhere else.

              Is the content different on Wattpad Premium?

              No. Wattpad Premium offers an ad-free reading and writing experience within the same Wattpad you know and love. Wattpad Premium doesn’t mean premium content. The stories will remain the same, regardless of whether you are a free user or a Premium user.

              I would imagine it would be like this for www.webnovel.com

              www.webnovel.com: all novels are free for users (ad supported)
              www.webnovel.com Premium: $5.99 a month to skip ads, read ahead several chapters, extra power stones to vote

              If you are among the 200 millions + users of Spotify, you would know that Spotify use an identical business model

              Spotify Free: free for users (ad supported)
              Spotify Premium: $9.99 a month to skip ads

              As of July 2017, Spotify had 60 million paying subscribers worldwide, up from 30 million paying subscribers in March 2016.

              AtIndo23

              Then vote for Option 2

              Free with ads
              $5.99 a month to skip ads, read several chapters ahead of free users, extra power stones for voting

              Readers do have some influence about the direction of www.webnovel.com
              Otherwise, they will go with a paywall after the first 100 chapters. Likely $0.04 per chapter. (4 spirit stones per chapter with each spirit stone = $0.01)

              Qidian in China: Qidian points to buy a chapter (about $0.02 per chapter)
              Munpia in South Korea: 100 Gold Coins (about $0.09 per chapter)

              Qidian International will likely be between these 2 price points. Most likely 4 spirit stones ($0.04) per chapter.

                holyfuck it is possible to put this shill here on an ignore list or something ike this? every fuckin thread is either to shove money down qidian throat...suck qidian's dick or outright get assfucked by them... stop it. its annoying, you are annoying, no one wants this bullshit except you shills, thanks

                  I don't get it. Why the hell would you want to pay for free stuff? If you don't wanna watch ads just read everything except for the last two chapters. It isn't that hard, really. I can tell you that the VAST majority would quit reading on this site if it got put behind a paywall. I myself would certainly do so.

                    when you pay you want more privileges, I have said this in your previous post, readers who pay get's VIP status, not only you get to read skip add, you want to read ahead and also want more voting rights??, you are just pathetic, when you pay you want special status more than anybody, this is not just about skipping adds, this is all about special status and privileges, this sounds like one of those arogant young masters in a novel who likes to flaunt their wealth and status and get more priviledges, everyone who pay and get's VIP will whine everyday for more priviledge and more status, this happen in games and different websites and also they are the most who complaints about everything.

                      Enlightened_Being

                      So you want to see the paywall happen because freemium is bad because it gives extra benefits to those who willing to pay? That is like Spotify free users complaining that those paying $9.99 a month to Spotify can skip ads and have offline listening.

                      If you are in favor of paywall over freemium......Don't start complain when Qidian International next year start charging 4 spirit stones ($0.04) per chapter after the first free 100 chapters.

                      It's very likely to happen unless those in charge change their mind.

                          UntaintedByPurity

                          It's not free stuff. Someone has to pay for it. It's pretty obvious that free reading with ads is not generating enough revenue to offset the cost. Qidian International will implement a change. It has two realistic options. 1) Paywall 2) Freemium service where all novels are read to read with ads; $5.99/month to skip ads, read ahead several chapters, extra power stones to vote.

                          And when did I ever advocate for a paywall?

                          I want www.webnovel.com to have freemium services like Wattpad, Spotify, Crunchyroll, Viki, Dramafever etc...
                          Free novels to read for everyone (ad-supported).
                          Those who want to skip ads, read ahead several chapters, get extra power stones to vote can pay $5.99 a month for this Premium membership.

                              then please praise your "freemium" choice alone in your own forum or go somewhere else, no one wants to read this bullshit here. Those are not even viable solutions you propose, we want to leech as long as possible without paying anything, qidian won't read any of your threads anyway so please spare myself and other the headache of reading your titles....thanks and stop it

                                Billdoor

                                You wrote that you "want to leech as long as possible without paying anything" yet you don't want freemium to happen?

                                Isn't that hypocrisy?

                                You want free novels. Freemium that I advocate gives you free novels to read. But you seem to hate it.

                                  Billdoor

                                  Unlike you, I care about about the readers, the authors and the translators.

                                  I advocate freemium because it is good for all parties involved. Paywall will drive 80-90% of readers away.

                                  You wrote that you "want to leech as long as possible without paying anything." Which mean you obviously don't care.

                                  If you care about novels, why don't you go to the Report Translation Mistakes like I do and report some typos you found. So that all readers will benefit. I have reported over 200 typos on that Forum, which improve the reading experience for all readers. What have you done to help readers?

                                    good that you report your mistakes and good that you feel your proposals are good, than please go back to your imaginary world and stay there. I just can repeat Carters point, why even advocate something to pay if there is NO fuckin reason to do it. if qidian is planning to do it than you can make your proposals but without even an inkling of incentive you post bullshit on the forum over and over and over and over... same thing with 50 million new posts to the ebook posts... once is enough we now it.... once in this thread is enough... but you have to push this bullshit up and up again that I have the urge to puke every day you push it up again.

                                    So if you want to make some suggestion...send it per mail at qidian and don't bother the rest, I haven't seen one person agreeing or even contributing to your site here in your threads... so please... fuck off, thanks

                                    edit: leeching without paying is hypocrisy? why shouldn't it be? I don't advocate paying or supporting qidian and on the other side want everything free... im pretty clear on my opinion that I want it for free, maybe you should google the meaning of the word before using it

                                      Billdoor

                                      leeching without paying is not hypocrisy.

                                      It's hypocrisy to say that you want free novels. I propose free novels with freemium. You don't like it.

                                      That is like a person who like free music streaming. Spotify has free music streaming through freemium. That person still don't like it. Hence, that person is a hypocrite.

                                      p.s.
                                      If my threads bother you, don't read it.

                                      Qidian International is going to implement paywall ($0.04 per chapter) in 2018.

                                      I believe it is a bad idea. I believe readers do have certain influence on the direction of this site.

                                      If most people are in favor of freemium over paywall, it might have some positive influence in changing their minds.

                                        yeah ill try to ignore your shit threads, no sources posted for your claims and still calling people out :)

                                        maybe on rare occasion I come again and shit on your theories that will not favor the free readers. But please come out of your bubble and think you have influence on a multibillion dollar company that already shits on their reader base here by not implementing ANY suggestions or even answering to anything

                                          Billdoor

                                          why even advocate something to pay if there is NO fuckin reason to do it. if qidian is planning to do it than you can make your proposals

                                          Qidian International is going to implement a paywall ($0.04) in 2018.

                                              ssound5rs I can claim next year will be the end of the world, is it now a fact?
                                              Please provide us with credible sources for your claims. Only because you write something it won't come true, I have to shatter that dream.

                                                  Billdoor

                                                  I never say I have any influence.

                                                  But all the readers do.

                                                  If 90% vote in favor of freemium and only 10% vote in favor of paywall, Qidian executives will think twice before implementing a paywall.

                                                  Especially since freemium work very well in the West. Thanks to freemium, Spotify has 60 million paying subscribers worldwide. Freemium work very well in the West...Why not try it first instead of paywall? If failed, QI can always revert to paywall.

                                                      Billdoor

                                                      Qidian charges its readers in China. What make you think Qidian won't charge readers in the West?

                                                      As for why the paywall is coming....

                                                      1) Qidian is a profit-driven business. Ads is not enough revenue.
                                                      2) Spirit stones is exactly the same as Qidian Points in China. Users buy Qidian points in China to purchase chapters.

                                                      3) Readers in China has to pay. How would it look if Qidian novels is free in the West but paid in China to paying readers?
                                                      4) CKtalon said that Qidian is committed to free till at least the end of 2017.

                                                          so if you have no real sources and only hypotheses please stop it, its not use to make a paywall with such a low reader base that they have right now.

                                                          So you tell me you make such a huge effort and try to think for solution for a thing that

                                                          isn't sure to happen right now
                                                          will not take you into consideration anyway
                                                          will have a whole department of people drafting ideas about anyway
                                                          has already precedence in china

                                                          man you must have nothing to do...last post here, to much bs here again

                                                            ssound5rs Thanks to freemium, Spotify has 60 million paying subscribers worldwide. Freemium work very well in the West...Why not try it first instead of paywall? If failed, QI can always revert to paywall.

                                                            And thanks to Free service, Facebook makes 27.64 billion USD in 2016

                                                                ssound5rs
                                                                Srsly?
                                                                If it ever becomes paywalled
                                                                I m gonna either switch to pirate sites or switch hobbies....
                                                                I have limited pocket money
                                                                Can't waste it on reading novels mediocre novels.
                                                                Also 0.04$ per Chapter paywall is just too much. No thx
                                                                That was worst suggestion ever...

                                                                The current ads paywall is better.

                                                                    ssound5rs
                                                                    Thing with This kind of stuff is.....it doesn't get immediate returns but little amount every particular interval....
                                                                    Calculate how much earning after 10 years...if QI actually manages to increase users to 10 times what it is right now....

                                                                        Indiboy

                                                                        That's why I wrote that a paywall is a bad idea.

                                                                        Freemium is much better.

                                                                        Freemium will be able to attract 10 times more readers to www.webnovel.com compare to a paywall.

                                                                            ssound5rs I think the current www.webnovel.com ads system was much better than Freemium.

                                                                            QI give us around `+15` free SS each day to skip the ads.
What? not much SS to read the bonus chapter?
Us, the poor don't mind watching the ads to unlock the chapter
and Them, the rich also don't mind to waste their money in exchange for more SS
(currently QI doesn't sell SS though)

                                                                                Premium account is unreliable source of income. Why? This is not porn sites nor movie sites, and most people won't be too troubled to backlog a novel just to binge read/marathoning it once it's completely translated.

                                                                                  Olivia

                                                                                  You can always use the free version. Which is identical to what it is now.

                                                                                  And even if you are under 18 and in the EU, you can use Spotify Premium or Crunchyroll Premium or Wattpad Premium as long as your parent pay for it with their credit/debit card.

                                                                                  Result so far

                                                                                  74% in favor of Freemium (all novels free with ads; $5.99 a month to skip ads, read ahead several chapters of free readers)
                                                                                  26% in favor of Paywall ($0.04 per chapter)

                                                                                    Having no free option will kill the community, using crunchyroll as an example is terrible since the anime community is far larger and had much longer to grow before corporate companies came into the picture, so the second choice would be only viable one imho.

                                                                                    deikatsuo I think the current www.webnovel.com ads system was much better than Freemium.

                                                                                    but ads system only generates a lot less revenue....compare to ads system + paid extra to skip ads

                                                                                    If readers want more novels translated and authors get paid more, freemium is superior.

                                                                                    Look at the New York Times freemium:

                                                                                    DIGITAL AD REVENUE: $49 million for the quarter x 4 quarters a year = $196 million a year
                                                                                    DIGITAL-ONLY SUBSCRIPTIONS: $86 million for the quarter x 4 quarters a year = $344 million a year

                                                                                    Having just ads and no freemium would mean digital revenue for the New York Times would only be $196 million a year instead of $540 mil a year.

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