Forum - View topicThe Algorithmic Rise of Isekai Light Novels
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RockSplash
Posts: 501 |
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I found this article quite interesting. However, while I understand that Amazon is a horrible company for buying, I wish the author and others realize how hard it is to find Independent bookstores. I live in an average sized town in Southern California, and all my LNs have to be purchased either through Amazon or Barnes and noble. The nearest indie bookstore only has older books, and the one that does carry LNs is almost 2 hours away. I just wanted to say that, as I have seen people on the web shame others for using Amazon or non indie stores, when we really don't have much of a choice.
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Madzack
Posts: 36 |
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It's interesting how this genre evolved from Alice in Wonderland, Oz stories & John Carter to become this money-making powerhouse.
Even more so despite "portal" fantasies since Dunbine has been around longer within anime before it was given an official name. |
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LegitPancake
 Posts: 1311 Location: Texas, USA |
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You mention the speed of Mushoku Tensei’s translation, yet no mention of Ascendance of a Bookworm’s translation that’s the same speed if not faster with a single translator, and it is also one of the top-selling LNs from JNC smh.
Also while manga does have that 4:1 print to digital sales ratio, LNs are much closer to being equal, if not skewed towards digital sales over print in some situations. At least in the English market. |
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Casval Rem Deikun
 Posts: 270 |
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I just use Rightsuf for all my manga and light novels, and Barns and Noble if something is out of stock. Rightstuf has fantastic packaging and the deals are just so much better. I gave up on Amazon a long time ago cause everything comes scuffed and ripped to hell, and the prices are just so much more. |
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Cloudywind
Posts: 55 |
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Out of curiosity is this in absolute numbers or as a share of overall sales? |
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Rogural
Posts: 47 |
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As someone who reads mostly physical copies, I am grateful that Yen Press is still committed to keeping parity for the physical with the digital as you've mentioned. There's a whole lot of novels I'd want to buy from J-Novel if they would only do print copies, and being so many volumes behind for the things they bring over to physical, it gets harder and harder to dodge spoilers.
On the topic of Amazon however, I do wonder if publishers have appeased them in some way or if they've just calmed. No Game No Life Practical War and Volume 11 seem to be sold on their storefront, though the previous removals stand. |
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Frog-kun
ANN Reviewer
 Posts: 118 |
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It's the latter! |
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nobahn
 Subscriber Posts: 5146 |
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I use Rightstuf, myself. |
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Cloudywind
Posts: 55 |
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Thanks, it'd be pretty worrying if it was the former lol. Hot damn, up to 15 percentage point transfer to Bookwalker Global, kudos to BW's marketing team I guess |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2246 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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That's the percentage drop of the share of overall sales. So not all that much, but significant. |
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Cloudywind
Posts: 55 |
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Going from 65% to 50% sounds like a bigger drop if one phrases it as going from two thirds to only half, and if it was 50% in 2020 then it might be barely more than a third now! If only the Kindle stranglehold could be anywhere close to being broken in the ebook market as a whole, haha... |
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dm
 Subscriber Posts: 1463 |
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This was an interesting article --- it hadn't occurred to me that Amazon's algorithms could be having a big effect on the direction of the light-novel industry (though in retrospect, I guess it should have been obvious).
I'm sort-of happy for the success of light novels, but I really wish it would reach back into the back-lists. I'd love to be able to finish the Boogiepop and Zaregoto series, for example (it's irritating that the isekai stuff makes it to volume 17 and beyond, while Zaregoto keeps trying, but seems to stall-out at volume 3). Well, Spice and Wolf keeps going strong, at least, and we did get all of Katanagatari and the seemingly endless stream of Bakemonogatari sequels. And I guess I haven't been doing my part in failing to keep up with Banner of the Stars and Legends of the Galactic Heroes. But I'd love it if series that never made it over here were introduced, even if only in ebook form (Starship Girl Yamamoto Yoko, Starship Operators, but especially Read or Die). |
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Cryten
 Posts: 1133 |
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I just wish that the "format" as described didn't excuse so much in a story. I love a well crafted fantasy or sci fi world, but I get so tired of computer game uk countryside with a main character who teaches every single leader or wiseman that his Japanese knowledge can improve everything about their lives. At times it can get to uncomftable levels like the time spirit chronicles taught farmers about ploughing and irrigation or when spirit chronicals taught every single other person about the wonders of salt and pepper on food.
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