Writing a book has always been seen as something difficult, prestigious, and far from ordinary people. However, with the rise of web fiction, the barrier to entry of writing books has disappeared.
Web fiction is written works of literature available primarily or solely on the Internet. Unlike most modern books, a work of web fiction is often not published as a whole. Instead, it is released on the Internet in installments or chapters as they are finished. This allows authors to focus their novels in smaller chunks and receive feedback from readers in real time.
The business style of web fiction revolves around subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships. Since subscriptions are inexpensive, a popular web fiction could have millions of subscribers, granting millions of income for the author and the web fiction platform.
Although the earliest day of web fiction originated in the U.S. in the form of episodic online stories, web fiction eventually fell in popularity in the U.S. With the growth of the internet, however, it has had a resurgence, primarily in China. Since 2008, web fiction companies and platforms like Qidian emerged and quickly captured the attention of younger generations. According to The China Project, a U.S.-based news platform that reports on China, China is producing and consuming the largest amount of web fiction in the world, with an estimated 20 million full-time, part-time, and dabbling writers in 2022. Global Times, a daily tabloid based in China, estimated that by the end of 2023, China’s online literature market would reach $5.62 billion.
Lately, web fiction has also been experiencing a revival in the U.S. As the popularity of Chinese web fiction continues to rise, with captivating storytelling, unique cultural perspectives, and diverse genres, there’s a growing demand for English translations. With more advanced translation technology, bringing these stories to English-speaking readers has become easier than ever. Websites like Wuxiaworld and WebNovel emerged as the go-to websites for web fiction for audiences in the U.S.
Additionally, more and more English Authors started contributing their ideas to the website, introducing more storytelling techniques, themes, and genres, making web fiction platforms more diverse and inclusive than ever before. As technology advances, web fiction is expected to grow in popularity and emerge as a new entertainment method.
