I don't actually think there's a problem with the model of virtual currency for chapters. The problem is QI. If WW implemented the same system then people would probably be a lot more receptive to the idea. The model works for them in China so they assumed it would work for the rest of the world. They have the same model in Korea and tencent bought shares in munpia. They're only concerned with money. If they actually listened to readers to not hire shitty translators then I might considering reading on there. They also need to actually edit their chapters before trying to rob readers of all their money. A lot of the novels there have errors that probably won't ever be fixed.
Finish translating at least 3-5 novels and charge a flat rate for access to a growing library or do something like a kickstarter, set a goal for how much to make from a novel for it to be worth investing in. In either case you need to know your own bottom line and the bottom line of what people are willing to pay. Truthfully, I don't see a success being possible, all I know for sure that if you want a shot at it you will need to be transparent and sincere towards your audience. I doubt it's good business but the reality is that the manga/novel/anime community isn't good business it's just too murky a ground for standard to work well.
It depends. If you can somehow manage to make all the novels on your site translate say, 5 chapters a week or w/e, you can give out 1/2 of those, rounded up, for free as they come out, and the other ones are bought using w/e your currency is called. How do you get the currency? Watch a 30 second ad, gives you enough for X chapters. This is similar to the twitch bits system, and I find that system to be fairly decent. Then on top of that, you could have a subscriber mode that costs say, 5 dollars a month and you can read all chapters as they come out. At the end of the day, your product can be 'sold' infinitely, so the cheaper it is for the end user, the more willing they'll be to try and read more. You can add more things into it like the check in system giving you enough for a chapter, just like QI, or perhaps a "quest" or "bounty" system implemented into the site that gives you currency for posting non spam comments or w/e. I personally never had a problem with the virtual currency aspect, the price is pretty ok as well, biggest problem I have with QI are these. 1. No option to get currency for free other than daily log in 2. Price is not bad, but the quality of most of the TL are straight up garbage 3. No they're releasing novels that are straight up only available if you pay for them after a certain chapter. IE after chapter 100, all chapters are paid only, and it will always stay like that.
What is the point of coming up with a solution? Even if people could come up with a great solution that could even increase qi's profits, I doubt they would implement it. So, what is the point? Unless the point is to poke holes in every idea people come up with in order to prove that qi's current system is not as bad as people say it is
You know once you start expanding your reach, you find an unreadable amount of free content, good content, proof-read and edited content on the net.
The real money comes from IP. Popular works are valuable and make money as intellectual property. This means images, tshirts, figurines, anime, etc. There are more money opportunities in work where you can diversify and expand. Standard unofficial translators without rights to the product have a limit on what they can make. Original works are more likely to give a good end. This community started out and stayed as “fan” translations for a long time for a reason. There is also revenue in “official” translation work, but you are looking in the wrong place and wrong environment for money. While a larger amount of readers than I care to admit won’t give a darn, quite a few people will be wary of translators making “too much” from the original authors work. Literal... leeching. Now, this is different if you actually look to cooperate with the authors, getting their support and giving them a cut of the income with an actual contract. This means... less income and higher prices which gives new readers a barrier they want to cross. This potential site payment scheme isn’t a problem, but selling a product that doesn’t belong to them could be. Qidian pulls it off sheerly because they have the right to. Granted, a large drawback to original works would be the fact that they cant be linked on NU unless you are paying for ad space. /shrug
QI actually has a viable model. They play by the book in that regard. It's their disgusting business practices that have me investing my money elsewhere though.
Hence the NU version for original novels, I was interested in building such a site but Tony says he is also working on one
It is obvious that ad revenu is but a drop in the ocean compared to patreon, etc. It is an instable source of revenu. Additionaly translating a whole novel, to get some cash from donations every once in a while is but a one time deal. However, what if you translate a whole novel, then after some time, make it go poof. Disappear. Reveal the chapters one by one again from the start, you charge less for the speed of appearance of the chapters(if anyone donates). You do this for every novel you have, adding a few other modifications and options here and there. You now have a constant supply of income which doesn't cost much after the initial translation!
Thats exaclty what QI did at the start..... Also I would like to see your reasoning to why such a subscription-model would not work. It's worked for Netflix, Hulu, and Spotify.
I am not very clear what you mean but QI already does something similar with their completed novels Your idea seems George Lucas esque with reissues lol
Translators already set milestones at their own behest. Not all do, but those who want to do so. I'm satisfied with the QI system. It's a bit inconvenient, but even the premium chapters can be read for free. In China, they paywall everything. Abroad, they instead market convenience. Unfortunately, QI can't be tracked through NU, but they have a dozen great novels I follow for free. Their site is a bit buggy, but many other sites have been as well. I'm not sure from whom exactly they pull revenue, but the site is also pretty non-intrusive. If only their reputation and policies weren't so shady, I'd recommend them to friends.
Trust me it does not work, look at their financials Spotify has yet to make any profits Netflix spends billions but makes less than a few million in profits. The company has almost gone bankrupt a few times, having venture capitalists pour money into a company is not a business model lol
Those aren't quite fitting comparisons. I don't support the subscription model, because that only works when you have a large following. WW has that, but I'd question whether anybody else does. And QI, in particular, has all its content pirated by people on reddit. However, Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu all bleed profits on their licenses. QI produces its own content, so it doesn't. The equivalent is how Netflix cancelled many of its licenses and began investing big bucks in producing its own content. They're losing money now, but if it takes off then they will build a library that does not continually incur costs. They're investing for the future. QI has its own content. It just has to translate it.
5-10 second ads for the free readers and decrease the price for each chapter in the paywall for those who want to read ahead
And there's lot more thread that have pointed on how you STEAL others Translation. You called them Trolls? Really?
And Qidian International is owned by Tencent who can provide the funding without the BS that comes from venture capitalists. Also Netflix has reported a profit of $290.1 million in the first quarter of 2018 with the trajectory that it's profits will grow even larger. If you ignore profit, their revenue is about $11 billion USD. One could argue that if Netflix ramped down their spending/investment on original content then they will even have a larger profit. Spotify hasn't made a profit yet because its still building its platform, its a phase most companies go through. I don't understand why QI/Webnovel would be exempt from this. QI also has an advantage over Spotify in that they own their own content and do not have to worry about licensing fees. You say a lot but don't really back it up with anything. I am curious if you actually want real discussion and answers or you just want an answer that echoes your bias/opinions.
I have had this discussion numerous times on this forum with so many links to back it. Spotify still has not made any profits The profits for Netflix is poor in comparison to their investments, it is also new markets that inflate their profits. Two years of strong showing after weak showing of almost 20 years, does not mean a sustainable business model Opinion: Increased subscription prices, international expansion have led to growth that should quiet critics of Netflix spending https://www.marketwatch.com/story/n...-streaming-to-record-profit-totals-2018-04-16 How old is Netflix because their mammoth investment starting paying off? https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/121015/netflixs-3-key-financial-ratios.asp Their showing has just been good the past 2 or 3 years And of course, it has when they probably have spent a trillion dollars, throw enough cash at anything and it will do well Like I have stated earlier, this thread is not about QI but how an average company not backed by unlimited funds can look at the mistakes of QI and do better.
But translating it is as expensive as buying licenses for new content, that is the problem. At least good translations might even cost more than they paid the original author for the entire book. Imagine if Netflix had to reshoot their English shows with Spanish actors to market it to Spanish audience. Sorry for the late reply. I missed your message