One Year Anniversary and Future Site Plans

(pictured: DanMachi)
(pictured: DanMachi)

I first started putting this site together in May 2014. That means it’s been around for a year now! (tidal wave of confetti engulfs everyone) By the time May 2014 rolled around, I had been considering for some time the possibility of putting together a database that compiled all the light novels released in English over the years. But with most of the publishers of the past either defunct or no longer having any kind of LN section on their websites, it was difficult to find much information about many of the titles that were released. Fortunately the English LN scene was becoming a bit more lively once the Yen On imprint was announced, and it was at that point I decided an English Light Novels site would be prudent to get started on.

Some random statistics:

  • The site has had over 500,000 views over the past year.
  • The first month for the site had over 1,000 views — April 2015 meanwhile had over 100,000.
  • There are close to 200 posts… and close to 200 followers.
  • The most-visited page (outside of home page and “list of light novels” page) is the entry for Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? with over 12,000 views.
  • The site has guided about 7,000 clicks over to Amazon.com, and another 5,000 or so to Book Depository and Barnes & Noble each.
  • Most of the views for this site came from the United States. There are about 50 countries that have contributed over a thousand views though, including 20,000+ views from Canada, Philippines, United Kingdom, and Indonesia.

The site has been fun to make, and I hope it’s been at least a little useful for everyone who has stopped by. Thank you everyone, for all your support this past year!

Plans for the next year:

  • Continue updating and expanding upon all the entries. There are still entries that need a recommendation and review links section added, and I have more ideas for information to add to everything (e.g. Japanese publisher, notes regarding manga/anime adaptations, etc). And, of course, I’ll be sure to add entries for any new light novels that are released in English.
  • Write up some features that delve a little into the history of light novels, and some posts on the various publishers out there (for both English and Japanese, if I can manage).
  • Keep up with news posts and reviews. (And perhaps make user-submitted reviews a thing? Comment here or email me if that sounds like something you’d be interested in…)
  • Find new ways to connect the light novel community further, and promote more discussion. I’m currently toying with the idea of having a sort of “summer reading program.” Each month a light novel or two will be chosen for reading, and anyone who wishes can discuss various points in an indicated forum. I could come up with a new set of topics each week, so that people can leave their impressions of the books as they read along. Does that sound interesting? (Again, feel free to comment if you’d be up for it to any degree!)

This is what I have in mind for the light novels to read. The idea is to have one officially-published LN and one fan-translated LN each month, in order to give people more than one option. And when it comes to the official releases, I would want to shoot for recently-released titles that people are going to be buying anyways.

Feel free to share your thoughts on any of this, and any suggestions you might have!

18 thoughts on “One Year Anniversary and Future Site Plans”

  1. All those plans sound super great and I would totally be up for that summer reading program! Congrats on the one year anniversary. I’m really impressed by how quickly the site has grown – just goes to show that there’s plenty of interest in English light novels. Keep up the great work, Cho!

    1. Thanks a lot, Frog-kun! My hope is that interest in light novels will continue to grow, so I’m just looking for new ways to support that cause.

    1. I’m anxious to read them too!
      Still feels slightly surreal, knowing there’s going to be an English Durarara novel available soon.

  3. I’m up for the summer reading programme as well! I’ll definitly be reading Kagerou Daze, Durarara, The Witch’s House & Absolute Solitude!! Thanks for your hard work & happy anniversary!

    1. Great to hear! I’ll be sure to update the site with more specifics for the “summer reading” within the next couple weeks. But for now I’d suggest planning to pick up Kagerou Daze for June, either by pre-ordering online or having a reliable bookstore to count on.

  4. This site is very useful, keep a good work :)
    I really like that you tags LN whiich have ebook edition, so I don’t have to wander arout with checking that.

    1. Thanks a lot, Botan!
      I personally would like it if all the new LNs coming out had ebook versions available, but it seems there may be licensing issues that prevent this. I imagine that in time such issues will be worked out though, as digital publishing continues to grow year by year.

  6. No kidding here, but I think this site has helped me develop an interest in LNs, though I’ve only read a few titles. I plan to keep reading, though. LNs are like an oasis I’ve yet to truly discover. :) Keep up the good work!

  7. Sorry for the late reply, but grats! And keep up the good work, blogs on light novels are pretty scarce, lol.

    “(And perhaps make user-submitted reviews a thing)?”
    Not sure if this is specifically what you wanted, but I’m all up for submitting a review as a guest post. I actually need to start reading something though, lol.

    Oh, I’m totally up for the summer reading program! Feel free to call me when you’re about to start.

    1. Thanks, Kai! Feel free to send me an email if you’re up to submitting a review one day.
      As for the summer reading, you can go ahead and start now! The first discussion post will be on June 14th. You can find the schedule for how much to read here. (Scroll down a bit)

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