Why is the market overflowing with "convenient otherworlds" right now? What should we be writing? | Publishing Log (#CreativeTheory #WebNovels #note #Essay #Ranking #NotRead)

Hello. Good evening.
My name is "Ura-Hyoshi," and I usually write light novels.

Lately, I often feel anxious while writing novels.

I write articles about the creative market almost every day, and I'm the one saying things like,
"It's okay not to rush,"
"Let's do our best together,"
but in reality, I am the one who is most anxious.

Is it really okay to keep writing like this?
Where is the market heading?

Because that anxiety is so strong,
I observe the creative market.

Looking at rankings,
following trends in public submissions,
and watching the movements of publishers.

I feel that if I can understand even a little bit of the true nature of my anxiety,
I will be able to continue writing my work with peace of mind.

● Anxiety I feel while watching the market

Amidst all this,
there is one thing that has been bothering me lately.

The works that are evaluated in web novel rankings and the works that publishers think, "I want to deliver this work as a book,"

might be looking at different points,is what I mean.

Of course,
there are many works that are turned into books from rankings.

Even so, recently,
publishers themselves have started holding public submissions with set themes,
and the movement to try to find works from outside the rankings has become more noticeable than before.

Furthermore,
as if to support that,
the Net Novel Awards had no winner for the top prize,and I have heard that there was no winner for the top prize at the Iris Isekai Fantasy Awards either.

There are works supported by rankings.
But,
the works that publishers think, "I want to deliver this to more people," might be in a different place.

I have started to think about things like that.

Writing with the goal of reaching the rankings.
And writing works that will be read for a long time.

Although these two have many overlapping parts,
I feel they are not exactly the same.

"Then, what should I aim for when I write?"

When you continue to create,
that kind of anxiety crosses your mind many times.

● Smartphones have changed the "justice" of stories

One day, while I was thinking about such things,
I suddenly realized something.

When you look at note,
when you watch YouTube,
or when you read web novels,
what device do you use?

I suspect many of you use a smartphone.

I am one of them.

Nowadays, we can enjoy movies, dramas, novels, and manga,
whenever we want, wherever we want, and whatever we want.

It has truly become a convenient era.

But, if we look back a little into the past,
the way we enjoyed entertainment was completely different from today.

To listen to your favorite songs, you bought a CD.
You would desperately try to transcribe the lyrics while watching music programs.

You would wait a week in anticipation for a drama,
and despair when a baseball broadcast went into extra innings, shifting your recording time.

When you rented a new movie,
you had to return it within two nights and three days,
and you would turn pale at the late fees if you forgot to return it.

You went to a bookstore to buy manga.

Thinking about it now,
entertainment had many limitations.

But,
what was even more significant was that
it was "something to be enjoyed with others."that is.

Television was something to watch with family.
Anime and dramas were things that played in the living room.

Manga was passed around among siblings and friends.

In other words,
entertainment was premised on being consumed in a "public" space.that is.

However,
since the spread of smartphones, that premise has changed significantly.

Enjoying works all by yourself,
without sharing them with anyone.

Entertainment has shifted from "public" to "individual."

And,
I believe this change is most prominently reflected in
web novels, YouTube,
and TikTok short dramas.

In the past,
a "justice" that many people could share was at the heart of stories.

However, now,
there is "Zamaa" (comeuppance), which excessively ruins opponents.
There is "Ore-Tueeee" (I'm so strong), where one forces their own rules through with overwhelming power.
There is "Slave Harem," which skips over all friction in human relationships.
There is "Doteiai" (doting love), where one is loved from all directions.

Values that might be controversial in reality
are established within stories asa "justice" that feels good to the reader.

I believe that one of the reasons for this is the smartphone.

The smartphone, as a personal device,
has turned entertainment into something enjoyed in a "closed room."

Because it is a garden that no one else sees,
people find it easier to honestly affirm their own desires.

Rather than "public justice,"
it is "whether I feel good or not."

That standard of value,
hasn't it come to be reflected in stories as well?

● The gap between rankings and publishers

If that is correct,
it also explains the difference that has emerged
between works that are easily evaluated in rankings
and works that publishers are looking for.

On platforms,
works that provide a strong sense of pleasure to each individual reader in a "closed room" are easily evaluated.

On the other hand, publishers
are looking for works that can reach a wider range of readers in the "public" space of bookstores.

Here, a contradiction arises.

The entertainment sought in a "closed room"
has a very strong power to create pleasure in that moment.

But that pleasure is deeply tied to individual desires after all.

That is precisely why,
the moment you bring it into the "public" values of real society,
the perspective of "is this really correct?" arises.

In other words,
the "justice of the closed room" can sometimes
cease to be justice the moment it leaves the closed room.

I believe
this is one of the reasons why "long-lasting enthusiasm"
is difficult to generate.

Of course, there are exceptions.

However,
when looking back at works that many people can share,
or works that are read for many years,
it is not uncommon for them to have
"values that can be empathized with even in society"
somewhere within them.

That is precisely why
publishers are likely not looking only at rankings.

What rankings reflect is
'what many people are seeking in private at this very moment'.

On the other hand, what publishers are looking for is
'stories that transcend that private space and reach many people'.

That is why, recently, rather than just relying on rankings,
publishers are increasingly taking initiatives to discover 'public' entertainment,
such as through open calls with specific themes.
Isn't that the case?

For example,
with profound themes like 'dark fantasy',
it is difficult to depict a 'private justice' where everything is conveniently resolved, isn't it?

That is precisely why,
by daring to set such themes,
it seems they are trying to find works that hold a different value than those in the rankings.

● What I can write is...

If that is the case,
future creative work
might need to have two perspectives: 'private entertainment' and 'public entertainment'.

Which reader am I writing for right now?
Just by being conscious of that,
the way you approach your work and how you deliver it should change significantly.

My work is completely 'private entertainment'.
Honestly, I am not even confident if I can write 'public entertainment' from here on.

As for you,
which type of entertainment do you want to cultivate your work as?

I am still in the middle of searching for that answer.

● If writing becomes painful, head to the back cover note

● Daily note you can read quickly (includes a daily cat ♡)

● This is what the person behind the scenes is like

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Thank you until the end!
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See you in tomorrow's post.
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