Wikipedia

Shōsetsuka ni Narō

Shōsetsuka ni Narō (小説家になろう; lit. 'Let's Become a Novelist'[1]) is a Japanese web novel publishing website created by Yusuke Umezaki. The website allows writers to upload their novels that can be read free of charge. Around 1.14 million novels have been published on the website as of the end of 2025. The website's works are primarily young adult literature and centered around the isekai genre; in particular, a large number of stories share similar settings and themes.

Shōsetsuka ni Narō
Website type
Novel posting website [ja]
Available inJapanese
Country of origin
Japan
OwnerHina Project
CreatorYusuke Umezaki
Websitesyosetu.com Edit this at Wikidata
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired for posting only
Users2.3 million (2026)
LaunchedApril 2, 2004; 22 years ago (2004-04-02)
Current statusOnline

Umezaki began developing the website in October 2003 and launched it in April 2004, with the website growing in popularity due to the cell phone novel boom and the print publications of The Irregular at Magic High School and Log Horizon in 2011. Umezaki co-founded Hina Project to run the website in 2010. The website's writers tend to be amateur writers with little formal training. Well-performing works are acquired for print publication as a light novel and sometimes receive manga or anime adaptations.

The website is one of the most popular entertainment websites in Japan, with 2.3 million registered users as of January 2026; several publishers have tried to launch similar websites. It has been described as "the primary source of new IP for the light novel industry" and several of the most successful light novels, such as That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, originated on the website. More than 200 novels published on the website have received an anime adaptation. The website also helped establish the isekai genre as its own category.

History

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Yusuke Umezaki began developing the website in October 2003, while in his third year in high school, and launched the website on April 2, 2004.[2][3] Umezaki promoted the website on various internet forums, and, by 2008, the website had become too large for Umezaki to run by himself, so he asked friends from university to help. They founded the company Hina Project to operate the website in March 2010.[2] The website's growth in popularity was linked to the cell phone novel boom and the print publication of The Irregular at Magic High School and Log Horizon in 2011.[4][5]

Hina Project later launched Nocturne Novels and Midnight Novels as sister websites to Shōsetsuka ni Narō to publish novels for men with mature themes.[6] Alongside Frontier Works, the website published the web magazine N-Star in 2017.[7] In 2023, Hina Project launched Onaco, a website for posting adult illustrations that only accepts payments from bank transfers to circumvent financial censorship.[8] Umezaki resigned from his position as representative director of Hina Project in 2024.[9]

Characteristics

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Works published on Shōsetsuka ni Narō are primarily young adult literature.[10][11] When Shōsetsuka ni Narō was launched, fan fiction stories were often posted. However, Hina Project split off fan fiction into another site, called NijiFan, in 2010, before shutting it down in 2012, thus banning the posting of fan fiction.[4][12] As a result, writers began posting novels that were similar to established works, while still being distinct enough to avoid being considered a fan fiction.[12] Most authors on Shōsetsuka ni Narō are amateur writers and lack formal creative writing training; many also hold regular day jobs. For instance, Tappei Nagatsuki worked as a butcher while writing on the website.[1] On the website's writers, Rifujin na Magonote, who has written on the website extensively, said "I didn't want to be compared to that level. I thought it would be lowering myself".[4]

In a study using 600 works from the website, researchers found that the more popular works on the website use empathy for the protagonist in the beginning of the story, while novels that evoked surprise or fear were less popular. The study found that the middle of the stories tended to develop trust between the protagonist and their companions to prepare for challenges to come in the later parts of the story, with anticipation and trust remaining central themes throughout. The study concluded by suggesting that strengthening trust between the characters forms the foundation for the story and promotes emotional immersion from the reader.[13]

While not all works on Shōsetsuka ni Narō are isekai stories, the website's stories are broadly centered around the genre.[10] Takayuki Ohashi [ja] of Shūkan Gendai wrote that "almost no one reads anything that isn't an isekai story".[14] These works do not attempt to depict a unique world or characters, but instead try to focus on having a creative interpretation of the standard set-up to make them feel fresh.[15] The stories usually begin without much explanation of the new world, while the protagonist starts with a "hero" status. The later parts of the story revolve around the protagonist figuring out the new world; the stories usually lack a clear goal for the protagonist.[15] The stories can contain LitRPG elements.[16] Since many works share the same template, readers are able to know broadly what to expect, which has contributed to this theme's popularity.[4] If a reader tires of a work, they can start reading a new work, which the website's interface is designed to facilitate. This has been described as an example of database consumption.[17] These types of stories have become known as "narō-kei [ja]".[4][18]

For female readers, many of which were inherited from the cell phone novel boom, romantic drama stories in a dating sim or otome game setting have become popular.[4][18][19] In these stories, the protagonist, often an ordinary girl, is presented with a marriage proposal, while the story is narrated by a non-player character, often a villainess, with the story focusing on how they escape their downfall.[18]

Many works published on the website have long titles. J-Novel Club CEO Samuel Pinarsky felt that this is caused by the website listing chapters by title only, so writers felt that a more descriptive title would attract readers.[16] On June 5, 2025, the website banned works generated entirely by artificial intelligence (AI) and began requiring disclosure for works that use AI assistance.[20]

Media franchise

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Works that perform well on Shōsetsuka ni Narō are published in print as a light novel by one of the major publishers, such as Futabasha, which established the Monster Bunko imprint to publish works from the website. When this happens, the writer is assigned an editor to refine the prose, while a professional illustrator creates drawings to serve as its visual identity. The print version may also expand on the web novel.[1][21] Less than 0.1% of the website's catalog is published in print.[1] If the print version sells well, then a manga adaptation follows. An anime adaptation is the apex of the process.[1] Some works also receive a film adaptation.[22]

While Shōsetsuka ni Narō does not itself run novel contests, several publishers sponsor contests on the website. The winner of the grand prize is granted a publication deal, while the remuneration for the contests are usually tantamount to traditional literary awards.[1][18]

Features

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Registered users can write or edit their work through the website's own editor or post them directly by uploading text files or sending them through email. The system also allows writers to add tags to their work for accessibility and to make their own user page where they can post updates and receive feedback from readers.[23] Because of these blog-like features, the website has been described as a de facto social media service.[24] Readers can bookmark works to receive notifications when new chapters are released. The website also has a ranking system, where the works with the most bookmarks and best ratings are shown, which encourages competition.[15]

The website also allows users to leave comments on works and to rate them on a scale of one to five.[15] The comments section is divided into three categories: one for praise, one for pointing out small corrections, and one for larger thoughts about the story.[25] All works on the website are free to read. The website's revenue comes from running advertisements and partnerships with publishing companies.[2][21] The website's data has been scraped by an AI developer.[26]

Impact

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Advertisements for the anime adaptations of Re:Zero and The Rising of the Shield Hero in Akihabara in 2019. Both originated as web novels on Shōsetsuka ni Narō.[21]

Shōsetsuka ni Narō has 2.3 million registered users as of January 2026 receives more than 1 billion page views per month. About 1.14 million novels have been published on the platform as of the end of 2025.[1] According to Similarweb, the website is the third most popular arts and entertainment website in Japan, behind YouTube and Pixiv and ahead of Facebook and Instagram.[21] Following the website's success, several major publishers have tried to launch their own novel publishing websites, including Gengoya [ja] by Shinchosha, Monogatary.com by Sony Music Entertainment Japan, Novel Days by Kodansha, and Novel Up Plus [ja] by Hobby Japan, with Kakuyomu [ja] by Kadokawa and Hatena being the most successful.[18]

Jerome Mazandarani of Anime News Network wrote that "the website serves as the primary source of new IP for the light novel industry".[1] Several of the most successful light novels were initially published on the website, including That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Rising of the Shield Hero, and The Apothecary Diaries.[1][21][27] The website's most successful works have become commercially successful media franchises.[22] More than 200 novels published on the website have been adapted into anime.[28]

The website has also helped to popularize the isekai genre and is credited with establishing the isekai genre as its own category.[1][21][29] In 2025, between eight and ten isekai anime were released every season; 70-85% of those were based on novels that originated on the website.[1]

Selected works

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Below is a list of noteworthy works published on the website:[18][30]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Mazandarani, Jerome (January 12, 2026). "Answerman: How many light novels that got official publication originated on Narou?". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Okada, Yuka (December 25, 2014). 口コミだけで月間10億PV、ベストセラー続々　京都発の小説投稿サイト「小説家になろう」の歩み. ITmedia (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  3. ↑ 小説家になろうグループ (in Japanese). Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Morrissy, Kim (March 19, 2021). "Mushoku Tensei Is Not the Pioneer of Isekai Web Novels, But..." Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  5. ↑ Kurata, Masahiro; Yonemura, Tomomi (May 31, 2019). Vol.1 個人発サイトがエンタメ／出版業界を席巻する理由. Kai-You Premium (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  6. ↑ Takano, Ryo (November 15, 2017). いま話題の"青年向け"ライト文芸とは？　創刊まもない「ノクスノベルス」担当者を直撃. Da Vinci (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  7. ↑ 「小説家になろう」の公式WEB雑誌『N-Star』は「サイトへの原点回帰」 運営に聞く雑誌をスタートさせた理由とは. LN News (in Japanese). December 1, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  8. ↑ Iida, Kazushi (December 30, 2023). 「小説はつまらなくて、マンガはおもしろい」から売れないのか…文芸市場が抱える課題. Shūkan Gendai (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ Yonemura, Tomomi (March 4, 2024). 「小説家になろう」運営会社、経営体制を刷新　創業者は退任へ. Kai-You (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Nam 2024, p. 139.
  11. ↑ Richings 2023, p. 29.
  12. 1 2 Ichishi & Ma 2025, p. 161.
  13. ↑ Fukazawa & Watanabe 2025, p. 1.
  14. ↑ Ohashi, Takayuki (September 14, 2019). 「異世界モノ」ライトノベルが、現代の「時代劇」と言えるワケ. Shūkan Gendai (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Saito 2025, p. 366.
  16. 1 2 Alverson, Brigid (January 21, 2021). "Eight Essential Isekai Manga for Beginners". School Library Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ Saito 2025, pp. 366–367.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Saito 2025, p. 367.
  19. ↑ Kume 2022, p. 142.
  20. ↑ Yugaming (May 26, 2025). 「小説家になろう」作品へのAI利用の明示を必須化　全文のAI生成は禁止に. Kai-You (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Taylor, Will (July 26, 2022). "Why Fan Publishing Site Shousetsuka ni Narou is Anime's Newest Hotbed". Epic Stream. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  22. 1 2 McIlroy 2024, p. 206.
  23. ↑ Saito 2025, pp. 365–366.
  24. ↑ Tagliamonte & Yang 2021, p. 344.
  25. ↑ Yasuaki 2020, pp. 28–29.
  26. ↑ Tai, Anita (May 13, 2024). "'Shōsetsuka ni Narō' Novel Website Scraped for A.I. Developer". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  27. ↑ Wescott, Adam (June 5, 2024). "Let's Become a Novelist! Investigating the World of English Webfiction". Crunchyroll News. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  28. ↑ Saeki, Takuma (May 26, 2026). 「小説家になろう」アニメ化200作品突破！AI対策や商業化サポートなど、6月より順次開始される3つの新施策を発表。2013年ごろに掲載作品が初めてアニメ化. Denfaminico Gamer (in Japanese). Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  29. ↑ Atherton, Miles Thomas (January 22, 2025). "The State of Isekai Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
  30. ↑ アニメ化作品一覧 (in Japanese). Shōsetsuka ni Narō. Retrieved September 8, 2026.

Bibliography

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