Dear Readers,
I am generally a lurker and only respond to threads at leisure. However, due to the recent changes to Qidian, I have noticed that there have been an increasing number of assumptions about how Premium works as well as the spreading of rumors. Here's a detailed explanation for you. Be warned as this will be a long post and thus, you could scroll all the way to the bottom if you want a TL;DR version. P.S. I'm too lazy to bring in numbers but you can make some simple calculations to estimate the cost of unlocking a chapter with paid Spirit Stones and compare it with Patreon rates.
Being directly affected by RLG going premium in the first batch, I must confess that I was initially just as confused and worried as most of you are. After understanding the system better, I am currently inclined towards the implementation of this system. There are still some parts that I do not agree to, though I cannot influence such decisions made by Qidian in general.
First, let me explain how this would work out in favor of both readers and translators (the majority of people on this forum).
Readers can generally be divided into two categories, paying readers and non-paying ones. For paying readers, this system is a blessing. Not only can they access chapters directly on Webnovel.com without checking Patreon periodically, they also do not have to wait for the delay that translators would create when releasing the bonus chapters. In addition to that, the cost to unlock/read each bonus chapter is much lower than that of Patreon's rates. In marketing strategies, it is a common practice to sell something in bulk at a lower price. However, while Patreon gives you access to a bulk of chapters, it comes at a much higher price compared to Webnovel's system where you can choose just how far you would want to read and stop at appropriate chapters. Naturally, the benefits here far outweigh the inconveniences of switching over from Patreon to Webnovel Premium.
As for non-paying readers, I would have to be honest and say that there is no advantage to the switch right now. However, please do not look at this as a short-term gold digging scheme. The revenue generated from this system would help not just the translators and editors but also the authors and Qidian. Now I won't talk much about all these because many non-paying readers might exclaim about how they do not care about our futures (sobs). It's fine really! Look at it this way, once Qidian is able to sustain these translations thanks to your paying comrades, it is very likely the scale of translations would increase. You would gain access to far more titles/genres/chapters than you could even care to read. The biggest disadvantage to non-paying readers at the moment stems from the decrease in daily release rates of premium titles. This is the part that I disagree about. I am unsure about the status of the other three premium titles but RLG has enough stockpile for Qidian to keep up or even increase the old weekly release rates and still maintain a good buffer for paying readers. I hope that this part of premium can be changed so that the weekly schedules of all titles can be retained when converting to premium.
Since it is clear to all that Premium is being phased in step-by-step, I am sure that most readers would know that it is in an experimental phase. There's a likelihood that it can be improved with proper and sufficient feedback. Don't be fearmongers and make/spread false assumptions of how it will lead to paywalling every single non-paying reader out. You are the core of Webnovel! As a reader, paying or not, you will definitely, 100% be able to finish the title you have picked up. The only difference is when! I can't speak for other titles but I will try my best to make sure you get to finish reading EFT titles as soon as possible!
Now for those who really care about translators and love us to the point where you want to know what the implications are for us, please read on. The rest, you may move along now! Initially, we thought that implementing the Premium system would mean that TLs/EDs would lose our Patreon income. For some titles, the Patreon has been the core of the translating income and as such, it felt disheartening. However, there are many advantages for us to switch to Premium as well. One of the advantages would be that we would get a share of income even after the title has ended. If we used Patreon, pledgers might stop sponsoring us the moment we move onto the next title, and they would decide whether or not they like the new title before resuming their pledges. Another advantage is that I wouldn't have to upload chapters manually on Patreon anymore! Hehehee! In any case, the current disadvantage is that we do not know whether this system would work out well or not, and so, every title that converts over is taking a huge risk by losing months of Patreon income.
Before I end this extremely long post, I would like to remind readers of one thing. The fact that you are at Webnovel's forums means that you most likely enjoy a title or two here. Regardless of whether you agree with Qidian's practices, they are doing their best in ensuring their own survival in this arena, which is directly or indirectly linked to the translators', editors' and authors' survival. And our continued survival also means the continued provision of translations to readers. In time, every chapter would be available for any reader to read so please be patient for now!
Thanks for your continued support!
TL;DR version
Premium Status -> Still free to read! -> Lowered release rates (Trying to change their mind about it)
Cheaper for paying readers compared to Patreon -> TLs/EDs/Authors/Qidian gets share and Patreon gets none! (They have been taking a huge chunk of your pledges)
More convenient to access and more timely bonus releases (no waiting for TL to upload on Patreon)
TLs/EDs face short term disadvantages (1-2 months of Patreon income lost)
TLs/EDs stand to gain long term revenue of titles (including finished ones)
Most importantly, no paywall! All chapters of every title will be free to read until the end! (just be patient)
