Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!

myskaros · Oct 16, 2021, 4:03 PM

J-Novel Club Turns Five!

We put on our birthday hat, so bring out the cake and candles for us! We're celebrating 5 years of J-Novel Club officially today!

Thank you so much for 5 years of amazing light novels, manga, and more! Onward to many more releases!

Hey, a Survey! Includes Prizes!

What better way to celebrate than with a 5-Year-Anniversary Survey? 🎉 We'd like to hear about how we've been doing, what you'd like to see from us in the future, and areas we could improve on! The results can also impact the kinds of things we try to license in the future!

But don't worry, we also brought gifts! Fill it out for a special coupon for 50% off almost all JNC books on Bookwalker (some restrictions apply) and a chance to win premium eBook credits!

Fill out the survey here
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBRBK2LYf796FFjZcxVotWmLgmmIcj5Joh_O98tN9DRzGnfA/viewform

Thanks for all your support over the years!

Ingraman · Oct 15, 2021, 6:18 PM

@myskaros

Happy birthday!

I haven’t been here nearly that long, but I’ve enjoyed reading a lot of stories since my arrival. Hmmm… 28 January, 2020 was my signup date. I think that I am part of the Bookworm anime wave. :)

Korppi · Oct 15, 2021, 6:47 PM

Happy Birthday!

Edit; light novel numbers only. Edit2; Fixed title count.

It has been a ride. In those five years it has released 134 titles(light novels)(133 currently available*), with a total of 744 volumes(pre-orders excluded)**

*[New Life+] Young Again in Another World was removed in 2018

**Max library number is 742 as the two Beatless volumes aren't available onsite. Max library number for new users atm is 739 volumes if the NEW Life+ volumes are excluded.

Geezer Weasalopes · Oct 15, 2021, 6:38 PM

@korppi said in J-Novel Club Turns Five!!!:

the two Beatless volumes aren't available onsite

I'm showing my age and background; I first read that as Beatles (the group Paul McCartney was with prior to Wings...)(and not a Country Band, thank you very much!)

Jaquobus · Oct 15, 2021, 7:00 PM

@korppi said in J-Novel Club Turns Five!!!:

**Max library number is 742 as the two Beatless volumes aren't available onsite. Max library number for new users atm is 739 volumes if the NEW Life+ volumes are excluded.

Don't forget "Invaders of the Rokujouma!? Kickstarter Backer Stories", and the two J-Novel originals™®: "I Got Hit By a Truck But I Wasn’t Sent to Another World! What the Heck?!" and the super secret "My Little Ponii Can Read Kanji!".

Melicans · Oct 15, 2021, 7:27 PM

Glad I saw the survey here or I'd have not known about it. Pretty in-depth and hope it is informative.

Qeeh · Oct 15, 2021, 10:06 PM

Yay happy birthday!

A thinking back to 2016 when I bought my first English light novels Index and Danmachi :)

When I first read about the start of JNC I wasn't so sure about the concept. Half a year and a new credit card later, I was all in.

xdrfiredogx · Oct 15, 2021, 10:22 PM

Has it really been 5 years? That's nuts!

It's been over 3 for me, I read about J-novel when it was first announced but I didn't join until Amagi Brilliant Park got picked up. I'd wanted to read it anyways, and it looked like there was enough other content by that point to find other things worth reading. And that was July 2018, after it was announced at AX.

@qeeh said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

A thinking back to 2016 when I bought my first English light novels Index and Danmachi :)

First light novel for me would have to be Boogiepop, back in 2005. Which is rather fitting since it's generally considered one of the first series released that was specifically referred to and marketed as one, though there are plenty that the title applies to retroactively, like Slayers or Orphan

AbeMania · Oct 16, 2021, 1:06 AM

That survey was hard, asking me to remember how many jnovel titles I have read and are currently reading, memory isn't what it used to be.

custodes · Oct 16, 2021, 1:31 AM

I think I underestimated how many series I actually have.
Probably in hindsight, would have wished for the option of conversion to other currencies. Conversion costs between USD and GBP is always a killer

DarKraD · Oct 16, 2021, 1:42 AM

Happy birthday JNC!

I knew about JNC when it was first announced on Reddit, but didn't subscribe until the very first credit sale a couple months later if I remember correctly.

I still have hope for older titles like Baka Test, which was my very first light novel, or Oreimo getting published here by JNC now that Kadokawa is also a partner.

TheGrimLich · Oct 16, 2021, 2:50 AM

@abemania said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

That survey was hard, asking me to remember how many jnovel titles I have read and are currently reading, memory isn't what it used to be.

I counted, and counting ones that I'm currently release-only on I reached fifty-eight. Without those I think it only drops to forty... which is still a bunch.

HarmlessDave · Oct 16, 2021, 4:49 AM

For me, I counted around 50 series for JNC as ebooks not just prepubs, not counting ones where I stopped reading after one volume but bought that one volume because I finished the prepub.

Many of those are complete or canceled by the Japanese publisher but I'd buy more if they ever come out. Hey, we got Swarm volume 4 and Mixed Bathing volume 6 so it does happen once in a blue moon.

Counting other publisher I probably have at least 75 series I'll keep buying as long as the quality doesn't fall off a cliff.

(Thank e-ink for digital editions, so my 300+ JNC books and who knows how many from other publisher take up zero physical space.)

TheGrimLich · Oct 16, 2021, 4:50 AM

@harmlessdave said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

(Thank e-ink for digital editions, so my 300+ JNC books and who knows how many from other publisher take up zero physical space.)

Yeah, digital editions are a real lifesaver. And a real treesaver. And a real spacesaver. And, quite frankly, easy to just pick up another one after you've finished the one you're reading. They're like potato chips that are good for you!

piisfun · Oct 16, 2021, 5:12 AM

@thegrimlich said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

@harmlessdave said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

(Thank e-ink for digital editions, so my 300+ JNC books and who knows how many from other publisher take up zero physical space.)

Yeah, digital editions are a real lifesaver. And a real treesaver. And a real spacesaver. And, quite frankly, easy to just pick up another one after you've finished the one you're reading. They're like potato chips that are good for you!

But extremely bad for your wallet.

HarmlessDave · Oct 16, 2021, 5:52 AM

@piisfun said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

@thegrimlich said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

@harmlessdave said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

(Thank e-ink for digital editions, so my 300+ JNC books and who knows how many from other publisher take up zero physical space.)

Yeah, digital editions are a real lifesaver. And a real treesaver. And a real spacesaver. And, quite frankly, easy to just pick up another one after you've finished the one you're reading. They're like potato chips that are good for you!

But extremely bad for your wallet.

At least the JNC ones are $6 instead of $8-10

ShipTeaser · Oct 16, 2021, 6:44 AM

Damn that survey was actually quite lengthy to fill out, but worth it as it !at least to.some more licences we want/print editions I guess

grobinson2k1 · Oct 16, 2021, 9:57 AM

@shipteaser

Damn that survey was actually quite lengthy to fill out, but worth it as it !at least to.some more licences we want/print editions I guess

Agreed. I read 20-30 novels across multiple publishers, but only 3 of which I’ve bought the print and there are a few more from JNC I’d like to buy.

ShipTeaser · Oct 16, 2021, 10:41 AM

@grobinson2k1 indeed. I always prefer print myself, though of course ebook is better than fan translation which is better than no translation...

I'm curious if their interest in doing webnovels on the survey goes anywhere too...

kurosov · Oct 17, 2021, 4:25 AM

@shipteaser said in Fifth Year Anniversary Survey!:

@grobinson2k1 indeed. I always prefer print myself, though of course ebook is better than fan translation which is better than no translation...

I'm curious if their interest in doing webnovels on the survey goes anywhere too...

In my case i prefer ebook for practicality. The experience on a 12.9" iPad screen is great for both books and comics/manga and as the device travels with me everywhere for work i'm not carrying any extra weight.

These days I don't even read the physical books I do buy. There are a limited few book series that I buy for collection/display while also getting the eBook to actually read.