Amidst the rising popularity of webtoons — digitally native, vertical-scroll comics originating in South Korea — Japan's online novel platform Teller Novel is venturing into producing original content. Launched in 2017, Teller Novel has already amassed an impressive user base with over 6.6 million app downloads and 2.66 million published works.

Webtoons offer a unique appeal as they are easily read on vertical-scrolling smartphones, making them more accessible in countries without a tradition of reading manga. The webtoon market is already booming in countries like South Korea and the U.S., with a projected global market size exceeding 56 billion dollars by 2030.

Teller Novel's CEO, Nobuto Hachiya, views webtoons as a strategic move to go global. The platform's snackable content — often thrillers or romance fantasy tales that are around 3,000 words per episode — harmonizes well with the webtoon format, designed for quick, engaging reads.

In collaboration with publisher Kadokawa, Teller Novel is already in the process of converting the suspense novel "False World" into a webtoon. Hachiya is optimistic that Japan's rich pool of creative talent can make a significant mark in the burgeoning webtoon marketplace.

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Source : https://mainichi.jp/articles/20230818/k00/00m/040/266000c

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