AnimeSuki Forums

RDNexus · 2015-01-18, 06:38

Just yesterday, something that I was suspicious of but not exactly sure of has been confirmed to me...

It's better to tell the whole thing from the start...

For a few good years, I've been working on a story that was born in my mind when still a kid. The story is inspired by Anime and a few other stuff from all over the world.
I've been working on it only for a few years because, until then, I thought the only way of giving shape to my ideas was through Manga, that is until I found the Light Novels and started to take a look into literature as a good alternative.
Recently, LNs are getting a good amount of focus in the Anime Industry, despite many of them being the same kind of genres...

Around New Years, I finally finished writing the 12th and final volume of my story, while trying to get it officially published here in Portugal (and there's a publisher showing interest, it may be coming out soon... or so I hope...) but then one of my biggest goals with this story of mine (which I came to know that has been shared by many others around the world), making it reach Japan's market and possibly manage to get an Anime adaption, other than expose the story to the whole world, may be close to impossible or simply quite hard to make it come true...

Like I stated before, I was already suspicious of something like that being possible, or rather, the most likely thing to happen, but it doesn't mean that it'll make me feel disheartened or about to give up on getting it published, only that a HUGE wall showed up in front of me...

I'd like to read your comments, opinions, advices, ideas, whatever you may have to say about all of this...

Shyni · 2015-01-18, 08:08

"Close to impossible" sounds about right. This Answerman column explains a bit. Basically, unless you're famous, can communicate fluently in Japanese and have a business strategy that works, it's not something you can count on.

RDNexus · 2015-01-18, 08:13

Curiously, I found that very column last night, which confirmed what a friend of mine had told me about all of this...
I'm also in the process of reading the forum comments related to that column, seven pages is a lot of stuff to read...

Jan-Poo · 2015-01-18, 10:37

Basically what Shyni said, but think about it objectively.

Animation studios do not adapt stuff based on their objective values, they adapt stuff based on their ascertained popularity among the targeted group that is most likely to buy related BD and merchandise.

When they adapt a manga, it's a manga that was first published in a magazine among dozens of other manga and it proved itself to have sold several tankobons.

When it is a LN adaption, it is a LN that was first published in a LN magazine and received positive responses.

When it is a VN adaption, it is a VN that sold thousands of copies and that probably already have a manga adaption or that already sold several related action figures and related merchandise.

So if you want your novel to be animated you should first try to make it so it gets published on a LN magazine. But that means it should be written in Japanese to begin with and that assuming the companies are willing to deal with a foreigner. Your chances would probably increase if you could prove you are living in Japan.

Barring that, you can just publish your book as a standard novel, but how many chances are there that a novel that isn't specifically a light novel to be animated? And I don't mean western novels, I mean all novels, including 100% Japanese novels.
That's not very likely. There aren't really many novels that have been adapted into anime, and that's because animation studio are looking for successful works in a very specific demographic.

Now it's not like it's impossible for a novel, including western novels, to be animated, but that's more likely to be animated into a movie than a series. Studio Ghibli did a few, Howl Moving Castle and Earthsea, for example. But that's probably not what you are looking for, and then again, good luck with that.

So to make it short. You want your story to be animated in the kind of series like Bakemonogatari, Sword Art Online, Haruhi Suzumiya, Shakugan no Shana, To Aru Majutsu no Index? You need to go through the same steps that those went through. You need to get your story published as a light novel, in a light novel magazine, and you must hope it will have a good enough reception.
There's no cutting corners here.

RDNexus · 2015-01-18, 10:47

It may be so... For now, I'll focus on having my Novels published and see if they manage to fare well or even great.
Gotta think inside each step and see, along time, if chances do show up to go after higher grounds.
And even if such thing comes to happen, one's gotta keep on alert to possible scams and the likes...

In the topic of that Answerman Column, one stated that some japanese companies seem to be starting to set their sights to the international communities or something like that...

Fizix · 2015-01-18, 13:52

Seconding what others have said.

Just a thought though. Have you considered iBooks etc as a publishing platform? I don't know how well independent works do, but you could publish on there, maybe get it translated and build a base.

At the end of the day, its all about having an audience, leverage (audience) and contacts. If you have something with a fan base and contacts then you can work towards getting stuff done. But it'll be as hard for you as it is for everyone else everywhere in the world (that is, you'll need a good product, savvy and a massive dose of luck).

GDiddy · 2015-01-18, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by xrick

It may be so... For now, I'll focus on having my Novels published and see if they manage to fare well or even great.
Gotta think inside each step and see, along time, if chances do show up to go after higher grounds.
And even if such thing comes to happen, one's gotta keep on alert to possible scams and the likes...

In the topic of that Answerman Column, one stated that some japanese companies seem to be starting to set their sights to the international communities or something like that...

If you had your novel in English, I'd be interested in reading it.

I have noticed some companies have had contests in the past where international artists/writers can enter. I think Shonen Jump did this not too long ago....but I could be wrong.

RDNexus · 2015-01-18, 17:52

You're not the first person to show interest in my novel... If I had it in english...

The thing is, I'm trying to get my novels known in Portugal first and from there see if it's good to be exported internationally.
And since the story is 12 volumes long, and each of them is close to a LN's length, I've been giving priority to get the whole thing finished before thinking about putting it in another language...

It's a bit of a complicated issue... At least, for me...
But I do understand where you're getting at, thanks for showing me your intent for support.

P.S.: Do you think my train of thought isn't right? I'd like to know...

TJR · 2015-01-18, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by GDiddy

I have noticed some companies have had contests in the past where international artists/writers can enter. I think Shonen Jump did this not too long ago....but I could be wrong.

International contests exist, but the purpose is to engage overseas fans and foster those foreign markets (I guess it's similar to how Tokyopop has a line of original English-language works alongside their localizations). It's never about promoting those works to Japanese consumers, which is a problem if your aim is for the story to be adapted to anime.

AFAIK, foreigners can actually submit entries to some domestic contests. However, the text has to be in Japanese.

Esclair · 2015-01-18, 19:06

It seems like your best avenue is getting it translated into Japanese and then take on a Japanese pseudonym and publish it onto the places where web novels get posted. If you gather enough web fandom you might actually get a LN publisher to officially publish your work. After that, it seems like you'll have a pretty good chance of getting a really terrible low budget adaptation to advertise your LN. If you actually want something high quality, you'll probably need to have SAO level of sales before the anime.

RDNexus · 2015-01-18, 19:15

That friend of mine who put me inside this issue told me that he tried to get a Manga of his into a contest in Japan under a Korean name or pseudonym... But when they discovered he was portuguese, they simply dumped him away and rejected his Manga through and through...

Fizix · 2015-01-19, 13:16

Trying to pass yourself off maybe isn't a perfect idea. People generally respect good content, but if they have been misled it puts a bitter taste in their mouths. That's universal so be true to who you are and write what you write. If its good people will read it, provided they are aware of it. The point of translating should be to allow Japanese speakers to read it, not to dupe.

RDNexus · 2015-01-19, 13:18

True story, even I thought it wasn't a good strategy, even if it was to try to bypass the japanese's treatment of foreigners...
That maybe simply added fuel to the fire...

Fizix · 2015-01-19, 13:31

The thing is, there are plenty of western entertainment products that are popular in Japan. I believe it matters more with who you are targeting, younger generations I don't think are such a problem

RDNexus · 2015-01-19, 13:35

Well, my story is inspired by Light Novels and Anime, and I think it fits in the juvenile target audience.
In the end, it'll all be a matter of it managing to get by in the markets around the world... If it manages to go further than Portugal, of course...

Fizix · 2015-01-19, 14:40

Best of luck with it, keep writing and getting your stuff out for people to read. If you join a writing community or two, maybe someone will team up with you to help get it translated into any languages you need and might have the experience to help you get it out there.

RDNexus · 2015-01-19, 14:59

That could help, it could even be posted on Baka-Tsuki, in due time... I'd like to see that

Any recommendations of writing communities where I could possibly get some help with it?

Fizix · 2015-01-19, 15:02

No I don't, but if you google writing communities, not fan fic places, you'll find some decent sized, friendly communities I'm sure.

A good place to ask about that kind of stuff could be places like CG Society as a lot of professionals in film and so on are there along with some great eastern talent. People who know people and industries could be of help?

RDNexus · 2015-01-19, 15:29

CG Society? Hold your horses, I've gotta first think about my Novels before anything else...

And yes, I may check on Google about some good writing communities where I could get someone possibly interested in translating the story to english.

Fizix · 2015-01-19, 16:29

Hehe, I was being serious, if you want to find where to go next, asking on there could get some good advice from people who are involved in similar industries, you could get some good advice and guidance.

2015-01-18, 06:38	Link #1
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	[Talk] About the chances of foreigners getting their ideas turned into Anime Just yesterday, something that I was suspicious of but not exactly sure of has been confirmed to me... It's better to tell the whole thing from the start... For a few good years, I've been working on a story that was born in my mind when still a kid. The story is inspired by Anime and a few other stuff from all over the world. I've been working on it only for a few years because, until then, I thought the only way of giving shape to my ideas was through Manga, that is until I found the Light Novels and started to take a look into literature as a good alternative. Recently, LNs are getting a good amount of focus in the Anime Industry, despite many of them being the same kind of genres... Around New Years, I finally finished writing the 12th and final volume of my story, while trying to get it officially published here in Portugal (and there's a publisher showing interest, it may be coming out soon... or so I hope...) but then one of my biggest goals with this story of mine (which I came to know that has been shared by many others around the world), making it reach Japan's market and possibly manage to get an Anime adaption, other than expose the story to the whole world, may be close to impossible or simply quite hard to make it come true... Like I stated before, I was already suspicious of something like that being possible, or rather, the most likely thing to happen, but it doesn't mean that it'll make me feel disheartened or about to give up on getting it published, only that a HUGE wall showed up in front of me... I'd like to read your comments, opinions, advices, ideas, whatever you may have to say about all of this...

2015-01-18, 10:37	Link #4
Jan-Poo 別にいいけど Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: forever lost inside a logic error	Basically what Shyni said, but think about it objectively. Animation studios do not adapt stuff based on their objective values, they adapt stuff based on their ascertained popularity among the targeted group that is most likely to buy related BD and merchandise. When they adapt a manga, it's a manga that was first published in a magazine among dozens of other manga and it proved itself to have sold several tankobons. When it is a LN adaption, it is a LN that was first published in a LN magazine and received positive responses. When it is a VN adaption, it is a VN that sold thousands of copies and that probably already have a manga adaption or that already sold several related action figures and related merchandise. So if you want your novel to be animated you should first try to make it so it gets published on a LN magazine. But that means it should be written in Japanese to begin with and that assuming the companies are willing to deal with a foreigner. Your chances would probably increase if you could prove you are living in Japan. Barring that, you can just publish your book as a standard novel, but how many chances are there that a novel that isn't specifically a light novel to be animated? And I don't mean western novels, I mean all novels, including 100% Japanese novels. That's not very likely. There aren't really many novels that have been adapted into anime, and that's because animation studio are looking for successful works in a very specific demographic. Now it's not like it's impossible for a novel, including western novels, to be animated, but that's more likely to be animated into a movie than a series. Studio Ghibli did a few, Howl Moving Castle and Earthsea, for example. But that's probably not what you are looking for, and then again, good luck with that. So to make it short. You want your story to be animated in the kind of series like Bakemonogatari, Sword Art Online, Haruhi Suzumiya, Shakugan no Shana, To Aru Majutsu no Index? You need to go through the same steps that those went through. You need to get your story published as a light novel, in a light novel magazine, and you must hope it will have a good enough reception. There's no cutting corners here. __________________

2015-01-18, 17:52	Link #8
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	You're not the first person to show interest in my novel... If I had it in english... The thing is, I'm trying to get my novels known in Portugal first and from there see if it's good to be exported internationally. And since the story is 12 volumes long, and each of them is close to a LN's length, I've been giving priority to get the whole thing finished before thinking about putting it in another language... It's a bit of a complicated issue... At least, for me... But I do understand where you're getting at, thanks for showing me your intent for support. P.S.: Do you think my train of thought isn't right? I'd like to know... Last edited by RDNexus; 2015-01-18 at 18:07.

2015-01-18, 08:08	Link #2
Shyni Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: nowhere	"Close to impossible" sounds about right. This Answerman column explains a bit. Basically, unless you're famous, can communicate fluently in Japanese and have a business strategy that works, it's not something you can count on.

2015-01-18, 08:13	Link #3
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	Curiously, I found that very column last night, which confirmed what a friend of mine had told me about all of this... I'm also in the process of reading the forum comments related to that column, seven pages is a lot of stuff to read...

2015-01-18, 10:47	Link #5
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	It may be so... For now, I'll focus on having my Novels published and see if they manage to fare well or even great. Gotta think inside each step and see, along time, if chances do show up to go after higher grounds. And even if such thing comes to happen, one's gotta keep on alert to possible scams and the likes... In the topic of that Answerman Column, one stated that some japanese companies seem to be starting to set their sights to the international communities or something like that...

2015-01-18, 13:52	Link #6
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	Seconding what others have said. Just a thought though. Have you considered iBooks etc as a publishing platform? I don't know how well independent works do, but you could publish on there, maybe get it translated and build a base. At the end of the day, its all about having an audience, leverage (audience) and contacts. If you have something with a fan base and contacts then you can work towards getting stuff done. But it'll be as hard for you as it is for everyone else everywhere in the world (that is, you'll need a good product, savvy and a massive dose of luck).

2015-01-18, 19:06	Link #10
Esclair Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013	It seems like your best avenue is getting it translated into Japanese and then take on a Japanese pseudonym and publish it onto the places where web novels get posted. If you gather enough web fandom you might actually get a LN publisher to officially publish your work. After that, it seems like you'll have a pretty good chance of getting a really terrible low budget adaptation to advertise your LN. If you actually want something high quality, you'll probably need to have SAO level of sales before the anime.

2015-01-18, 19:15	Link #11
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	That friend of mine who put me inside this issue told me that he tried to get a Manga of his into a contest in Japan under a Korean name or pseudonym... But when they discovered he was portuguese, they simply dumped him away and rejected his Manga through and through...

2015-01-19, 13:16	Link #12
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	Trying to pass yourself off maybe isn't a perfect idea. People generally respect good content, but if they have been misled it puts a bitter taste in their mouths. That's universal so be true to who you are and write what you write. If its good people will read it, provided they are aware of it. The point of translating should be to allow Japanese speakers to read it, not to dupe.

2015-01-19, 13:18	Link #13
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	True story, even I thought it wasn't a good strategy, even if it was to try to bypass the japanese's treatment of foreigners... That maybe simply added fuel to the fire...

2015-01-19, 13:31	Link #14
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	The thing is, there are plenty of western entertainment products that are popular in Japan. I believe it matters more with who you are targeting, younger generations I don't think are such a problem

2015-01-19, 13:35	Link #15
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	Well, my story is inspired by Light Novels and Anime, and I think it fits in the juvenile target audience. In the end, it'll all be a matter of it managing to get by in the markets around the world... If it manages to go further than Portugal, of course...

2015-01-19, 14:40	Link #16
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	Best of luck with it, keep writing and getting your stuff out for people to read. If you join a writing community or two, maybe someone will team up with you to help get it translated into any languages you need and might have the experience to help you get it out there.

2015-01-19, 14:59	Link #17
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	That could help, it could even be posted on Baka-Tsuki, in due time... I'd like to see that Any recommendations of writing communities where I could possibly get some help with it?

2015-01-19, 15:02	Link #18
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	No I don't, but if you google writing communities, not fan fic places, you'll find some decent sized, friendly communities I'm sure. A good place to ask about that kind of stuff could be places like CG Society as a lot of professionals in film and so on are there along with some great eastern talent. People who know people and industries could be of help?

2015-01-19, 15:29	Link #19
RDNexus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portugal Age: 36	CG Society? Hold your horses, I've gotta first think about my Novels before anything else... And yes, I may check on Google about some good writing communities where I could get someone possibly interested in translating the story to english.

2015-01-19, 16:29	Link #20
Fizix Nitpicking Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: From England old chaps Age: 42	Hehe, I was being serious, if you want to find where to go next, asking on there could get some good advice from people who are involved in similar industries, you could get some good advice and guidance.