{"id":62412,"date":"2026-03-09T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=62412"},"modified":"2026-03-09T18:47:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:47:06","slug":"japan-doesnt-have-a-shortage-of-light-novel-authors-but-the-number-of-readers-is-decreasing-kadokawas-pursuit-for-foreign-talent-is-a-way-to-stir-things-up-in-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japan-doesnt-have-a-shortage-of-light-novel-authors-but-the-number-of-readers-is-decreasing-kadokawas-pursuit-for-foreign-talent-is-a-way-to-stir-things-up-in-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Japan doesn’t have a shortage of light novel authors, but the number of readers is decreasing. Kadokawa’s pursuit for foreign talent is a way to “stir things up in the market”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Back in summer last year, Japanese publisher Kadokawa held \u201cMyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest 2025 \u2013 THE ISEKAI presented by KADOKAWA<\/strong>,\u201d an English-language light novel contest held with the goal of discovering \u201cthe next big isekai hit.\u201d As explained on the official website<\/a>, the contest was launched in order to scout fresh worldwide talent, giving them the chance to have their stories published in Japan This February, Kadokawa announced the three contest winners, with the grand prize going to Isekai\u2019d with my dog, I\u2019m not the hero?! <\/strong>by author Frettiko.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the same time, Kadokawa held the World Manga Contest<\/a>, offering aspiring manga artists from around the world an opportunity to debut in Japan. This was just one of the moves Kadokawa\u2019s editorial team made in their attempts to go global, assessing that worldwide expansion will become necessary<\/a> for broadening the talent pool and meeting market demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Contest<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

However, according to Satoshi Arima, editor-in-chief of Kadokawa-owned novel publisher MF Books and leader of the isekai contest project, there is an abundance of light novel authors in Japan. So, if that\u2019s the case, why did Kadokawa decide to seek new talent for the Japanese light novel market in the Anglosphere? In a recent interview with Otaku Soken<\/a>, Arima discussed the details behind the contest, while providing some personal insight into the Japanese light novel market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about whether the English-speaking light novel contest was held because of difficulty in securing domestic talent, Arima explains that\u2019s not exactly the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActually, I don\u2019t really feel like there\u2019s a shortage of Japanese light novel authors. Rather, I think that they\u2019ve been growing in numbers,\u201d Arima says. \u201cOn the other hand, the number of readers has been decreasing. Looking back at the history of light novels, just like physical publications of web novels started becoming hits after the boom of light novel-based anime, I believe the market is in need of a new wave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, in order to create the next big hit, we need to cause a stir in a positive sense,\u201d Arima argues, concerned that the market will just keep quietly shrinking if it doesn\u2019t manage to capture people\u2019s interest. According to him, publishing works of overseas authors in Japan could help positively stimulate the market and create more opportunities to draw in new readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy personal idea is that, if we managed to create means for non-Japanese speakers to try themselves out in the Japanese light novel market, it may serve as good stimulation. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a shortage of authors, rather, we need to find more people, including readers, who will pay attention [to the market].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other than that, another goal of Kadokawa\u2019s is to reach out to the overseas audience and future business partners. As Arima explains, if a light novel author from a specific country became popular in Japan after getting published by Kadokawa, that could serve as an opportunity for the company to expand their business within that country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kadokawa wants all its animation staff to be \u201cable to afford a Benz\u201d as it shifts to higher-budget, global anime production<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor-in-chief of Kadokawa-owned publishing house discusses some of the reasons behind organizing an English-speaking light novel contest. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":62417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[17,66],"class_list":["post-62412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-japan-related-news","tag-non-gaming-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapan doesn't have a shortage of light novel authors, but the number of readers is decreasing. 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