Is This the “Golden Age” for Chinese Web Authors?

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 07:23 AM

http://publishingperspectives.com/20...e-web-authors/

excerpt

Quote:

In fact, there are now so many web-writers in China (in the millions) that they are now “ranked,” both by their earnings and number of fans.

On the lowest level is the ordinary writer, also “known as poor guy (or poor guy writer).” They have a limited number of fans, and their work is seldom recommended to others. Their annual income is around 1,000 yuan.

Next up are the Xiaoshen (low rank god) writers with a fan base of more than 100,000 and annual earnings of more than 100,000 yuan ($16,100).

One step further up the ladder are the dashen (super god) class of writers with earnings of more than 1 million yuan ($161,200) with fans counted in the millions as well.

At the very top of the tier are the 20-30 web writers known as platinum authors or zhigaoshen (the Supreme God) class of writers. The 2014 Chinese web-writers list ranks Tangjiasanshao first, with earnings of 50 million yuan (around $8.06 million) per year from royalties, while second and third on the list both raked in more than 25 million yuan ($4.03 million) each.

p.s. Web novel is now big business in China. Tencent purchased Qidian (the biggest web novel site) in China for $800 million USD earlier this year.

If you are a talented fantasy writer in China today, most likely you will publish through web novel site like Qidian and not through a publisher.

Why? That's where the money is.

If Wattpad could pay top fantasy writers millions of USD in royalties, many top fantasy writers will migrate there too.

The biggest ingredient to web novel success in China is that it is FREE. Author and novel web site makes money through

1) Subscription (similar to Kindle Unlimited but much cheaper, think $1 a month)
2) Donation (similar to Patreon for those that want to directly support their fav authors)
3) Ad revenue

Most web novels are read through smartphone/tablet.

With a reading audience in the hundreds of millions, it's easy to see why web novel are dominating.

Anyway, thanks to the internet and smartphone, web novel is now the future of publishing in China.

Could web novel be the future of publishing in the West one day?

Kindle biggest challenger could be something like this in the future.

Imagine a novel web site that has tens of millions readers and the top tier authors are paid millions of USD in royalties each year. Many top tier genre authors are publishing on this web site instead of with a trad publisher or self-publishing.

And it's FREE TO READ for readers. Income come from subscription, donation and ad revenue. Author get 70% and the web site keeps 30%.

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 08:18 AM

http://publishingperspectives.com/20...exploiting-ip/

Quote:

Earlier this year Tencent finished the acquisition of Shanda Cloudary, the pioneering Chinese self-publishing and digital literature platform, which includes well-known online literature sites such as www.qidian.com and chuangshi.qq.com. The acquisition was priced at RMB 5 billion ($800 million), according to Sina Tech.

Shanda, launched in 2008, was innovative in a number of ways, not the least of which was enabling Chinese writers to freely publish online and monetize their work through micropayments from readers as well as rights and licensing deals. As of 2010, it commanded 71.5% of the Chinese reading market (according to Iresearch).

It would be funny if Tencent expand its literature subsidiary (China Reading Limited) to the West. It could disrupt Amazon Kindle.

Step 1: Buy out Wattpad or create its own literature web site
Step 2: Provide royalties for its popular web writers (monetize through subscription, donation and ad revenue)
Step 3: Gain more readers. Attract some full-time genre fiction writers who are writing for trade publishers or self-publishing.
Step 4: Rinse and repeat

If Digital Reading is the future, then Web Novel Publishing (with royalties) is superior than Kindle Publishing.

doubleshuffle · 12-10-2015, 09:06 AM

Very interesting posts, thanks.

The interesting question for me is: if they generate so much revenue by ads, how many ads to you have to wade through to read a novel?

And another one: What kind of novels are published as web novels? Only genre literature, or literary fiction as well?

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doubleshuffle

Very interesting posts, thanks.

The interesting question for me is: if they generate so much revenue by ads, how many ads to you have to wade through to read a novel?

And another one: What kind of novels are published as web novels? Only genre literature, or literary fiction as well?

The ad is on the side bar. Reader hardly notice them. Think of ad on blog.

For example,

The majority of the money is through VIP subscription. For example, $0.005 subscription for a chapter which usually contain about 3 thousand words. 90,000 words web novel will cost about $0.15 USD as VIP member. It doesn't seem much but popular authors have an audience in the tens of millions. And their novels are 1000+ chapters.

Most web novels are free but some require VIP membership to read after 100 free chapters. Which then cost about $0.005 per chapter from chapter 101 onward.

Donation is another source of money.

Quote:

And another one: What kind of novels are published as web novels? Only genre literature, or literary fiction as well?

They have all kind of novels on there including literary fiction. But the most popular ones are genre fiction in serial form. Different novel sites target different type of audience. But the most popular ones for male demographic are:

Xianxia fantasy
Wuxia fantasy
Time Travel/historical fiction
Science Fiction
Comedy
Virtual Reality MMORPG

etc...

Romance are very popular for the female demographic.

Xianxia · 12-10-2015, 09:42 AM

99.9% of the web novels are free. Revenue from them are from donation and ad revenue.

For some popular novels, they sometimes employ subscription in order to read from chapter 101 onward. The subscription rate is very cheap. $0.005-$0.01 per chapter of about 2000 - 3000 words.

For some popular novels, they just depend on fan donation and ad for revenue.

5.4.1.1 Subscription

Readers can pay for content using Cloudary's virtual currency supported by different payment mechanisms such as Alipay, PayPal, online banking (international bank cards are supported), mobile phone bills and top-up cards.

Cloudary's payment systems included:

A micro-payment policy:
0.05 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Non-members) [about $0.005 per 1000 words)
0.04 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Basic members)
0.03 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Intermediate members)
0.02 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Supreme members) (about $0.002 per 1000 words)
(Membership requirements vary slightly among Cloudary's different websites.)

5.4.1.2 Pay What You Can: 'Reward from Readers'

Cloudary also operates a 'pay what you can' model, giving readers the power to reward specific authors. Only a low proportion of readers use this option, however, though some readers have been willing to pay up to 60 Yuan (£6.40) in a month.

5.4.1.3 Advertising

Advertisements appear widely across the Cloudary platform in pictures, texts, links and other forms. Advertising income from Cloudary's desktop version is more mature than the mobile, attributed by Cloudary to complications in selling advertising on mobile device screens, but it is actively trying to establish a revenue stream here too.

HarryT · 12-10-2015, 09:54 AM

Is online reading popular in China? In Europe and North America, apps which only allow the user to read while online have not proved popular.

GERGE · 12-10-2015, 10:21 AM

It is mostly sff. I have been meaning to read them for a while now, started Coiling Dragon.

I can see that this becaming a thing in here if they are well translated. I quite like Serial Box. And we already have some very successful web series. Think about Worm, Mother of Learning...

DiapDealer · 12-10-2015, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Is online reading popular in China? In Europe and North America, apps which only allow the user to read while online have not proved popular.

To be fair, I think the big objection is to having to be on line to read. Apps and devices and DRM that require a full-time connection to function are naturally poo-pooed, but I don't think online browser reading--as an additional choice--has met with any organized resistance. Not if Wattpad's popularity is anything to go by anyway.

HarryT · 12-10-2015, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

To be fair, I think the big objection is to having to be on line to read.

Yes, that's specifically what I was referring to.

DiapDealer · 12-10-2015, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Yes, that's specifically what I was referring to.

But you're not forced into using any particular app or device with Wattpad or similar sites. You can fire up a browser, login and read. They avoid the stigma of "Our content, our app, our way" that way. "Online Reading" itself has never really been unpopular. I'm almost positive I've read more pages online than off today.

Sites like Wattpad prove there's enough people who don't mind (under certain circumstances) "reading online."

But sell them a device that NEEDS to be connected to work, or offer content that's ONLY available with a particular device/app, and those same people will kick up their heels. That's the difference I think.

shalym · 12-11-2015, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

But you're not forced into using any particular app or device with Wattpad or similar sites. You can fire up a browser, login and read. They avoid the stigma of "Our content, our app, our way" that way. "Online Reading" itself has never really been unpopular. I'm almost positive I've read more pages online than off today.

Sites like Wattpad prove there's enough people who don't mind (under certain circumstances) "reading online."

But sell them a device that NEEDS to be connected to work, or offer content that's ONLY available with a particular device/app, and those same people will kick up their heels. That's the difference I think.

Do you know of a way to download the books with Wattpad? I just signed up, and I can't figure out a way. I'm really not interested in reading an entire book in a web browser.

Shari

GERGE · 12-11-2015, 08:51 AM

There are some programs that do that in Gıthub. I never used Wattpad, any good ones in sff?

DiapDealer · 12-11-2015, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

Do you know of a way to download the books with Wattpad? I just signed up, and I can't figure out a way. I'm really not interested in reading an entire book in a web browser.

Shari

As far as I know, offline reading is only officially supported using the Android or iOS apps.

shalym · 12-11-2015, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GERGE

There are some programs that do that in Gıthub. I never used Wattpad, any good ones in sff?

Sorry, I just joined, and haven't had a chance to read any of the books. As I said, I don't really have any interest in reading a novel in a web browser on my computer.

I did try to find a way to download wattpad stories to read on my reader, and I can't find a way to do it. It looks like there is an Android app for my phone, but no way to download to read on my Kindle or Kobo.

Shari

shalym · 12-11-2015, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

As far as I know, offline reading is only officially supported using the Android or iOS apps.

Ok--so I'm not able to use my chosen device, then?

Shari

12-10-2015, 09:42 AM	#5
Xianxia Zealot Posts: 101 Karma: 3017168 Join Date: Nov 2015 Device: phone	99.9% of the web novels are free. Revenue from them are from donation and ad revenue. For some popular novels, they sometimes employ subscription in order to read from chapter 101 onward. The subscription rate is very cheap. $0.005-$0.01 per chapter of about 2000 - 3000 words. For some popular novels, they just depend on fan donation and ad for revenue. 5.4.1.1 Subscription Readers can pay for content using Cloudary's virtual currency supported by different payment mechanisms such as Alipay, PayPal, online banking (international bank cards are supported), mobile phone bills and top-up cards. Cloudary's payment systems included: A micro-payment policy: 0.05 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Non-members) [about $0.005 per 1000 words) 0.04 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Basic members) 0.03 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Intermediate members) 0.02 yuan per 1,000 Chinese characters (Supreme members) (about $0.002 per 1000 words) (Membership requirements vary slightly among Cloudary's different websites.) 5.4.1.2 Pay What You Can: 'Reward from Readers' Cloudary also operates a 'pay what you can' model, giving readers the power to reward specific authors. Only a low proportion of readers use this option, however, though some readers have been willing to pay up to 60 Yuan (£6.40) in a month. 5.4.1.3 Advertising Advertisements appear widely across the Cloudary platform in pictures, texts, links and other forms. Advertising income from Cloudary's desktop version is more mature than the mobile, attributed by Cloudary to complications in selling advertising on mobile device screens, but it is actively trying to establish a revenue stream here too. Last edited by Xianxia; 12-10-2015 at 09:51 AM.

12-10-2015, 10:21 AM	#7
GERGE Guru Posts: 732 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	It is mostly sff. I have been meaning to read them for a while now, started Coiling Dragon. I can see that this becaming a thing in here if they are well translated. I quite like Serial Box. And we already have some very successful web series. Think about Worm, Mother of Learning... Last edited by GERGE; 12-10-2015 at 10:25 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Golden Age SF and a melancholy take on Walter Mitty	cromag	Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers	33	12-26-2017 06:20 PM
Acclaimed first poetry collection: The Golden Age	pstjmack	Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers	2	04-21-2013 06:16 PM
The Armageddon Machine - Golden Age SF - 99c	SimonKewin	Self-Promotions by Authors and Publishers	0	11-26-2010 12:04 PM
Seriously thoughtful UK Railways, Golden Age ... ?	GeoffC	Lounge	6	03-04-2010 11:19 AM
Golden Age Comics	mtravellerh	Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links)	3	12-19-2008 03:58 PM

12-10-2015, 09:06 AM	#3
doubleshuffle Unicycle Daredevil Posts: 13,923 Karma: 185041098 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Planet of the Pudding Brains Device: Aura HD (R.I.P. After six years the USB socket died.) tolino shine 3	Very interesting posts, thanks. The interesting question for me is: if they generate so much revenue by ads, how many ads to you have to wade through to read a novel? And another one: What kind of novels are published as web novels? Only genre literature, or literary fiction as well?

12-10-2015, 09:54 AM	#6
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Is online reading popular in China? In Europe and North America, apps which only allow the user to read while online have not proved popular.

12-11-2015, 08:51 AM	#12
GERGE Guru Posts: 732 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	There are some programs that do that in Gıthub. I never used Wattpad, any good ones in sff?

Advert

Advert