![]() Popular literature has a long tradition in Japan. The founder of Viz Media, Seiji Horibuchi, speculates that the US market for light novels will experience a similar increase in popularity as it has in the Japanese subculture once it becomes recognized by the consumer audience. Other United States English-language publishers that license light novels are Tokyopop, Viz Media, DMP, Dark Horse, J-Novel Club, Yen Press (Kadokawa's American joint-venture with Hachette Book Group), and Del Rey Manga. These have generally been published in the physical dimensions of standard mass market paperbacks or similar to manga tankōbon, but starting in April 2007, Seven Seas Entertainment was the first English publisher to print light novels in their original Japanese bunkobon format. There are currently many licensed English translations of Japanese light novels available. In 2009, light novels made ¥30.1 billion in sales, or about 20% of all sales of bunkobon format paperback books in Japan. Kadokawa Corporation's publishing subsidiary, which owns major labels like Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko and Dengeki Bunko, has a 70% to 80% share of the market. In 2007 it was estimated (according to a website funded by the Japanese government) that the market for light novels was about ¥20 billion (US$170 million at the exchange rate at the time) and that about 30 million copies were published annually. For example, the price for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in Japan is ¥540 (including 5% tax), similar to the normal price for trade paperbacks-light novels and general literature-sold in Japan. They are all clearly labeled as "light novels" and are published as low-priced paperbacks. The Dengeki Novel Prize is the largest, with over 6,500 submissions (2013) annually. As such, publishing companies are constantly searching for new talent with annual contests, many of which earn the winner a cash prize and publication of their novel. Light novels have a reputation as being "mass-produced and disposable," an extreme example being Kazuma Kamachi who wrote one novel a month for two years straight, and the author turnover rate is very high. Some of them are serialized in literary magazines such as Faust, Gekkan Dragon Magazine, The Sneaker and Dengeki hp, or media franchise magazines like Comptiq and Dengeki G's Magazine. Often light novels are chosen to be adapted into manga, anime, and live-action films. The popular serials then began to be printed in their now known novel format. The direction of light novels evolved to cater to newer generations of readers, with light novels becoming fully illustrated in the popular art style. To please their audience, in the 1970s, most of the Japanese pulp magazines began to put illustrations at the beginning of each story and included articles about popular anime, movies and video games. Plots are romantic comedy and isekai fantasy. Light novels developed from pulp magazines. While most light novels are published only as books, some have their chapters first serialized monthly in anthology magazines before being collected and compiled into book format, similar to how manga is published. Light novels are commonly illustrated in a manga art style and are often adapted into manga and anime. ![]() Light novels are subject to dense publishing schedules, with new installments being published in 3–9-month intervals. The average length of a light novel is about 50,000 words, and is published in the bunkobon format ( A6, 10.5 cm×14.8 cm or 4.1"x5.8"). ![]() Its abbreviation is ranobe ( ラノベ) or, in English, LN. The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. The definition is very vague, and wide ranging. Not to be confused with Visual novel or Graphic novel.Ī light novel ( Japanese: ライトノベル, Hepburn: raito noberu) is a type of popular literature novel native to Japan, usually classified as young adult fiction targeting teens to twenties.
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