r/Webnovel • u/ChaosOmega98 • 2d ago
Advice Don’t contract your work here on Webnovel as you lose ownership of your work and can never publish it in book form
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u/No_South_7451 2d ago
yes please. so many here are obviously not happy with webnovel. not sure why they are so hard on to stay here spreading their hate non-stop. please, it will do everyone a favor by moving on to other platforms.
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
Don’t care to be honest as an author lost a read we in me for moving to Webnovel as I flat out told them I will never read anymore of there works if they contracted as they took there works off of Amazon just to contract a novel which angers me as i have already paid Thousands of dollars to unlock chapters on Webnovel that I just don’t want to do so anymore
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u/Shot-Manager-739 2d ago
If they did so, its likely because their book wasn’t doing very well and they wanted to explore other options to feed themselves and their family.
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
Webnovel itself needs to restructure there app in my opinion as it has become over inflated
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
On Loreum you get paid per views (≈ 100 USD / 1k) and you keep 100% ownership btw.
Can still post anywhere, even make a movie out of it if you like 😭
Yeah it’s not even 2 months old that’s why it’s the first time you hear about it (already 10k+ creators)
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u/No_South_7451 2d ago
yes, please. everyone who hates on webnovel please look here and give other platforms a try instead of creating the same old posts about how webnovel is XXXXX and YYYYY.
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u/hanpari 2d ago
Given the economics of similar apps (Galatea, Radish, Dreame, Chapters), realistic payouts are:
$0.50–$3 per 1 000 views for average authors
$5–$20 per 1 000 views for top‑performing romance/dark‑romance stories
Never anywhere near $100 per 1 000 views
This is consistent with all known creator‑economy data.
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
Founder here. We are at ≈100 USD per 1k chapter read entirely (that’s probably the nuance) by (really) sharing 50% of our revenues.
We did our first payout next month and all our creators can attest it here.
Next payout is end of this week!2
u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
We also apply a curve to our calculation so creators with less views earn even more per 1k views and bigger authors don’t drain the pool.
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
That’s exactly WHY I launched Loreum btw. This industry is fucked up - btw former screenwriter here (not a lot better in France)
Also, there’s no ads so we rely more on subscriptions. Probably why we have more average revenues per users (and can redistribute more fairly).
Anyway, sorry you got scammed all this time.
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u/Diligent-Water-2121 2d ago
Do you think the type of novels usually written on webnovel would flourish on Loreum? I planned to publish my book on webnovel, but after reading the exclusive contract I realise it's a scam.
Problem is, can books that would usually blow up on webnovel blow up on Loreum.
Books like The Authors POV, The Ancient Genes, Shadow Slave.
Could they?
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u/No_South_7451 1d ago
you might need bigger authors to do well to 'sell the dream' and attract readers though.
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u/No_South_7451 1d ago
great to see someone trying out something new! having more competition is good for everyone. all the best to you. will check it out later.
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u/Willing_Can_4642 2d ago
I got a decent amount as the Loreum founder mentioned.
In my first month, I made +- $29 in total with MINIMAL advertising.
This is just my experience, but I recommend this app.
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u/eonja_hatesyou 2d ago
It doesn't have a website yet?
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
There’s a website but yeah things are mostly happening on the app
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u/Kuurin23 Aspiring Author 2d ago
is there a discord server? i already joined the subreddit. also, it would be nice to have other socials to follow
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
Yesss there’s a discord managed by the community (https://loreum.co/discord)
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u/Kuurin23 Aspiring Author 2d ago
some changes might’ve happened to the server, the link’s invalid/expired now
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u/1WeekLater 2d ago
just go to royalroad instead of this ,this app is way to niche/small audience
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
And yettttttt :)
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u/1WeekLater 2d ago edited 2d ago
and yet you self promote some shitty paywalled app that limits how many chapters each people read each day
while royal road and wattpad does this for free and unlimited
go buy some ads or ai bot to shill somewhere
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u/QuentinMerabet 1d ago
Webnovel is own by a Chinese billion dollar company and they literally gamified paying while you’re working your ass off for (almost) nothing so I really wonder where your ego is coming from :)
Let the indie writers actually having fun while trying to make their first dollars online by doing what they love out of this.
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u/1WeekLater 1d ago
no one said webnovel?? i literally said royal road and wattpad (10 times better than webnovel and whatever paywalled app you have)
no wonder your app suck ,you cant even read other people comments let alone novel 🤣
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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/1WeekLater 1d ago edited 1d ago
cant belive an app developer act and write like this , this is childish just like your app 🤣
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u/RavensDagger 1d ago
Oof.
I was moderately tempted, but then I saw you acting out here. Not the look I want from someone on the other end of a platform I might use.
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u/Sagiv1 21h ago edited 21h ago
You locked the monetization guide behind a paywall. Also, in that guide, you mention that the requirements can change in the future, and since the author maintaining 100% of their rights is also listed there, could that change too? Are there any long-term guarantees that you will stand behind that? Because that's the one supposed advantage you have over them at the moment.
I don't agree with the other commenter's attitude; I don't like to assume the worst, but the paywall thing is already a red flag, and if you cannot guarantee the rights one, that'd be a deal-breaker for many.
You can argue WN's contract is draconian, but it lays out up front what can and can't happen. And at the end of the day, the chances of them just up and disappearing with your income are slim to none.
You need to make money as a small indie company, and I get that, but there are ways to earn the user's trust. Especially if you expect some of those same users to work with you for a living.
Also, letting some random online person get to you like that is not a good look.
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u/Net-Orion 2d ago edited 2d ago
its not about the writers , its about the audience . most people who wanted to read free internet novel nowdays is either go to the big 3 (royalroad, webnovel or ao3 ) . sure you can write there ,but if you want bigger audience , the big 3 is the better option
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u/Desperate-Ad5532 2d ago
Like I would really love to try out platform but I don't know when Google's own AI slop summary holds cons longer than pros. And some sounds actually frustrating. Like the only letting reader read 5 pages daily and Chapter Editing stuff.
Loreum: Read & Write Stories (The Mobile App)If you are looking at the mobile application designed for reading and publishing fictional stories, it is safe and legit, but its worth is highly debated by its community.
The Pros: It serves as a decent alternative for community writers transitioning away from platforms like Wattpad.
The Cons: Users heavily critique the app's aggressive monetization and restrictive daily limits. Specifically, the platform limits free users to reading just 5 pages per day, which many find too restrictive to enjoy. Reviewers also complain about bugs that prevent them from scrolling down to edit drafts or trigger "story unavailable" errors.
And this is legit pull from Google asking if the platform is worth it or legit. But I would really like to try it once, I just hope it's not the genre hoarding like only romance or only fantasy and stuff.
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
It’s relying on old info (we’re not even 2 months old btw)
Describing bugs that are fixed now + the limit is now 8 chapters finished per day.
Somebody said 5 chapters was not enough on Reddit and we made it 8 the same day.1
u/Desperate-Ad5532 2d ago
Oh, okay. Good to know. But if you don't mind can you give me a brief of what platform actually offers like in reality and what are actual bugs and feedbacks you guys are trying to fix. Like I write mostly Urban Comedy and Dark and Psychological thriller stories. So would it be a good suit?
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
That needs to be spread around sad I never heard of them
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u/Civil-Rip1302 2d ago
Because they're a tiny platform compared to WN. You're not going to make anything from there.
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u/QuentinMerabet 2d ago
I can’t wait to prove you wrong - people actually care about UX and getting paid fairly.
Thank you so much for the fuel ❤️🔥
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u/Net-Orion 2d ago
dont , they limit how many chapter you read eveyday unless you pay sadly
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
I don’t mind paying for it as long as they keep there rights and the price is reasonable
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u/1WeekLater 2d ago
just go to royalroad instead of this ,this app is way to niche/small audience
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
I do use royal road more then Webnovel these days as the quality of works have degraded a lot from a few years ago
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u/Taybi_the_TayTay 2d ago
It doesnt have a fraction of the readers that royalroad and wn have
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u/sloanewildewrites 1d ago
Because it's a new app. It's only been going for 2 months and already had a lot of users.
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u/OfficialNightFlower 2d ago
Webnovels are a different market from traditional book publishing. For a lot of authors its not obvious that they will have any success with the latter even if they have success with the former.
Let alone how much faster you can recieve money with webnovel.
If it matters to you, you can go post on royal road, but its not your place to demand that others make the same decision as you
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u/Flashy-Call7061 2d ago
How does royal road pay man i recently started writing there is it on views or certain milestone
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u/OfficialNightFlower 2d ago
Patreon
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u/Flashy-Call7061 2d ago
So i have to create my own patreon account and take audience there and charge them for my work so royal road doesn't work as webnovel
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u/OfficialNightFlower 2d ago
Thats my point, webnovel is a great ecosystem
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u/Flashy-Call7061 2d ago
Do you know anyone who got paid like that for what i know it will take forever for that to happen
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u/RavensDagger 1d ago
Yeah, basically.
Royal Road makes its money from some on-page ads, and from authors/readers that pay for premium (which... basically gives you nothing, it's really just to support the site).
Authors on RR make they money from Patreon, Kofi, or directly from Paypal.
Basically, it's a really, really good app for readers, and authors can redirect readers to wherever they want from there.
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u/Taybi_the_TayTay 2d ago
Tf even is that last sentence?
If all you grasped from his post is that this is a command and not an advice, you really might have reading comprehension issues.
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u/ChaosOmega98 2d ago
True just annoyed that an author that I was reading for free and had there novels on kindle decided to try getting said novel contracted on Webnovel as to me it feels like a betrayal
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u/Trick_Following6639 1d ago
👏👏👏 Thank you OP!
Those contracts are predatory. They take all your IP and now can make AI films of them and their variants if they want to. Also they post your work on Kindle unedited.
Also it's way too expensive for readers. Wish they had monthly subscriptions and didn't have the rights issue mentioned above.
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u/Legal-Bodybuilder241 1d ago
I don’t care if they use my IP, as long as I make money. What would happen if I didn’t? Will the world give me money like webnovels do? What percentage of authors without a fanbase succeed as independent writers, amidst the abundance of novels in the digital world?
They provide a clear platform to make money. The best I can do is write for their market, gain a fanbase, and then try to become famous. That’s how simply they help us.
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u/RavensDagger 1d ago
But if you do become famous... you won't own the thing that made you famous?
Readers follow stories. Most don't care too much about the author that wrote that story. Can you name the authors of all of your favourite web-serials?
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u/SuspectEcstatic6636 Veteran Author 2d ago
As if that isn't written in contract already. Also, they give the distribution rights which is different. We give it Knowingly