First 100 chapters are free to read (about 200,000 words)

Paid spirit stone chapter purchase: authors get 50% of net income
Paid Spirit Stone Gift: authors get 50% of net income
Ad Revenue: authors get 50% of net income

I am guessing they are using net income because there is fee in PayPal, Apple/Google probably take 30% cut if you buy spirit stones in their App Store. So net income is the amount that Webnovel gets from selling spirit stone / net ad revenue. They will pay authors 50%

Authors also get 50% split from

Movies/tv shows adaptation
Comic books adaptation
Game adaptation
E-books adaptation
Audiobooks adaptation

This is what I gather from all the public information detailed below:

Anyway, this is a quote from @Alemillach (Author of Last Wish System) from a comment on this: https://www.webnovel.com/book/10678377306098705/31268052968461157/Alternate-World-Online/'Contract'

I am tired of seeing this type of information, so I obtained permission to clarify things about the contract because the information here is incorrect. Moreover, I asked, and Webnovel didn't send a contract to this author, so I don't know from where did he obtain such a fake contract.
The contracts needed to be read well because they are easy to misunderstand clarifying points.
1. Meaning of 200k free words. No premium until having published around 200k, the number didn't need to be exactly as it is possible to be a bit less or a bit more. After the 200k words, you can expect every contracted work to go premium at any moment. (the number can be different for each contract, but this is the standard one)
2.License. They can adapt it to any format (comic, movie, audiobook, e-book, etc.), but you are still the author and have a share of everything without any cost for you.
3. If you earn less than 200$, they accumulate it for next month and then pay it to you when you have more than 200$, you don't lose it, just get it later.
4. Payments from Premium are always the next month. For example, Premium from August is paid in September. Those three months are for other types of income besides the Premium.
5. In case you need to go to China they pay everything to you, I just come back today from Beijing, and they paid it all so I can ensure it, you can also ask Moloxiv who was also there. Moreover, they ask you if you can go; if you can't just say it. Of course, once you say that you will go, then you need to go, that is just being professional, but in any case, the travel is all paid by Webnovel.
6. They can make suggestions like every editorial in the world with the books they have. However, they are suggestions; you didn't need to follow them if you don't want.
7. If you break the contract and stop writing the novel, they can put someone else to continue, only in that case and it is to avoid novels being dropped before being finished.
8. Actually, no one is checking the drafts (published chapters), nor forcing anyone to make changes, the suggestions can be followed or not, they suggest to help the authors, but if the author didn't like, there is no need to follow the suggestion.
9. That is in case if you break the contract, breaking contracts always had consequences. If you sign, you mustn't break it. Although I doubt that they will really act in that way, they have the possibility, but sue someone is expensive and I doubt it will be good for them, maybe they will end wasting more than winning.
10. They remain the copyright if you broke the contract, the solution is not breaking it.
11. All the net income is split 50% Webnovel and 50% the author and that includes adaptations to comics, movies, e-books, audiobooks, etc. Although the author didn't need to do anything in those adaptations.
12. The net income is split in 50/50; there is no 30% in any case. Webnovel have their own artists for covers, so you don't need to hire one. As for editors, some works will get although not all (at least this is that I know)
13. Free SS are free, so they aren't money. They split 50% of the net income, but free SS are 0, so the 50% is still 0.
14. The contract should be almost the same, but the contract isn't bad as people is always saying, it is a pretty good contract, the few restrictions are perfectly normal when signing a contract and as long you didn't break the contract there wouldn't be any problems.

But, take everything with a grain of salt. You won't know the contract until webnovel gives you one. shrugs Or simply just don't sign anything and self-publish on Amazon or something... ¯(ツ)/¯ Nobody forces you to sign.

    ssound5rs net income

    There is also operational cost. Advertising your work perhaps including in that. Book Signing event included in that. Perhaps getting a professional proofreader, etc.

    You forget the important point FREE SS give 0. I think donation/Gift system should 'Can only be purchased by Paid SS' only. Since the goal was to gift an author.

    ssound5rs adaptation

    Aih! The dream from most author. Most won't get it.

    100 chapters is not 200k words. Most chapter in WN is 1.000~1.500 words, so ~150 chapters long.

      MasterRabbink
      I agree. I don't think I'd hope for an adaptation even if I ever got a contract. I think the chances of getting a manga/comic are very very low. The chance of an animated series is even lower. Plus the quality of Chinese animation leaves much to be desired from what I've seen... Maybe some pure drama novels might get live-action movies or shows if they ever get contracts?

        MasterRabbink

        What advertisement?

        What Book Signing Event?

        What Professional Proofreader?

        net income is income they get from selling spirit stone. For example, they sell $10 for 500 spirit stones on the App Store and Google Play. But Apple and Google takes 30% cut of that $10...so the net income is $7 not $10.

        Customer pay $10:
        Apple/Google: $3 income
        Webnovel: $7 net income

        Same with Paypal since there is a fee.

        As for Free SS = 0...,,that's why I mentioned paid spirit stone.
        Free SS = $0
        50% split of $0 = $0

        Movie/TV/gaming/audiobook/comics adapation is probably VERY UNLIKELY.

        Ebook = very possible and very easy to make an ebook and sell on Amazon

          SnoozySloth You have to see their TKA animation. Tencent is on the right tract.

          Manga is not that hard. If you are popular, there are also amateur manhwa drawer. For example TurtleMe had found a mangaka to make his novel into a manhwa.

          Game is a bit hard, but Tencent (Webnovel's grandfather is the world number 1 gaming company. Clash of Clan, LoL, AoV, etc.) Perhaps this is the publisher with the closest connection to gaming world.

          TV Serial or Movie is bad for a Xianxia story. I believe Chinese writer has the advantage since they are popular to Chinese people. I believe Tencent would make a TV or movie for domestic first.

          ssound5rs net income is income they get from selling spirit stone. For example, they sell $10 for 500 spirit stones on the App Store and Google Play. But Apple and Google takes 30% cut of that $10...so the net income is $7 not $10.

          You are wrong. Try to check the thread again. This time read everything one by one.

          ssound5rs Ebook = very possible and very easy to make an ebook and sell on Amazon

          Erm... This is not a reason why one would contract with Webnovel.

          This is him. He also promoted here, but more popular in other platform. This is his manhwa: https://tapas.io/episode/1123711

            If you are an ORIGINAL AUTHOR and your NOVEL is popular and you are offered the contract, your earnings will depend on

            1) Paid spirit stones chapter purchase
            2) Paid spirit stones GIFT
            3) Ad Revenue

            4) Ebook earnings when WN put the ebook on Amazon (you get 50% split of the net income)

            Movie/TV show/Comic/Gaming adaptation is very unlikely. Most New York Times best sellers don't even get one.

            Your best bet is to write a good novel and attract as many paying readers as you can.

            None paying readers also generate some revenue through ads but I don't think ad revenue will be that big.

              Well, authors are not forced to be in a contract. They can simply use webnovel for their patreon and host in multiple sites.

              Since many people are accepting contracts, it may mean that it is a better source of income than patreon despite restriction.

              ThyUnknownSaint Only for very popular perhaps. The chance is small since Webnovel is a small company. Unlike Qidian which had huge market in China.

              https://publishingperspectives.com/2018/04/china-literature-qidian-london-book-fair-2018/

              ssound5rs PS: There is a 'detailed' version in NU.

              In short: Webnovel contract suitable for amateur author who want to practice. While good authors will laugh at that.

                SnoozySloth Webnovel is children company of Qidian, but I heard to facilitate Munpia deals, Webnovel become a company directly under China Literature (Sister company then). China Literature is the child company of Tencent. (I can't find the article again.)

                So treat it as rumor.

                Based on yearly report of Chinese Literature Webnovel only have around 6mil visitor compared to 150mil+ of Qidian. However, English market is very big. Many people could speak English as second langauge.

                  MasterRabbink
                  True. I noticed I get some Spanish and french comments sometimes. Still, I imagine most prefer reading in their 1st language. It'll be hard to ever reach China's numbers. 150million Qidian users is what, like 11% of China's population? Even if USA ever reached a similar % of readers (Which I doubt will happen.) We'd only have around 32-33 million readers. Seems like a hard battle =p

                    SnoozySloth I believe WN next aim is local language as they said in 'yearly report'. However, there were something like 'collaboration' with local sites. I don't know.

                    If I can write in my native language, I can use more vocabulary. Nevertheless, Indonesian prefer Gratis. So it is better in English. Gwahahaha.

                      MasterRabbink
                      Only language I know is English =p. I've always wanted to learn Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Never actually tried though. Always end up too busy and even if I learned it woudln't be super useful to me. Such is life.

                      2 years later

                      ssound5rs

                      I don't think I will get this. Because my contract isn't verified yet. Because I'm a minor, and it's been three months now since they offered me and it's still pending. I'm not getting replies back from my editor, and everything is just a problem :<

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