For genres that are harder to get read, keep the volume easy to read.

To gain popularity on a novel posting site, they say that first, selecting a genre (category) is important.

Nowadays, every site is in an era dominated by two giants: Romance & Fantasy.

(Though depending on the site, some are 'Romance >>>>>> Fantasy'....)

The reality is that other genres (categories) struggle to gain readers = cannot reach the top of the rankings.

Why is it that genres other than Romance & Fantasy 'don't gain readers'?

There are various reasons for this.

...But one thing I can say is that 'genres that seem difficult have a high hurdle for beginners'.

Reading beginners don't just judge a book by its cover; they judge a genre without reading it.

After all, since they don't even know 'what kind of content that genre has in the first place,' they arbitrarily form preconceptions that it 'seems difficult' or 'seems uninteresting.'

For example, 'Historical Novels/Period Dramas' seem difficult because they seem to require knowledge to read....

For example, 'Mystery/Detective' seems difficult because it seems like it would require using your brain to read....

For example, 'Pure Literature' seems stiff and uninteresting... etc.

(Of course, not all readers, even beginners, hold such preconceptions....)

Even if they would understand the 'fun' if they actually read it, they won't understand that 'fun' unless they read it.

For 'reading beginners' who 'judge without reading,' they first need 'a novel that serves as a first step' into that genre (category).

They need an 'easy-to-read' entrance to help them realize, 'Actually, it's not that difficult,' 'It's not that hard to read,' or 'This genre is surprisingly interesting.'

That is why I write 'Historical Novels' and 'Pure Literature' as short stories or SS (short shorts).

As I guide in the novel summary, 'can be read in 10-15 minutes' or 'can be read in 5-10 minutes,' I actually keep the text length to that volume. (The time estimates are based on each site's 'estimated reading time.')

As I have written in past articles regarding the 'decline in reading/decline in interest in printed text' issue...

Isn't it cruel to suddenly make 'reading beginners'—especially 'people who are not used to long texts' or 'people who are not used to large-volume novels'—read a long-form novel?

If you're not careful, there is a possibility of readers dropping out halfway through, and they may end up developing an aversion to that genre itself, or even to reading in general.

Besides, we live in an era that prioritizes time performance.

It is an era that values time, where many viewers even watch movies and anime at double speed.

Would anyone choose a massive, time-consuming work to tackle an unknown genre of novel when they don't even know if it's interesting?

Therefore, I believe that for beginners, we need works that are "easy to read"—meaning "not time-consuming"—starting from the "volume" or the "prose" itself.

In particular, for genres (categories) that beginners might perceive as having a high barrier to entry, I believe we need an "entrance" that doesn't seem so daunting.

If you look at the field of commercial publishing, you can see that every company is making various efforts to gain new readers in this age of declining interest in reading.

They hire illustrators who are popular with young people for covers and inserts, establish fields like "character novels," and create series that can be "read quickly" or "read casually," such as "a conclusion in X minutes."

I think amateur writers also need similar efforts—efforts to make it easy for new readers to get started.

The decline in reading is a problem that strikes both professionals and amateurs alike.

The situation is so critical that we cannot afford to say, "I'm an amateur, so I don't need to worry about the decline in reading."

Therefore, I strive to create works that can be read even by people who haven't made reading a hobby until now, putting in effort and ingenuity.

I try things like making the volume "easy to read," or varying the "difficulty" and "writing style" of the prose...

...Although I haven't actually had beginners read them to "monitor" the results, so I don't know how effective it is...

Also, the problem is that "novel posting sites don't have matching functions in the first place, so beginners can't find works aimed at them"...

(Those functional and systemic aspects are also current challenges...)

The younger generation today spends a lot of time on social media and video sites, and overall, the time spent on reading is decreasing.

(Recently, in some surveys, the "reading" item has even disappeared from the "What are your hobbies?" section. ← When I saw this, I turned pale, thinking, "This is serious...")

If we think about the future of novel content, "increasing the reading population" is an essential task.

And so that this precious reading population isn't snatched up only by genres (categories) with low barriers, "high-barrier genres" must desperately devise strategies.