Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter]
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It's the hottest story on StoryWorld right now.
Today, exactly on the 20th chapter upload, it claimed the top spot on today's best, weekly best, and monthly best rankings.
Not just the number of favorites, but the recommendations too.
It topped every single ranking.
The comments were pouring in at 500 per chapter, showing just how enthusiastic the fans were.
And if you looked for the most repeated comment among those 500, there was one clear winner.
[Please do daily updates!]
[Author-nim, daily updates please...]
[Someone kidnap Author Jeong and force him to churn out chapters!]
[We'll avoid bloodshed if you give us the next one.]
They were all begging for daily serializations.
Yang Team Leader, who had been assigned to handle Jeong Tae-seong at YK Books, shook his head as he scrolled through the comments.
'With all these requests, a rookie author isn't releasing any backlog?'
Rookie authors lack experience.
Most of them start writing because they read stories and get the itch to create their own.
When readers respond positively, they get thrilled.
It wasn't uncommon for them to immediately release backlog chapters in response to daily update pleas.
But that wasn't a good habit.
Writers were supposed to write every day.
But they couldn't write every day.
They had personal lives and off days too.
That's why they built up a backlog in advance.
It was to cover any missed serialization deadlines.
It was also why many rookies started strong but struggled later on.
But this rookie was different.
'He has a backlog equivalent to five whole volumes.'
A volume was typically around 1,200 manuscript pages.
It varied by platform, but that was the standard.
Yet Jeong Tae-seong had 5,000 pages stockpiled.
That was nearly 140 chapters.
A story that had only been serializing for a month already had almost four volumes ready.
'I couldn't believe it when Rep Kwon first told me.'
All he could say was it was amazing.
For YK Books, it was cause for celebration.
'We were just worrying about Grape Books' One Free Episode Per Day slot falling through.'
One Free Episode Per Day.
It was a marketing strategy.
Stories in that category released one free chapter daily from their backlog.
But most readers wouldn't wait.
For truly addictive stories, they had to pay for the next chapter right away.
Recently, YK Books had a gap in the slot for Grape Books.
The author's manuscript delivery was delayed.
Just as they were pondering what to do, [Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] appeared.
With nearly four volumes in backlog, it was more than enough.
The issue was needing to fill up to five volumes.
'Guess I should check with him first.'
Yang Team Leader called Jeong Tae-seong.
"Yes, this is Yang Jong-woo, Team Leader from YK Books."
-Yes, hello.
"No big issue, but we're thinking of putting your work in the One Free Episode Per Day category on Grape Books. You saw the email we sent about what that entails, right?"
-Yes, I checked. From a marketing standpoint, it seems like an excellent approach.
"Oh, so you're okay with it?"
-Of course.
"This slot requires five volumes' worth... Excluding the manuscripts you've already sent us, how much more have you written?"
At Jeong Tae-seong's pace, maybe five or even six volumes?
He held that hopeful expectation.
-I'm currently working on volume 8.
"Pardon?"
-To be precise, I finished volume 7 two days ago, and now I'm about 100 pages into volume 8. Based on the page format you sent last time.
It was an answer that made him doubt his own ears.
'What the hell... This monster?'
Monster.
There was no other way to describe it.
* * *
"I'm sorry, but if those are the terms, I'll have to decline."
"Pardon?"
It was an unexpected response.
Kwon Rep and Yang Team Leader's eyes widened in shock.
"We don't need to go into Grape Books' One Free Episode Per Day."
"You're... serious, Author Jeong?"
"Yes."
"One Free Episode Per Day is a slot tons of authors dream of getting into. Once you're in, the sales explode."
Yang Team Leader tried to persuade him once more.
But Jeong Tae-seong shook his head.
"I don't like the condition that it has to serialize exclusively on Grape Books. StoryWorld is where I started serializing. Tons of readers there are waiting for my updates."
Hearing that, Kwon Rep understood what he meant.
"We appreciate you thinking of your readers. But if it goes into One Free Episode Per Day on Grape Books, you can't serialize on StoryWorld anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"You haven't started paid serialization yet, so you might not know, but StoryWorld and Grape Books don't have the best relationship. They're splitting the market, so it's natural. The biggest issue is their different payment systems."
StoryWorld was basically free.
But once it switched to paid, readers had to pay 100 won per chapter.
In simple terms, per-chapter billing.
Grape Books was per-chapter billing by default too.
The problem was the One Free Episode Per Day system.
Chapters went free after a day, which was different from StoryWorld's model in a way.
"In the past, simultaneous serialization on both was allowed. You could do One Free Episode Per Day on Grape Books and per-chapter paid on StoryWorld. But StoryWorld raised complaints about it, so now authors have to choose one platform or the other."
Jeong Tae-seong nodded after hearing the explanation.
Then he said simply,
"So, as long as I don't go into One Free Episode Per Day on Grape Books, I can do paid serialization on both simultaneously."
"That's right. But it would impact your sales significantly."
"Doesn't matter. Money's important, but connecting with more readers comes first for me. I'll pass on One Free Episode Per Day. Instead, I want to upload to Grape Books with per-chapter billing."
He was firm.
It put YK Books in a tough spot.
[Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] would shatter every ranking record if it went into One Free Episode Per Day.
It had that kind of potential.
But Grape Books had a big weakness.
Without making the main banner, exposure was tough.
Readers had to search for it manually.
There wasn't a dedicated spot showcasing all titles.
Sure, they could put it on a general banner.
But exposure-wise, it paled compared to the main banner.
The data they'd accumulated showed just how much that translated to sales differences between the platforms.
"Couldn't you reconsider...?"
"I've thought about it a lot. Please go with what I want."
At his resolute tone, Kwon Rep had no choice but to concede.
* * *
Writing stories.
It was a joy.
More precisely, the joy came from others reading what he wrote, relating to it, and saying it was fun.
"Time to write today too."
He sat down at his computer after work.
Opened a blank manuscript file and let Tae-seong reminisce about the past in his mind.
Every author had their own writing style.
Some outlined roughly and built their world meticulously.
Others wrote spontaneously.
Tae-seong imagined the story in his head first, then put it to words.
Soon, memories from the past began to play out in his mind.
* * *
[Return of the SSS-Class Hunter] had surpassed 30 chapters.
Typically, free serialization went up to 50 chapters for promotion.
But with per-chapter views over 50,000, more promotion was pointless.
No need to drag out the free period.
-Author-nim, how about switching to paid now?
"Got it. What do I need to prepare?"
-We’ll handle everything on our end. Will you keep serializing on StoryWorld yourself?
"Any other options?"
-We could move the story to YK Books' official account, and we'd manage it from there. Just send us the manuscripts, and we'll edit and upload.
StoryWorld was where he'd first serialized.
It also made communicating with readers easy.
Above all, it felt like directly breathing with the audience.
That was fun, so he wanted to handle the serialization himself.
"I'd like to serialize on StoryWorld myself."
-Understood. We'll prepare accordingly. It'll launch simultaneously on Grape Books too, so let's set the date for the 20th this month.
"Yes, sounds good."
Five days until the 20th.
It was tight, but no big deal.
Plenty of backlog, and writing was no issue.
'Paid serialization, huh...'
From now on, he'd earn money from his writing.
It meant he was a pro.
He hadn't built up huge expectations.
Even so, his heart started to race.
.