Webnovel.Forum

checkm8 Actually, those numbers are not accurate. In fact, most figures for books listed under the female section in Qidian are not accurate.

Princess Agent is a book from 潇湘书院 Xiao Xiang (http://www.xxsy.net/info/165098.html), and I think it's on Qidian due to a contract between both companies (not sure on the details). However, the only figure that is usually shared among websites is the monthly votes.

Just for reference, there are 560,000,000 views and 101,000 users added it to their reading list.

I'm not too sure about the details, but I think it's fine to continue until you see the royalty contract. If you think that there's greater potential in the book than what Webnovel has to offer you in the contract (especially based on how well your book has done thus far; statistics should be coming up soon), you can always decline to sign it and negotiate with another publisher at that point.

Sorry, just to add on since I realized no one has spoken about this.

Based on what I see from Qidian China (assuming Webnovel follows the same system), most novels will get a royalty contract upon reaching a certain word count, allowing them to go "premium", so they will still be able to profit based on their work. As it is royalty-based, it depends on how much readers you have, so the payment can vary greatly from author to author. As has been said, consistency is important to building a reader base. Most authors in China post 2~3 chapters daily on their own accord so as to build a strong reader base, but that's really tiring in the long run and it's hard to sustain, so it's up to the individual whether he wishes to do the same or not. Even if you don't hit it big, there are quite a few "middle" authors in Qidian China who makes a fair amount each month, so it's not entirely a "make it big or go home" situation.

divinesea Smh, you refute him just to come up with your own hypothesis on what is going to happen?

Anyway, what I can say is that it depends on how deeply you believe in your book. In Qidian China, the editors usually go through the books and if they find potential in a certain work, they would bring it publicity via recommendation lists. Of course, this opportunity is rather limited as there are too many books there.

There are a few books that make it big only after writing a substantial amount of words. For example, The Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality is one of the largest hits in China, but it only became popular after the author wrote around 2 million to 3 million words IIRC. If you believe in the potential of your book, feel free to continue. Otherwise, as many have stated, the writing industry is competitive. If you can't find enough passion in you to persevere on, it might be the time to quit. The chances of making it big is indeed really low.

What CKTalon has said is pretty much what QI has to offer. To less popular authors, all they can do is to offer them advice through seasoned authors and their editorial team (and advertising in the form of recommendation if they see potential in the book). In the end, there are many competitors out there, so you are quite dependent on your own efforts. The other platforms you have listed are pretty much the same in the same sense that you are dependent on yourself for success. (On the hindsight, the editors do try to work closely with authors to work on their titles, so I do think that that's a huge plus as compared to other platforms.) It's only when you truly stand out amongst many other authors that the company can offer you more opportunities, and it's at that point when the platform you choose makes a bigger difference.

It'd be great to weed out incivility so that we don't descend into a toxic cesspool of a community, but it's kind of hard to prevent such occurrences altogether.
For readers, the report button should work.
For translators/editors/staff, you might have to go to Qidian International's Discord to report (There's a suggestions_bugs_feedback section, and there are usually people there who would respond to such issues)

[unknown]
Ah, my bad. I forgot about that one. You're right, he did lose the war intentionally.
Hmmm, they did explain the reasons thoroughly later on, which was pretty reasonable I think for the context of the story.

SPOILERS if you are interested:
For one, he was already severely injured then because he went to the River Styx in an attempt to save a companion of his. But the River Styx was ruled by the God of Death which is one of the two strongest main god in that world, so he got crushed easily. But before he could be killed, he succeeded in convincing the God of Death of a certain plan, so they started conspiring together.

At the same time, from the God of Death, he learned that the gods of the Order Faction would not allow the Undeads to take possession the entire world because it would threaten the base of their believers. (Order Gods derive their strength from the faith of believers, so a huge massacre pretty much threatens their existence.) They wouldn't interfere if it's on the scale of something smaller as they would have a pay a pretty heavy price to descend to the world, but if it comes down to it, they would still be able to crush the Undead Army easily. All in all, his original goal of dominating the world with the Undead is already futile and they were damned for utter destruction if they were to continue down this path (not to mention he didn't really intend on dominating the world. He only wanted to exact vengeance, but the people that had gathered around him were pretty extreme). But if he were to announce that "let's stop the war and make peace", his supporters, which believe strongly in the aim of creating a world of Undead, would just overthrow him and a new person would be installed in his place.

So, he decided to just fake his death (kind of) and make his succession unclear so that infighting would break out within the army, and this way, they would just collapse themselves. At the same time, the Order Gods wouldn't have a reason to descend and wipe out the Undeads too, so happy ending.

As someone who has finished the story (and this being my first work too), the story is really interesting. There are huge information dump here and there, which makes it hard to follow and read, but the information does come together eventually to form a huge world in the end.

Also responding to some of the posts, the comedy tends to be on the slightly whacky side. Personally, I find the comedy golden (well, admittedly the front parts are a little more boring, but the interesting characters that are developed later on do have their golden moments later on). The comedy helps to prevent the story from getting too dark, so it wouldn't be too grim to read.

He does have the power of a lich. It just happens that he developed another new ability in his time as a prisoner. Also, I don't think there's a war which he has purposely lost before? I read the entire story and I don't recall any plot going that way.

Also, the name is also pretty apt. Experimental log—if you do read far enough, he keeps logs on his progress. Because he loses a bit of himself with each reincarnation, he keeps an entire library filled with diaries.
Crazy lich—he is indeed demented in a manner which he is ruled mainly by common sense and not morals. He does function well socially, playing and joking around with others, but for his aims, he is willing to push his moral boundaries, and I find that part rather fascinating. And his greatest ability lay in undead creation even though he is no longer a lich for the latter part of the story, so it isn't too wrong to call him a lich.

Aw you got me there.

Oddly enough, you knew I had translator thoughts there as well as the posting date of the specific chapters, but didn't know that in the translator thought written, I explained how the premium model would work, aka the free model would only be offering 7 chapters a week. Besides, there are so many official posts stating how the free model would work (IIRC, neverfire's post which is still pinned at the top does talk about this issue), so either someone hasn't done his homework or is simply lying through his teeth.

I do support the premium model for certain reasons I have stated in those chapters, but I understand that there are many people who disagree for various reasons. I did feedback the concerns raised by users in a prior post to our Discord group, but recently, I am too busy with other work recently to involve myself in these issues so I decided to stay out of the picture. I even went on a short hiatus for my other novel on another website to cope.

And since, you questioned me about the deletion of the translator thoughts, I'll answer your query too. I believe that comments in a book should be about the book and not on other matters, especially a matter such as this which people have strong emotions of. That's why I emphasized for readers to limit it to that single chapter

Thus, I would prefer it if you wouldn't don't spout blatant lies or make suggestive remarks about me, and do try to leave me out of this fight.

tl;dr: Do your research before writing anything (or stop lying, whatever you are doing), and leave Starve out of this. AND DO NOT POST MY NOVEL BELOW SUCH A SUGGESTIVE TITLE.

Lomacris For the translators and editors insulting the readers who are unwilling or unable to pay, I can only say shame on them.

I am not saying the voicing of one's opinion is a problem, but we are going nowhere if we are just going to disregard the argument of others and emphasize the same opinions over and over again. Of course, I am not saying everyone on the forum is like that, but there have been quite a bit of that on the forum. At the very least, I think my responses are based on the arguments that others have built. I don't ask you to agree with my point of view, but I introduce new perspectives for everyone to view the matter with in hopes that they can see the rationale behind my stand better. I believe that this is how a discussion should proceed on.

I am not too sure about what concerns and doubts those on the forum have regarding the premium, so I may I ask about it here? If it's within my means, I'll try to answer them.

And regarding the point about there being no facts to argue about, the main issue I take with that is when people make assumptions without stating them under such circumstances, and others simply assume them to be true and quote them on it. It is much easier to spread false news than to squash them, I believe many can agree with me on that.

GregLuck I have phrased my words badly. I meant to emphasize "time and time again -> repetitively like a tape recorder".
There's quite a difference between converse and voicing one's opinion in the definition you gave. Voicing is a one-way thing, conversing is a two-way thing. If all you intend is to voice your opinion, doing it once is more than sufficient. If all one is trying to do is to enforce one's opinion on another instead of attempting to persuade with "facts, opinion based on facts, good grammar, and some nice pun" on here (assuming that those who are here are concerned and hope to possibly make a change with their views), it'll just turn into a debate like this "Pikachu is the best pokemon" "No, Charlizard is the best pokemon" "You dumbass, Pikachu is clearly the best pokemon" "Screw you, Charlizard is obviously the best of all".

The main point isn't really to convince others, but to come to a mutual understanding and possibly compromise, or simply agree to disagree.

EDIT: Alright, fine I get how conversing involves the exchange of opinion, but I think the point is clear here.

Yakumo
Fair enough, I should have chosen my words better. I do agree that a prior discussion would have really been good. At the very least, even if the current premium model is chosen at the end of the discussion, at least there will be a clear assessment of the pros and cons for everyone to see, and that would have made it easier for others to accept the decisions.

I do find it a pity that the forum isn't exactly a good place to voice doubts at the moment, the air in the forums doesn't seem really good at the moment. A forum should be a place where one can voice their views and be challenged on their viewpoints, not a place to get criticized as a person.
Way too many people are coming in preconceived notions, intending to only voice and emphasize their personal opinions time and time again instead of conversing, I think that is probably the reason so many people walk out of here pissed off.

GregLuck
I also love it when people try to overthrow arguments using bias as a reason.
It will be a beautiful sight if people go into the parliament and scream "You are far right, screw your opinions. Everything you say concerns oppression and violence, so you should just keep it zipped", "You are far left, just shut up. There's nothing you say that anyone wants to hear.", "You are neutral, you don't have a legitimate opinion so stay out of this."

Yakumo
I have no idea whom you are referring to, but as far as I can see, I don't think any single one of the staff has claimed the current model to be the best solution. I am just answering the issue regarding the necessity of a premium model as compared to one that depends solely on ad revenue. I am not sufficiently knowledgeable in the industry to answer whether a subscription model will work better or not, or anything along those lines, so I have been avoiding commenting on those issues all along.

If you are referring to me with your post, I sincerely ask you not to misconstrue my words and shape it to whatever that fits your aim.

How did I only notice this thread now?

I'll start with resolving some misunderstandings first.
Once the premium function comes in, the advanced chapters offered on Patreon will have to be removed, which does regrettably lead to a fall in Patreon earnings as that is the greatest appeal of it to subscribers there. We are still allowed to keep our Patreon after the matter, and the main reason why I chose to refund those who want it is because it'll be unfair to subscribers to pay for the March subscription when I can't offer them advanced chapters anymore.

Secondly, I do agree with the necessity of the premium system. I think one person we have been conveniently leaving out of the equation of the fan translation community is the authors. Bear with this extreme example, but will J.K. Rowling be willing to allow others to translate Harry Potter books and publish it for, let's say, $50,000 per year? Considering the "longevity" of the books, this $50,000 earning would only sustain for a couple of years at maximum. It is a huge sum of money to us, but for top-notch authors, that kind of royalty is not worthwhile for them, considering their success elsewhere. Furthermore, the publisher, translator, and editor still have to earn a fair bit to make their effort worthwhile. Qidian International has taken on the translation of the books of many famous authors in China, and if it doesn't perform sufficiently, why should they allow QI to do so? Heck, they could look for other companies such as Y******s, stop the translators, and slap on a permanent price wall on it. At the very least, QI still offers a medium for readers to catch up with the translations, and if not, the chapter unlocks itself automatically after some time.

Fan translation has only been possible because the author hasn't come into the picture yet. If they wish to, they could easily shut down the community (after all, regardless whether we are profiting from their hard work or not, it is true that they aren't profiting off theirs when they could have been). Otherwise, why would translators approach the companies to establish contracts? Many term that as selling their soul to the devil, but that is what that ensures the longevity of the community.

Thirdly, the translators do benefit from this measure as well. Translators of premium books will be given a choice to continue their fixed pay or go ahead with the royalty payout. The royalty payout option will remain open for the translator so if their book were to become popular, they could make the switch. In a sense, this is a guarantee of a minimum pay for the translators. I am not sure about the various aspects concerning editors so I'll skip on that.

Also, if I am not mistaken, before the implementation of the purchase of spirit stones, it is already highlighted that bonus spirit stones will expire.

warrock4862
Yes, that is how it works. If I could sustain, I would love to translate more chapters and update more quickly as well. However, I am the only translator for Library of Heaven's Path, and I have no intention of sharing my baby with anyone else.

yasensn

I see that capitalism hating seem to be the in thing now. The name of your game is that "I don't know what I'm saying so I am going to quote very general things that happen in the world and apply it to wherever I deem fit". There's a phrase in Chinese that goes "there's nothing that hurts more than half-baked knowledge", and I do see it very clearly now.

First, I don't think you know how "cash and dash" works. I'll assume the number of chapters on this web to be 10, 000, and let's give them an arbitrary price of $30 each. If a company "cash and dash" after investing $300,000 into content, not to mention the money required to build the website, which I believe that you can perfectly tell how much effort they have put into it, the company's head, as well as the person who suggested it, must have had his head clamped in between lift doors at some point in his life.

Also, you don't seem to know how the web novel industry works. It is an industry that slowly builds up and profits over time as the number of readers increases over time, and the number of people going for the premium functions adds up. I don't see how Qidian can, quoting from you, "cash and dash" from the readers.

"Companies are not your friend. They don't like you, don't love you, don't care for you. They are legal entities that exist to make the maximum amount of profit of you that they can."

Such a skeptical point of view, and a grossly general statement. I don't disagree that companies are profit-driven, but just because they are profit-driven doesn't mean that they do not care for their customers. UNIQLO mass produces goods to provide decent quality clothes at an affordable price to customers. Are they profit-oriented? Of course. Do they not care about their customers? Well, you could always argue that everything is a marketing gimmick, but I don't think you can deny that customers benefit from it as well. Is that love and care? Perhaps not. But if the skepticism goes further, one can even say that parents are raising their kids as an investment in hopes that someone can pay for them in the future.

I don't know what country you are from, but you are biting at the very structure that you are benefitting from. If MacDonalds were to give out burgers for free, do you think that you would have MacDonalds all around you?

It takes both hands to clap. As I have said many times, people truly overestimate how much one can earn from ad revenue. So many people have said ad revenue is the key, but look at how many people have their AdBlock on. And if you were to spam advertisements, people would just lash out at you. Furthermore, Qidian has to pay the translator, author, and still profit sufficiently from this venture. Businesses are often give and take, they offer you some kind of benefit, but you can't expect to just receive it for free. True, you can say that other websites live off ad revenue, but which of them contributes a portion of their earning to the author and guarantees the translator a living? How many translators earn enough to guarantee you >7 chapters every week? (I believe that most of them have a day job, which I find respectable that they are doing it out of the goodwill of their hearts. But if the industry is to grow, we can't just depend solely on goodwill.) How many times have you seen the translation of your favorite novel being stopped due to lack of popularity or "life issues"? Qidian International is still in its growing phase so there are hiccups here and there, but I think it has quite a decent offering to its customers.

Take Return that Witch for an example, it has 726 free chapters at the moment, and if I am not mistaken, it still releases 7 chapters a week for non-premium readers. True, you might be lagging behind premium readers, but do consider the fact that you are paying next to nothing for it (there are no advertisements on the older chapters whatsoever), is it that unfair and greedy for Qidian to profit at least from the other 50 chapters it has locked?

Free spirit stones are practically worth nothing to QI. They earn nothing from it. It is a system in place for the sole purpose of benefitting the non-premium readers. The price of the chapters are scaled according to the content in each chapter, and translators and authors will profit from a royalty function in the future. Is it fair that authors who put more content into one chapter have their chapters valued the same as chapters as short as those from Bringing the Nation's Husband Home? Also, considering that the lock is only on the latest chapters and they will be unlocked at a matter of time, the profitability of each chapter will be severely limited by time as well.

Also, who do you think you are to label people as stupid? They buy spirit stones to support what an industry which they believe in and have a passion in. That's why people purchase Japanese light novels and mangas even when they don't necessarily know the language. That's why people donate at Kickstarters and fund businesses that interest them. Do they do it out of the goodwill of their heart? Perhaps so. But I think they believe that such actions in turn benefit them as well; translators and authors will continue producing novel chapters which they enjoy. Just because you suffer from a severe case of narrow-mindedness doesn't mean that others are the same as well.

I usually lurk in the forums, but your words really pissed me off. It is fine to have an opinion, but please do at least do some research to back up your words instead of throwing stuff here and there.