China News Service, Beijing, March 21 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) Turned on the computer, poured a glass of water, and Yang Ji was ready to start coding. If there were no special circumstances, he would write like this for three or four hours every afternoon, and he would never be able to move.
He calls himself a "writer", "I have been writing online novels for more than ten years, and I have almost never updated them."
There may be many other creators like Yang Ji. The "2023 China Internet Literature Development Research Report" shows that the number of online literature writers, works, and readers will show steady growth in 2023, with the number of authors reaching 24.05 million.
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Does such a huge scale mean that writing online novels is a good business to make money? In this regard, the reporter interviewed some online writers and senior online editors to see their true status.
People who write online novels
For Internet writers, the reasons why everyone steps into the threshold of writing online novels may be different.
In 2007, Zhai Pengyan wanted to try writing. At that time, online novels were popular, so he thought about building his own "magic world" in the literary world. "At first, my income was not much, just a few hundred yuan a month. At that time, I was very satisfied. ".
A little later, in 2009, Yang Ji plunged into the Internet literature circle. First, he serialized "Big Circle" in the Tianya Forum in the form of documentary style. "I didn't take it seriously at first, let alone make money. It was just a picture. A joy.”
When he first published his works on the platform, he didn’t make much money. “At that time, readers communicated with authors through posts, and it was a free model. Later, my posts went viral, and someone came to me to sign a contract for publishing. "
Unlike Yang Ji, Qin Fengxiao came into contact with online literature when he was in high school. "I have loved writing since I was a child. At that time, I tried to write fairy novels on some novel websites."
After he went to college, he saved money to buy a computer. “In 2007, I wrote a suspense thriller novel. Not long after it was published, it was noticed by the editor of a new website. He bought it for about 10 yuan per thousand words. It was considered a real novel. earned money."
Do "routines" always win people's hearts?
In addition to hobbies, income is also an issue that writers need to consider.
Data map: The picture shows the audience visiting the exhibition at the 6th China "Online Literature +" Conference. Photo by China News Service reporter Yi Haifei
Internet writer Dong Jiangbo has been engaged in online literature signing and publishing. According to him, some authors have signed copyright agreements for their works with online writing websites. After meeting certain conditions, they can enjoy the website's "Perfect Attendance Award", etc., as well as different treatment royalties.
Some online writers also enjoy "guaranteed" benefits, such as 50 yuan for 1,000 words, 100 yuan for 1,000 words, etc. Most of them are "great" online writers who entered the industry earlier. Others are just to register an account to create, and how much income you can get depends on your luck.
"Online novels seem to be written if you can write, but it is not easy to write well, especially to make money." Qin Fengxiao believes that many authors are just doing it for the full-time benefits of the website, and some works are "homogeneous" "" is more serious.
"It doesn't matter whether the routine is bad or not, as long as people watch it, you will make money." For online writing, this sentence may not be effective.
Dong Jiangbo discovered that on many self-media platforms, there are people offering courses in the name of senior online article editors or online article masters. They claim to teach online article routines, guarantee signings, and make big money. However, those with real skills are extremely rare. .
"Routines can only be regarded as trivial. Only novelty can win people's hearts. For example, "The Lord of Mysteries" created by Squid, who loves diving in recent years, and "The Mysterious Fairy" written by Foxtail are both relatively out of the ordinary, relying on strength and angles. Novelty," he said.
“Try not to work full time”
In the early years, the third young master of the Tang family ranked first on the 10th "Internet Writers List". However, the cruel reality is that among many online writers, "great" writers are rare.
In online literature writing, not every writer can make a lot of money by creating online literature.
Data map: The picture shows the third son of the Tang family speaking at the awarding ceremony of the first "China Internet Writers Village". Photo provided by Hangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles
Yang Ji was lucky. He received more than 30,000 yuan in royalties when he first signed a contract to publish online articles. After that, he successively wrote several popular online novels and initially achieved "economic freedom." At the end of 2010, he began to write full-time online articles. arts.
He made a simple self-assessment, "In the Internet literary circle, my income is more than enough. In addition to buying a car, I bought a penthouse from 2016 to 2018. Now I earn enough money from writing online articles. Covering daily life needs.”
Writer Xia Longhe knows some online writers whose monthly incomes are mostly around 3,000 to 4,000 yuan. “Nowadays, it is difficult for online writers to sign contracts, and the fees have been reduced. Short videos have diverted a large part of the online readers, and online writing is not that easy. "
Some people gave up on the track. When Qin Fengxiao was chatting with a friend, he learned that there was an author who had been writing for a long time and planned to start looking for a job. "This means that even if you have been writing for many years, you may not be able to truly survive in the online literature industry in the end."
Qin Fengxiao has been working part-time since the day he started writing online novels. “If you don’t have certain experience, talent, and perseverance, try not to write online novels full-time, especially for those who need to support their families.”
"If you want to ask whether writing online novels is still a good job to make money, I can only say that for most people, it is just a dream and a living." Dong Jiangbo emphasized, "There are only a few people who truly stand at the top of the pyramid. "
Good works, no shortage of buyers
Many data in the "2023 China Internet Literature Development Research Report" prove that online literature is still very popular today.
In the online novel writing circle, some people join and some leave. Considering practical factors, Xia Longhe rarely writes online articles anymore, but instead specializes in writing physical books. He also looks forward to selling film and television rights for his works in the future.
Yang Ji plans to give up writing online novels this year. "Online novels are mainly fun, short and quick. Next, I want to pursue the literary nature of my works and become a writer of physical books."
Qin Fengxiao actively changed directions and looked for a breakthrough, "I want to try short story writing. I have collected nearly two hundred inspirational materials, but it may not necessarily be written as an online novel."
"Content is king. Excellent online novels can provide high-quality content to the downstream industry chain, and there is no shortage of buyers." Dong Jiangbo is still optimistic about the future development of online literature. "As for whether you can catch the trend, it depends on the strength of the author himself. "(At the request of the interviewee, Qin Fengxiao is a pseudonym) (End)