Not your fault, but I only put my webCOMIC on Webtoons. soooooo That is why...
But I really not sure why I'm nervous.
Maybe it's because my Series is highly dependent on the comment section of Webtoons...
If something bad happen... I don't know what to do... I hope there will be less drastic change(s)
this time around
I believe they are losing/bleeding money investing in Western comics where they are pretty much competing against established brands such as DC/Marvel/Image etc.
Webtoons is geared more to young adult and teens who seek manga/manwa/manhua.
This is a drastic shift but I've seen this coming.
We shall see how this goes. We might be seeing more manga/anime style comics.
If they have his position open, I might apply. HAHA (jk. not kidding)
I can definitely see where you're coming from, and its one of the biggest criticisms of Line. Its especially hearthbreaking for me when I see a story with good art but lacking in story. Admittedly, I'm not subscribed to many comics on Line, and it takes a bit of digging through Discover to find one I like since I'm picky (despite also uploading there myself haha . . .). Webtoons is a relatively new format, and though there are definitely some that have impressed me (like White Horse or Her Summon), most are not on Line. Its a saturated market and my time is very limited, so when I do find time I'm gonna look for high quality art and story.
Toomics finally got around making an English version of their site? I think it's time to update korean webtoon wikia for me.
What are you defining as a "good" story and "dream" story?
I understand it if you say they are cliche or just done purely to seek money, but someone who wants to write/draw/create would surely do what he/she/they wants to do.
Art is subjective. You can criticize it by having in mind a general audience and it's own points that could possibly distinguish it from others, but it in my opinion words like good or bad should never be said.
Idk, I don't wanna sound rude, just addressing something I feel is important.
Head of Content is a nice sounding title lol. Think of the fancy LA office and the parties you could host at conventions~
I have similar predictions. I was worried that because I'm one of those young people seeking manga/manhwa/manhua that I was conflating myself with Line's general audience, but when you look through Discover its pretty apparent that the manga/anime style is what readers just enjoy. Its odd to me that they'd move away from this when the readers on Discover are also the ones with the highest retention rate (probably) and most likely to visit frequently (probably).
Not to say its a totally bad idea to have "a comic for everyone," diversity and unique/creative content can be a strength. But to take the risk of investing in comics which are usually not popular with the audience, and then basically let these comics continue for as long as the creators want (as far as I know) seems like a bad move from a business perspective. I've even seen some of these comics go on hiatus for forever it seems, and like, is Line still paying them.
Ayy good idea~ And yeah I was waiting for awhile since I'm a fan of a few of their comics but hate reading webtoons on pc. They launched their app rather recently.
Sorry to but in and no mean to offend, but could you address this topic in a new thread maybe ("Is there an objectively good/bad comic?" or something like that). I feel like this an important and interesting topic definitely worth discussing, and so deserves its own thread . . . also so we can keep this one on topic.
I'm an old fogey so I was raised almost exclusively on western style comics ... the manga influx didn't even start until late high school...and Heavy Metal was the best source to check out European styles.
But I appreciate good storytelling in any form... so my bias is minimal.
I don't think what they were doing over there was a bad business model at all. It was forward thinking enough to recognize trends/tastes can shift but still providing enough of what was hot to sustain readership. If you want to watch what happens to a medium that doesn't adapt to appeal to new/shifting trends look at mainstream Marvel/DC. As their potential audience drifted away, they triple downed to pandering to an aging shrinking core audience. They've basically become IP libraries for other mediums...they have to keep pimping BIG events to soak every cent out of pockets now.
If you want to see desperation reduced to a business model, look up the Evergreen marketing plan. It's downright scary and cynical.
But that's the future you're asking for if you ONLY produce one type of product and excluding any potential new directions.
I don't really think this affects as much. A series lacking in story can still be entertaining with things like characters and art style however. I rarely find the opposite to be true. Having something lack in artwork pushes people away before they even have a chance to read it. Which is precisely why I mentioned quality of the comics. Art is subjective to a point but like all things there are trends like you and @seru noted about the manga/manwha style that people like so if the Head of content is picking things outside that standard of quality it could affect the overall readership.
Sure it may bring in readers but if they aren't the kind of readers that would read other series that aren't like it what's the point? If more readers are reading comics from discover and the promoted ones aren't as popular as they used to be you are going to have a problem especially if you are paying the promoted series and they aren't bringing in the money.
Honestly after reading re-reading the whole thing it seems like they will probably start being more strict on what series they take and don't. I guess it's good for growth but after a while when that boom stagnates something has to change. So they are probably going to replace the Tom dude with someone
I just hope that the Discovery Section of Webtoons does not thrown out the Window.
Don't READ - Webtoons18
I think that would be more true if they were selling the comics. All comics on webtoon are free and they make all there money elsewhere. So if their core audience isn't reading these western styled comics as much as other things than it is a bad business model, especially if they are paying them base pay without proper editing of their content. As the OP stated Line doesn't seem to axe featured comics. However there is no information on this so it could just be nothing and they could have removed him because maybe he was farting too much)
I wasn't going to respond to this because I though it was off topic but it leads to a great point. Art is subject until you are a business or a professional. As an almost professional artist my art quality and writing affects how much people are willing to pay me. Especially true if people are willing to do better quality at the same price and speed.
There is a standard where people are willing to pay for content. It's fine now because they don't charge for it but eventual with the paid competition having higher quality content Line needs to change it's business model if it wants to keep making money. Art quality and writing does affect readership. If Line doesn't make money from these apps which I'm pretty sure their funding comes from Naver and other advertising apps it will be hard to keep this going if your profit is down more than 60%.
Assuming this is correct.
However this is all speculation.
But the marketing strategy would still be based on appealing to the greatest potential amount of viewers to maximize ad revenue across the board...selling them stats to the total number of viewers to the site.
So let's say manga/manwa/manhua fans constitute 95% percent of the site's viewers...then you're probably doing just fine at reaching manga/manwa/manhua fans. The market for growth potential is potential readers NOT fans of that style, and not already on Webtoons. Taking a few big swings at getting them signed up...then you push the other content as well.
That's a sound strategy for potential growth.
@skicoak oof every one of the ads they recommended were the type I ignore. .. also adblock lol. And really liked Heavy Metal, guys like Moebius were a huge inspiration to me.
I mean, I can't judge Line's decisions too much since I don't have the numbers, but if they're really that desperate for growth I'm not sure that was the smartest way to go about it. Its not like its their first time publishing western style comics, so they already knew it doesn't do as well (the ranking is quite clear on this), and then they don't axe comics that are below quotas or there's one with a 5/10 star rating (which is really bad for a featured comic). Not axeing makes sense when they're just moving a discover comic to featured since they know it already has an audience. But they came out with completely new comics and were banking on big names like Stan Lee, which did get them new readership, but those readers are also gonna look at what else the app has to offer and possibly just leave (don't have the data) with low engagement, and therefore less ad revenue.
And there is also the problem with becoming an IP library, but I don't know if that's too bad considering their revenue is through ads.
Edit: actually it is an issue in the sense that it bolsters Line's competitors, so I see what you're saying. You can post your comic on Line, build an audience, and then once a publisher takes it up your audience gets a notice "hey my comic is moving to x so head on over there," driving traffic towards a competitor.
But they also sponsored some ads with big youtubers and that was a good decision I think. And I like the variety they offer. It'd kinda suck if all their featured comics were anime/manga style and romance (don't even read these myself). Though they might've went a bit overkill with the contest, I think it went well. And travelling to conventions and selling merch seems like a good idea to me. So I agree with many of their business practices, but if they're trying to tap into new readership I think they should've gone for . . . well. . . weebs. But I'm just rambling and without the numbers can't really know.
@okellymx oh I don't really separate characters and story haha, but for me if I find a story boring after 20 chapters I drop it. While I can tolerate iffy/mediocre art if the story is good and communicated well. Not every artist is a good storyteller. But if you're being paid, both art and story should be up to par.
I think things will stay relatively the same for the majority of us. The biggest change I see happening is a shift in the content that gets featured.
I mean, to the individual creators, how well their webcomics did matters but for statistical reason it's only the total numbers of viewers site wide that matter for selling ad space to potential advertisers. They have to increase that number... not guarantee good results.
Like buying Super Bowl ad space, the network doesn't care if it's a good game when selling ads...or the potential advertiser is a good match demographic wise... they're just selling space.
But as far as I know that isnt how they got their or get their money. A lot of their money came from investments and their mobile apps. Gaining as many views as possible and paying a minimum of $2,000 a month regardless of how well the comic performs doesn't sound ideal as a business plan. Especially if you aren't cutting under performing content.
I'm pretty sure they cut under performing comics. The Dane Man(or whatever it's called) was cut and so was Dr. Frost. I don't keep up with it too much but I've heard of atleast those two.
I believe they get a set budget from their parent company. My understanding (Which I admit could very well be wrong cause some of this is stuff I hear/read randomly) is their goal right now is less about building profit and more about establishing themselves as the dominant webcomic app.
